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ABOUT US

Welcome to Congregation Shearith Israel

We are excited to show you our inclusive, vibrant community! 

About our congregation

We are an egalitarian, Conservative synagogue located in Intown Atlanta. Our congregation is devoted to spiritual and religious enrichment. We are especially passionate about Jewish education and community building. At Shearith Israel, we are ritually traditional and courageously progressive. For more than 100 years, we have served the Atlanta area by providing an energetic environment for pursuing Jewish spirituality, learning, and friendship. Above all else, we strive to be a warm, welcoming community. Our congregation embraces its members and friends, and we would love you to join us for Shabbat or an upcoming event. 

OUR MISSION:

Congregation Shearith Israel connects people to meaningful living through Judaism.

OUR VISION:

Our congregation is both rooted in Conservative Judaism and committed to egalitarianism. At Shearith Israel, relationships are at the center of everything we do: we educate children and adults in Jewish values, Hebrew language and the continuing story of our people. We strive to feel God's presence through prayer experiences. We embrace our covenantal responsibility to comfort all who are suffering, and celebrate each other's joy.

Our History:

The synagogue was founded in 1904 by a minyan of Eastern European immigrants, who named their community Shearith Israel — “Remnant of Israel” — in acknowledgement of their status as pioneers in the American South, and of their dedication to the tradition from which they had come.

For two years they prayed in one another’s homes, and in 1906 they began meeting in an antebellum Methodist Church on Hunter Street, then the heart of the Jewish neighborhood.

Sisterhood was formed when the women of Shearith Israel organized in 1916 to serve the traditional religious and social needs of the Jewish community. They operated an independent mikvah and offered assistance to new immigrants. When the congregation moved into its first synagogue building in 1929, near the present-day Turner Field, the society became known as Sisterhood, and its role expanded to include improving and maintaining the building and to foster the religious education and activities for both children and adults.

After World War II, under the leadership of Rabbi Tobias Geffen, who served the congregation for decades, the congregation followed the shift in Jewish population to the Morningside/Virginia-Highland/Emory area and settled on residential University Drive in 1946, the first synagogue in DeKalb County.

In the 1960s, the congregation began to draw its orientation from the Conservative movement as well as from Orthodox tradition, removed the mehitza (the barrier between the men’s and women’s sections) and increased the participation of women in services. In 2002, the Synagogue became affiliated with the Conservative movement. Separate seating remains available at the front of the sanctuary for those members who prefer it.

Today, Congregation Shearith Israel serves more than 420 families in Intown Atlanta and beyond. Shearith Israel offers daily minyan in morning and evening, weekly Shabbat services, children’s education, Sisterhood, adult and family programming and education, and more. Most importantly, Shearith Israel fosters a community of Jewish learning and spirituality in a welcoming, intellectual, yet casual atmosphere.

Explore Shearith Israel

There are so many facets to Shearith Israel that we feel certain you can find your niche within our community.  We pride ourselves on providing a serious Jewish environment in a casual, welcoming atmosphere. Come by Saturday mornings for Shabbat services, join our daily morning or evening minyan, or sing Havdalah with us we bid farewell to Shabbat. We encourage you to check out Machanai Shai, our children’s education program, on Sunday, participate in our engaging Wednesday night speaker series, or just pick an event and join us!

We know that once you step through our doors, you will feel surrounded by the warm, loving, thoughtful, dedicated members of our community. Details of our membership program can be found here

We would love you to visit Congregation Shearith Israel! For inquiries or questions, please contact Blair Rothstein, Shearith Israel President (president@shearithisrael.com). Or simply fill out the Contact Form below! We look forward to meeting you in person soon!

 

Tue, December 3 2024 2 Kislev 5785