Congregation Beth Ahavah -- Membership

Introduction

History

Membership

Committees

Helping Out

Community Affairs

Religious Services

Bikur Holim

Adult Education

Women's Chavurah

Men's Club

Affiliations

Membership

We invite you to become a member of Congregation Beth Ahavah.

It is important to belong to a community. It is important to share your resources and expertise with others in the pursuit of mutually valued goals. A synagogue is a place to celebrate with family and friends; to come together to support one another in times of crisis; to rally together to help others in need; or just to bring friends together and meet new ones.

We understand that the decision to join is a serious one. A synagogue is fundamentally a "house of worship" where we can express the ways we are spiritually Jewish, yet it is so much more. It is also a "house of study" where we learn about Judaism and Jewish culture. And surely not least, it is "Beth Ahavah", a "house of love", where we gather to find fellowship and to be a community.

As Jewish lesbians, gay men, bisexual people, and progressive heterosexuals, we are a congregation with a special mission. We know that our sexual identities are as central to us as our Jewish identities, and that creating institutions to support all our identities is vitally important. Therefore, at the foundation of all the other reasons, we are here for Beth Ahavah so that Beth Ahavah will be here for us, and for those who come after us. Join us!

Please contact us if you would like to receive additional information, be added to our mailing list, or become a member!

Or why not download our online Membership Application. (Once downloaded, this application can be filled out and submitted by regular mail.)

Benefits of Membership

The benefits of becoming a member of Congregation Beth Ahavah include:

Tickets for High Holiday services.
Special High Holiday ticket prices for guests.
Lower prices for all fee-based activities.
Special rates for your first guest for fee-based activities.
Caring services from the Bikur Holim Committee: support during bereavement (such as Shiva minyans, food baskets, service leaders for shiva, referrals for funeral leaders, follow up support, etc.) and during illness (such as phone buddies, flowers or balloons while in the hospital, get well cards and more).
Yahrzheit notices and acknowledgement of yahrzheits during Shabbat services.
Special mailings that keep you in touch.
Listing of birthdays and anniversaries in our newsletter, The Shofar.
Membership Directory.
Free use of Beth Ahavah's building for all life-cycle events (such as Bat/Bar Mitzvahs and weddings).
Subsidies for adult education courses for those in need.
Honors during High Holiday Services.
Invitations to special events.
Special Saturday morning Shabbat services for Bar/Bat Mitzvah, AufRuf before weddings or similar.
Discounts on all gift shop items.
Free classified ads in The Shofar.
The opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors and to vote at the Congregational meeting and on committees.
An opportunity to get involved in your community!

Why else should I join?

In addition to the standard benefits of membership, Beth Ahavah also gives you the opportunity to, perhaps:

Find new friends, a lover, an old acquaintance, a housemate.

Attend social activities, go on trips, eat good food.

Learn about Judaism.

Find acceptance as a gay, lesbian or bisexual person.

Network to a new job, or to further enhance the one you have.

Learn new skills in a small, safe, and grateful environment.

Find the courage to come out as a gay, lesbian or bisexual person to the Jewish world or as a Jew in the gay, lesbian and bisexual world.

Have a tax deductible place to spend your money, where it will count.

Have a comfortable and welcoming place to go for religious services.

Have a community surrounding you in times of sorrow and in times of joy.

Make a difference!

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Last updated on December 9, 2006. E-mail comments to the webmaven.