Join us for joyous, music-filled and contemplative Shabbat services, inspiring and transformative Sunday morning adult education, moving b’nei mitzvah services, and holiday celebrations. Our monthly Tot Shabbat, community dinners, and family services – featuring our religious school students – make Shabbat a welcoming experience for children of all ages. To get a feel for our family-friendly community, click here to watch a two-minute video.
Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is an obligation that is also a blessing. It is known as mekor habracha—the source of all blessings. If we allow Shabbat to set a rhythm to our week, if we make time to slow down, stop and reflect on the joys and challenges of the past six days, we will live a healthier, more modulated life.
But transitioning from work to rest is not as easy as it sounds. Most of us need help. This is the purpose of Kabbalat Shabbat, which literally means “receiving” or “welcoming” Shabbat. Through a blend of prayer, song, poetry, silent reflection, and Torah study, Rabbi Gerson, our cantor, and choir lead our community with music and words as we shift from “doing” to “being.”
Services begin each Friday evening with an oneg Shabbat at 6:00 pm and services starting at 6:30 pm.
Once a month (usually the first Friday of the month) our service is especially geared towards families with children, but is open to everyone and includes a congregational dinner. We also hold song-and-story filled Tot Shabbat services, suitable for the smallest members of our congregation.
All are welcome. No Jewish knowledge or Hebrew required.
There’s a famous Jewish joke about our holidays which says they’re all the same – they tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat. But here at GRS we aspire to expand our holiday observance beyond this truism, delve deeply into the rhythm of the Jewish year with our minds and hearts, and mark the holidays in ways joyous and solemn, celebratory and contemplative, with words and music. Click here for the dates of upcoming holiday observances.
High Holy Days: Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services are more intensive than our Shabbat services. They include beautiful music from our cantor and choir, poetry and contemplative prayers from our High Holy Day prayerbook, Mishkan Hanefesh, and sermons by Rabbi Gerson. The Saturday night before Rosh HaShanah begins, we observe a special late night musical Selichot service filled with poetry and song. This special, contemplative evening offers a gentle entryway into the season of repentance.
Three morning services are offered on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
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Young Family Service, 8:30 am: Designed for children ages 2-8 and their families
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Family Service, 9:15: Intended for families with children ages 9-12.
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Full worship service, 11 am: Intended for post B’nei Mitzvah teens and adults.
Babysitting will be available during all services, but registration is required.
On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Gerson leads a contemplative walk in Pomerance Park, open to the entire community. GRS membership includes tickets to all High Holy Day services. Please click here to learn more about membership and to see a dues schedule.
Baby namings – Brit Milah (bris) and Brit ha Chayim (for girls)
We at GRS love celebrating your simchas with you – joyous events like a Brit Milah (bris) or Brit Shalom for a boy, or Brit Ha-Chayim, the covenantal baby naming ceremony for girls. Jewish tradition marks children’s entry into the community and covenant with these ceremonies; as the Midrash explains: “With each baby, the world begins anew.”
Brit Milah: From the time of Abraham and Sarah, Jews have been circumcising their sons. (Genesis, Chapter 17, Verse 12): “And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations.” GRS will help you find a local mohel or mohelet to perform the ritual circumcision (brit milah or bris) of your son. We can also assist with a naming ceremony – or brit shalom – for your family if you wish to have the circumcision in a hospital.
Brit Ha-Chayim: The tradition here at GRS is to welcome baby girls into the covenant of Israel with a naming ceremony. Whether you prefer to name your daughter at a Shabbat service or in a private ceremony, we are happy to work with you to craft a meaningful ceremony.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
The process of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah is one of the oldest coming of age rituals in the world. To become a bar or bat mitzvah means – literally – to become a son or daughter of the mitzvot, the commandments, become a young adult in the Jewish community. At GRS, the process of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah is a multi-year process; one that prepares children to embrace their responsibilities as young adults. This means Jewish observance like fasting on Yom Kippur, an ongoing commitment to tikkun olam (social action), being a mensch (an ethical and kind person) and living a Jewish life (regular Shabbat dinners and holiday observance).
Throughout this journey, our clergy and religious school teachers guide and support students to insure that they will ascend the bimah with confidence and excitement.
Formal B’nei Mitzvah preparations begin eight months prior to a child’s bar/bat mitzvah date. Students work individually with Cantor Rubin once a week to prepare all the prayers and Torah readings. Six weeks prior to the bar/bat mitzvah service, students meet with Rabbi Gerson for approximately three sessions to study the meaning of their Torah portion and write their D’var Torah (speech). B’nei Mitzvah candidates are also required to attend the GRS Religious School’s seventh grade class held on Tuesday afternoon and the pre-B’nei Mitzvah workshop series with their parents.
Click here for a copy of the GRS B’nei Mitzvah Handbook.
Weddings
Rabbi Gerson offers warm, contemporary, and personalized Jewish wedding ceremonies. She will marry interfaith couples (provided they intend to have a Jewish home and family) and same-gender couples. Upon contacting GRS, you will come in for an initial meeting, providing the opportunity to see if Rabbi Gerson is the right officiant for you, ask questions, and learn more about Jewish weddings. During subsequent meetings, Rabbi Gerson will work with you to craft a service that is personalized while grounded in our tradition. For more information, email Rabbi Gerson or call (203) 629-0018.
Illness and End-of-Life Concerns
The GRS congregational family is here for members at every stage of life. Rabbi Gerson and our community can provide pastoral care, meal support, and serve as a source of comfort during times of illness and sorrow. We also want to know when you’re not well – please contact the temple office to let us know if you have an upcoming surgery, are ill, or need support.
End of Life: Greenwich Reform clergy and staff are here to help your family during difficult and sensitive times. Each family situation is unique, but we can support you through the funeral, mourning traditions, shiva, unveilings and yahrzeits.
Rabbi Gerson and Cantor Rubin are also here for congregants when they (or a family member) are nearing the end of life, including hospital and home visits, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Cemetery information: GRS does not own any cemetery property. We suggest you contact Jayne Vasco at Temple Sinai in Stamford at 203-622-1639. Temple Sinai has plots available; both Jews and non-Jews are welcome.
What to do when there is a death:
Call Greenwich Reform immediately at (203) 629-0018 or email Rabbi Gerson at RabbiGerson@GRS.org.
Our clergy will:
- Help guide you during this very difficult time
- Offer grief counseling to the family
- Meet with the family to create a service that honors the memory of your loved one and reflects your needs
- Coordinate and lead shiva services in the mourners’ home
Our staff will:
- Send a notice to the GRS membership informing them of your loss
Record the deceased’s name on the GRS Kaddish and Yizkor lists - Send you an annual yahrzeit notice when your loved one’s name will be said at services.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.