 The word “Havurah” comes from the Hebrew word “Chaver” meaning “friend.” At Congregation Beth El, a havurah is a group of shul / synagogue members who join together to enrich their lives and to reinforce the spirit of Judaism in themselves and in their families. Each havurah becomes a small community of congregants who may choose to meet in each other’s homes or at Beth El to study, socialize and celebrate Jewish life together. The havurot do not replace other events of the shul, but instead they supplement and support the social, religious and intellectual activities of the synagogue.
The havurah determines for itself how often it will meet, how many members it will have, what its program will be. While a havurah may form about one particular need ‑ study, prayer, celebration, community, or social action ‑ ultimately all the other expressions of Jewish life are experienced within the group. Recently Beth El successfully launched 6 new havurot, encompassing 28 member families. The havurot have focused on forging their individual identities and forming bonds between families. All of the havurot meet on a regular basis, either once or twice a month. Some havurot are having additional informal gatherings connected to congregational events, such as Havdallah programs for young families. In addition to havurot, we have various communal cohorts that meet on a regular basis. Membership within these cohorts is fluid and congregants can choose to participate in events directed to these group whenever they choose. Our current cohorts include:
If you have an interest in finding out more about joining a havurah or you have an interest in helping to create a havurah based on a specific area of interest, please contact the Beth El office at 978-443-9622.
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Havurot - Community |