Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
Synagogues are expected to be centers for spiritual growth; but at the Young Israel of West Hartford, we strive to raise the bar. Our Young Israel is home to meaningful prayer services every day of the year, and we take great pride in our spirited Shabbat and Holiday minyanim. Above all, we always welcome all to participate as we aspire to inspire.
More than just a synagogue, our Young Israel is a warm and caring community. Whether in moments of joy, or in times of turbulence, with chesed meals, and support for those in need, the Young Israel of West Hartford uniquely connects people across generations and across differences, embracing the individuality of each member of our Young Israel family with love and mutual respect.
With an almost 100% growth in membership in just the last few years, the Young Israel of West Hartford continues to grow and thrive as the fastest growing shul in all of CT! More good news -- we have outgrown our space. We now look to the future, not only to continue attracting and welcoming more families, but with plans to expand our physical space as well. It truly is the dawn of an incredible next 50 years!
The core of both our existence and persistence is our Torah and sacred tradition. Over the past 50 years, Young Israel has established itself as a center for Torah learning and engagement across the Greater Hartford community. With a plethora of weekly educational opportunities for adults, study of our faith’s texts come alive with examinations of contemporary issues like abortion, vaccines, explorations of Talmud and the weekly Torah portion. Our schedule features many scholars-in-residence, each bringing insight and expertise to our community and helping us connect more deeply to Jews everywhere.
With an ever-growing younger population, we continue to invest in our Jewish future--our youth! This year we welcomed aboard our first youth director and have continued to expand our youth department with programs that engage, enrich and empower our children, at every age, with skills, knowledge and Torah leadership. From Dor L’Dor to YI Kidz Club, and Mussaf’n’Munch to our own NCSY Chapter, we certainly put the ‘Young’ in Young Israel of West Hartford!
Beyond our building, the Young Israel of West Hartford plays an outsized role ensuring the vitality of the greater Jewish Community. From our rabbi, to our deeply committed members, our Young Israel provides the backbone to every major Jewish organization in the region. You can see us around the board tables at the Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Foundation, JTConnects and New England Jewish Academy. We are at the forefront of our community Mikveh, Eruv, Kosher Commission and AIPAC chapter. Our community mindset and commitment has propelled us to initiate the incredibly successful Hartford Tekes Maavar Ceremony, as well as to pioneer the far-reaching Amiel BaKehilla Initiative.