Mission Statement

As a modern Orthodox, inclusive congregation, we fully commit to Torah, halacha (Jewish Law) and the quest for kedusha (holiness). We value open intellectual inquiry and expression in both secular and religious arenas; engagement with the social, political and technological realities of the modern world; the national religious significance of the State of Israel; and the unity of Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people).

In particular, as a modern Orthodox Jewish congregation, we believe:

1. TORAH MIN HASHAMAYIM

• Commit seriously, joyfully and passionately to Torah through halacha and its processes, observing ritual and ethical mitzvot out of a sense of covenanted obligation to God, as well as for personal satisfaction and well-being
• Value in-depth, life-long learning of Torah and rabbinic sources, seeking teachers for ourselves and our children who will stimulate us to love Torah, be intellectually honest, and be challenged by our encounter with text
• Turn to the Torah as the guide for our actions when we face new situations in which the law is not clear, recognizing that halacha is not petrified or frozen in time

2. GOD'S WORD

• Consider the entire world the handiwork of God, and the study of all its aspects - nature, science, history, philosophy, and human culture - a road toward ever greater appreciation of creation and the Creator
• Struggle consciously to define the relationship between our halachik practices and the social, political and technological changes in our world, using our God-given talent to address these changes with compassion while adhering firmly to our obligations
• Encourage intellectual openness, questioning, and critical thinking as essential components of one's full service to God

3. SPIRITUALITY

• Search for transcendent meaning and a connection to kedusha in our observances, prayers and daily activities, striving to achieve a personal relationship with God within the context of a modern life
• Live our personal, family and public lives guided by the highest ethical standards, reflective of moral rectitude and sanctification of God's name
• Strive to build a spiritual community, making our kehilla the center of our lives

4. TZELEM ELOKIM

• Affirm the shared divine image (tzelem Elokim) of all people, our responsibility to improve the world and our capacity to be enriched by it

5. AHAVAT YISRAEL

• Reach out to and interact with Jews of all the movements as well as non-affiliated Jews as an expression of the wholeness of, and in an effort to strengthen, the entire Jewish people
• Affirm the shared covenantal bond between all Jews, promoting love of all Jews (ahavat Yisrael) and actively pursuing the positive and respectful interaction of all Jewish movements
• Cooperate, to the fullest extent possible within the parameters of halacha, with other Jewish groups and their leaders
• Create synagogue and communal settings where all Jews are made to feel at home, and are constantly stimulated to bring Jewish observance and study into their homes and their daily lives

6. WOMEN

• Take seriously the historic changes in the roles and educational achievements of women in the past century.
• In response, we shall enhance and expand the participation of women in talmud torah, the halachik process, Jewish ritual and communal leadership in accordance with halacha

7. KAVOD HABRIOT

• Respect God's creatures, both animal and human, and oppose their degradation and oppression
• Undertake responsibilities as law-abiding and contributing citizens of this nation, devoting ourselves to the material and ethical well-being of the general society

8. ISRAEL

• Recognize Eretz Yisrael as our homeland
• Enshrine in our lives the miraculously reborn State of Israel through ritual observances, visits, aliyah and education
• Support the State of Israel and religious Zionist causes.
• Affirm the religious and historical significance of the State of Israel for all Jews in Israel and the Diaspora