Prayer Services

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Temple Beth Israel’s services are known for their musicality, warmth and spirit. They feature a blend of creative and traditional liturgy. As a focal point for Jewish spiritual and cultural life in Eugene and Lane County, we seek to involve as many individuals and families as possible in an enjoyable, stimulating, and meaningful community life.

Shabbat services are held throughout the year on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings using the Reconstructionist, Kol Haneshamah siddur (prayerbook). Links to digital versions of the prayerbooks are on our home page, on the right-hand side. A guide to the Shabbat morning services is available here. Services are also held on all Holy Days.

For information on the Reconstructionist Movement, please visit their website. 

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An archive of the Rabbis’ divrei Torah and messages to the community can be found here.

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Participation

It is our policy to encourage equal participation in services; we also encourage our youth to contribute to services as their learning continues. In addition to our weekly Shabbat services, we offer a range of kid-friendly services throughout the month. TBI is open and welcoming to Jewish and interfaith families of all kinds.

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Music at TBI

Temple Beth Israel is a musical community, and music plays a large role in our religious services. The only way to really experience this aspect of our community is to join us for a service, but in the meantime, you can check out our Music Page for a sampling.

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Holidays

Throughout the year, TBI organizes holiday activities, including highly festive religious celebrations for Simchat Torah and Purim, senior holiday luncheons, Chanukah events, and a community Seder during Passover. All holiday events are open to the larger Jewish community.

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Family-Oriented Services

Please click here to learn about our array of special services and family events.

Please check the calendar or call the office for specific service times.

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Learners’ Shabbat Services

This one-hour service, before the regular Shabbat morning service, helps familiarize b’nai mitzvah students and any other interested learners in the meaning and practices of a particular section of the service. It’s for anyone who wants to better understand the flow of the Shabbat morning liturgy. Each session (A-F) focuses on a different section of the service, in rotation. You don’t have to attend them in order. Please sign up for the weekly e-news or check the TBI Calendar for specific dates.

A: Opening blessings and Pesukey Dezimrah
B: Shema pt. 1
C: Shema pt. 2 and Amidah pt. 1
D: Amidah pt 2 (choreography and responses)
E: Kaddish
F: Torah Service

 Shabbat Alive!

TBI offers an alternative and experimental renewal-style service that meets generally once a month. Please sign up for the weekly e-news for specific dates.

Facilitated by Cantor Evlyn Gould and Emily Fox, Shabbat Alive! features community participants, core TBI musicians, lay-leaders, and Rabbi, exploring renewed means for prayer as it grows out of the Torah portion of the week. While we honor the traditional matbeyach or structure of the morning service, this spirited prayer experience encourages collaborative leadership in a comfortable, relaxed environment.

If you would like to participate in crafting services or to share something in them, please contact the office for the coordinator’s information. These services are planned and prepared with intentionality; they are not a jam session or an ecstatic renewal percussion service.