Saturday Shabbat
“The seventh day [Shabbat] is a palace in time which we build. It is made of soul, of joy, and reticence.” –Abraham Joshua Heschel
The SAJ community comes together to build a place in time, in which all are welcomed to learn, pray, seek peace, question, reflect, wrestle, shmooze, eat, and connect. Whether you come to speak to God or whether you come to speak to your friend who comes to speak to God, join our community as we create a space for soul, joy, and reticence. Here is what you might find on a typical Shabbat morning:
Shabbat Services
Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM*
SAJ’s services aim to help people move from their personal concerns or worries about the world to a place of praise, gratitude and joy. This does not mean that we forget about the world. In fact, our services are grounded in our struggles and hopes for ourselves and our world. Yet we utilize our time together to refuel our souls and spirits so that we have the energy to confront our lives and our world with the fullness of our being. Whether you are a beginner or know the prayerbook backwards and forwards, join us as we seek to transform loneliness to connection, anxiety to freedom, and despair to hope.
SAJ’s services combine traditional Hebrew liturgy with kavannot (inspirations) from our rabbi. Cantor Lisa brings in a blend of traditional and contemporary melodies, most often sung by the entire congregation. We use the Reconstructionist prayerbook Kol HaNeshama, which includes beautiful poetry and notes in the margin for inspiration. SAJ is proud to be the first congregation in the country to feature the “Open Microphone,” a time after hearing a drash (reflection on the torah portion) for davenners (prayer-ers) to add to the wisdom and discernment of the torah portion with their responses and reflections.
*When there is a b*mitzvah, services start at 9:45 AM
Community Shir (Sing-a-long)
Once a month, check the calendar
Imagine a sanctuary filled to the brim, with children of all ages, including babies and toddlers, and grown ups of all ages singing, dancing and clapping to favorite Jewish melodies. The energy and joy in the room when SAJ holds our monthly Community Shir (sing-a-long) is palpable. This is what true intergenerational Jewish community looks like.
Full Community Kiddush Lunch
Saturdays, 12:30pm
Jewish mystical ancestors taught that eating is a holy act–and is it ever at SAJ! At Kiddush, our entire congregational community comes together: service attendees, Makom students, Pela families, members who might skip the services and stay for the nosh.
Community Learning
Saturdays, 1:15pm, about twice a month – check the calendar for details
At least once a month, there will be an opportunity to engage with a speaker, topic, music performance or text study. Examples include Nigguning Workshops (wordless melodies); a speaker from Women Wage Peace, an organization fighting for peace in Israel/Palestine; Five Wishes: Considering End of Life Care and Directives; a music performance and talk about Leonard Cohen and Jewish identity. Additionally, Makom Families up till 6th grade have a once per month Makom Shabbaton program. To learn more, visit the Learn page.
Tish
Saturdays, 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
A long-standing and beloved tradition at SAJ, the Tish is a series consisting of congregant-led talks on a broad range of issues impacting our community that before Shabbat services from mid-September to the end of June. The SAJ Tish and Content Committee (TishCon) was organized in 2022 to bring more people into the process of running the Tish and also to help create more content about what’s going on at the synagogue.
To see upcoming Tishs see the SAJ.nyc calendar or the SAJ Tish Calendar for 2024-25.
To sign up to present a Tish, send an email to Tish@SAJ.nyc
Pela (Free Tot Shabbat Services)
Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Pela (Hebrew for “wonder”) is a free, drop-in program of Shabbat music, movement, and story time for kids ages 0-5 and their grown-up(s). Since 2023, Pela educators come to SAJ from Tkiya Music! Learn more about our partners here https://www.tkiya.org/
Pela runs most Saturdays from 10-10:45am at 15 W 86th Street. Fill out this form to join the Pela email list and receive updates on the Pela schedule and SAJ events for young families. Email education@saj.nyc to learn more.