Shabbat Services

At Temple Emanuel, we know that there are lots of different ways to be a Jew. There are also lots of different ways to pray. So we offer a variety of services, encouraging our members to experiment and stretch.

Erev Shabbat

ShabbatUnplugged
 The first Friday night of every month (except in July and August) is our ShabbatUnplugged service, at 7:30 PM in Bess P. Maltz Center. Led by Rabbi Jonathan Aaron and Cantor Yonah Kliger, this service-in-the- round is enhanced by the music of guitar, drums, and clarinet or flute. The energy is electric, with the liturgy sung by the whole congregation. This popular service regularly draws several hundred people of all ages, including many younger congregants in their 20's and 30's. There is a short d'var Torah given by Rabbi Aaron or Rabbi Geller. It is followed by a festive Oneg Shabbat and a cultural program.

Chapel Service
 On other Friday nights, our Chapel service is at 6:30 PM. This Erev Shabbat, led by Cantor Kliger and one of our rabbis, is a warm and intimate service in both Hebrew and English. The service is enhanced by the music of a keyboard and, several times a year, the Junior Cantors participate. It includes a d'var torah by the rabbi. Services end by 7:30 PM in order for people to go off to their respective Shabbat dinners.

Shabbat B’Yachad
 Our brand new musical Shabbat service, Shabbat B’Yachad, will take place on several Friday nights throughout the year. This service will feature the Temple Emanuel House Band (comprised of Temple Emanuel congregants), as well as the vocal talents of our Youth Choir, Family Choir, and Junior Cantors. Each Shabbat B'Yachad will have a different theme and will be followed by a festive oneg and Israeli dancing. This service is wonderful for families or anyone who enjoys good fun and good music.

Tot Shabbat
 Rabbi Jonathan Aaron leads our exciting and engaging Tot Shabbat service at 5:00 PM in the sanctuary on the first Friday night of every month (except July and August). Tots and their families enjoy Shabbat through an interactive service filled with song, stories, and dancing around the bima. We welcome Shabbat by lighting candles, drinking grape juice, and eating challah (after the fun of tearing it apart), as Rabbi Aaron teaches the prayers in a simple, meaningful way.

Healing Service
 The first Friday night of every month (except July and August) we have a healing service at 5:00 PM in Bess P. Maltz Center. This short service, led by Cantor Kliger and Rabbi Geller, focuses on the power of community and of prayer to bring comfort to people who are ill and to provide support for their families.


Shabbat Morning

New Emanuel Minyan
 Our regular Shabbat morning service meets from 10:00 AM until about 12:15 PM in Bess P. Maltz Center. Led by one of our rabbis and our Cantorial soloist Elizabeth Cohn, the service is a thoughtful, contemplative adult service. The service has a traditional feel, with most of the liturgy sung in Hebrew, accompanied by meaningful English poetry and commentary. Every word is transliterated so even non-Hebrew readers can fully participate in the prayer. Torah study is interactive and engaging, and provides stimulating discussion. Congregants chant Torah and Haftarah and often people celebrate life-cycle events within the context of the Minyan community: an important birthday, a prenuptial blessing, and a wedding anniversary. Services are always followed by a Kiddush lunch. The Minyan is nurtured by a Worship Care Committee that pays attention to deepening the sense of community among those who have become part of the congregation and welcoming newcomers into the community.

For more information about the New Emanuel Minyan please contact Jill Zimmerman, New Emanuel Minyan Coordinator, at (310) 288-3737 ext. 583

Alef-Bet Shabbat
 Third Saturday of every month, from 10 AM-12:15 PM (the same time as the Minyan service).
Alef-Bet Shabbat is our children's Shabbat morning program organized and taught by Tania Zu-Arets. Tania brings amazing experience to this position, having created several similar programs in New York that were extremely successful. This program engages children ages 1-8 in singing, art projects, stories, and a special Shabbat service
Alef-Bet Shabbat is a great opportunity to nurture a child's connection to the joy and celebration of Shabbat.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Service
 Most Shabbat mornings at 10:00 A.M. in the sanctuary we celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in the context of the Shabbat morning service. The service, accompanied by a keyboard, is led by the Bar or Bat Mitzvah and Cantor Yonah Kliger. One of the Rabbis gives a short D'var Torah, often concluding with a charge directed to the Bar or Bat Mitzvah and the passing of the Torah through the generations of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah's family. The young person delivers a sermon and often his or her parents say a few words of personal blessing. So while this is in the context of a Temple Emanuel public Shabbat morning service, it has the feeling of a personal family experience. B'nai Mitzvah are occasionally also celebrated on Shabbat afternoon within the context of a Shabbat mincha service.


School Services

All of Temple Emanuel’s schools have religious services as part of the curricular program. The ECC’s Shabbat service is every Friday from 11:20 AM-11:45 AM. The Religious School has Sunday morning services for grades K-2 starting at 11:30 AM, and on Wednesdays for grades 3-6 at 5:10 PM. Temple Emanuel Academy Day School has a Thursday morning Torah service starting at 8:00 AM, and two Kabbalat Shabbat services, one at 10:45 AM (K-3rd grades) and another at 12:30 PM (4th-6th grades). These services are open to anyone who is a part of the Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills family. Please join us at any one of these times.

For more information about school services please contact Orly Akouka at (310) 288-3737 x242.