Kehillat Lev Shalem
Membership Brochure
(Application Enclosed)
Membership Categories
Family
Single Parent Family
Individual
Young Individual (18-29)
$ 1110*
$ 890*
$ 742*
$ 36 _
Our fiscal year runs from
July 1, 2015 — June 30, 2016
(Dues listed are for the ‘15-16 year)
* First time membership program:
For information on events,
membership, our family school,
and all of our programs, please
contact us! We welcome your
call.
Rabbi Jonathan Kligler, Senior Scholar
(845) 679-2218 x 3
[email protected]
Karen Tashman, Executive Director
(845) 679-2218 x 2
[email protected]
Anna Langford, Executive Assistant
(Does not apply to Family School tuition)
(845) 679-2218 x 0
[email protected]
50% off 1st year’s dues
Dee Graziano, Education Coordinator
25% off 2nd year’s dues
(845) 679-2218 x 6
[email protected]
Family School Tuition
Preschool & K: $218 per student
1st – 6th Grade: $650 per student
B’Nai Mitzvah Program: $1400
There is a 10% multi-child discount
available to families with more than one
child enrolled.
We’d love to welcome you to
our Kehillah (community)!
Payment Plans Are Available
No one is turned away due to financial
hardship. Contact Karen Tashman, Executive
Director, for a confidential conversation:
(845) 679-2218 x 2.
Office Hours
Monday — Thursday, 11 am — 5 pm
Friday, 11 am — 4pm
Directions
Our building is located at 1682
Glasco Turnpike, off of Route 212
between Saugerties and
Woodstock.
We are 2 miles east of the
intersection of Routes 212 and 375
in Woodstock.
From the Saugerties exit of the
Thruway, we are about 7 miles west
of Exit 20 on Route 212.
Woodstock Jewish
Congregation
Inspiring – Inclusive – Innovative
We are dedicated to the advancement of Jewish ethics,
culture, and religion. We strive to enable participants
to enrich their lives through Jewish worship,
celebration, practice, study, and fellowship. We are
committed to maintaining our loving character by
treating all people with care and respect, and to
fostering our connection with the state of Israel and
Jews around the world. We draw from all streams of
Jewish practice. Men and women have an equal
opportunity to participate in bringing forth our goals.
Rabbi Jonathan Kligler
has served as the spiritual
leader of Kehillat Lev Shalem, the Woodstock Jewish
Congregation, since 1988, with a brief hiatus during 2014
–15 during which he founded the
Lev Shalem Institute, the adult
education institute of the WJC.
Over these years Rabbi Jonathan, as
he is called, has overseen the
growth of the congregation from a
small once-a-month gathering into
a thriving Jewish community with
350
member
families
and
thousands
of
friends
and
supporters. The synagogue is
known throughout the Hudson Valley of New York and
beyond for its welcoming and heart-opening atmosphere,
innovative and inspiring approach to religious practice, and
great music.
Kehillat Lev Shalem means The Congregation of a Full
Heart, and Rabbi Jonathan has a gift for touching hearts
and opening minds in an atmosphere of genuine respect.
Rabbi Jonathan is an accomplished singer and folk guitarist.
He has recorded a number of CDs, most recently Let My
People Go: A Jewish and African American Celebration of
Freedom, a collaboration with African American folksingers
Kim and Reggie Harris, and On Holy Ground: Music of the
High Holy Days at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation. He is
also the author of Hineni: Essays and Commentaries from
Twenty-Five Years on the Bimah, and he continues to write
and teach widely.
Rabbi Jonathan was ordained by the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College in 1989, and is a member of the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. In 2014 Rabbi
Jonathan received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree
from his alma mater. Prior to his rabbinical training, Rabbi
Jonathan was a professional dancer, mime and children's
performer, with a focus on improvisation. He lives in
Woodstock, New York with his wife Ellen Jahoda, a visual
artist. They have two daughters.
Our Synagogue’s History
In 1986, a handful of people with a desire to see Judaism
grow and flourish in this area formed the Woodstock
Jewish Congregation.
Since then, its spirited and inviting atmosphere,
commitment to equality for men and women, and
creative approach to Jewish education have attracted an
enthusiastic membership.
Today, Kehillat Lev Shalem, under the leadership of our
Board of Directors, staff and committed congregants,
has established a valued presence in the community.
Please join us.
Services
Shabbat services are held Friday evenings at 7:30 pm,
with the exception of the first Friday of each month when
we begin at 6 pm. During the winter months all Friday
evening services begin at 6 pm.
Saturday morning services are at 10 am.
Shabbat Community services, which are geared towards
an intergenerational celebration of Shabbat, are offered
monthly.
We celebrate Jewish holidays throughout the year. We
announce these events in our Program Guide and weekly
email updates, and on our website, wjcshul.org.
Family School & Children’s Services
Our Family School serves children and families from prekindergarten through the Bar/Bat Mitzvah years and
beyond.
Our programs, which take place on Sunday morning and
after school on Tuesdays, are innovative family education
experiences in which parents and children learn together.
We believe that in order for our children to receive a true
and meaningful Jewish education, they must share this
experience with their families. This way, Jewish values,
practices, and beliefs become intrinsic parts of family life,
which our students will continue to share with their
families as they grow into Jewish adults.
Children’s services geared toward different age groups
are held periodically. During the High Holy Days, we offer
innovative children’s services and activities.
Adult Education
The Woodstock Jewish Congregation works to promote
lifelong Jewish learning. Rabbi Aura Ahuvia and members
of the congregation teach various adult education
courses, and our scholar-in-residence program offers
innovative lectures to the public. Special “beginners’
services” introduce the fundamentals of Jewish prayer.
We offer introductory and advanced courses in Hebrew,
Judaism, and preparation for adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah.
Lev Shalem Institute
The Lev Shalem Institute (LSI) is a center for learning,
creativity, healing, and spiritual growth that is open to
all seekers. We invite you to bring your hearts and souls
as well as your minds into a full-hearted and fully alive
Jewish experience. Programs are designed so that you
may participate for a day, a weekend workshop, or even
longer intensive retreats at our beautiful synagogue. The
Lev Shalem Institute is a new project of the Woodstock
Jewish Congregation under the direction of our senior
scholar, Rabbi Jonathan Kligler.
WJC Committees
Joining a committee is a great way to meet and interact
with other members and provide a valuable service to
the congregation. There is a committee for almost every
interest and new members are always welcome.
Community Services
Our dynamic teens organize a large food collection drive
for Family of Woodstock’s food pantry during Yom
Kippur. In addition, we collect food year-round to keep
the food pantry stocked.
Synagogue members volunteer to help staff Our Daily
Bread Soup Kitchen during the months of July and
December and The Good Neighbor Food Pantry in July
and January.
Our Chevra Kadisha performs the traditional rituals for
the newly deceased and supports the bereaved family.
The congregation maintains a section at Montrepose
Cemetery in Kingston for its members.