Services

Shabbat at Olam Tikvah is comfortable and friendly. We use Siddur Sim Shalom as our prayer book and Etz Hayim for the Chumash. We do not have a professional chazzan, nor do we use instrumental music on Shabbat. Our congregants love to participate in the singing, and our talented lay leaders guide us dynamically and tunefully.

On Friday nights we typically welcome Shabbat with a 6:15pm service that often features Carlebach melodies. There is no sermon, and everyone has the opportunity to return to family and friends for Shabbat dinner. When the weather cooperates, we welcome Shabbat outside on our patio.

Shabbat mornings offer a wealth of worship and learning opportunities for all ages. We hold one congregational service, beginning at 9:30am. Men and women of all ages - from age 13 through grandparents - lead portions of the service, receive aliyot, and read Torah. It's not unusual for younger children, below b'nei mitzvah age, to lead the chanting of specific prayers. Most Shabbat mornings also include age specific youth services for children from 18 months old through sixth grade. The morning ends with everyone back in the sanctuary for Adon Olam and Kiddush. The congregation always enjoys lunch together following services.

Congregation Olam Tikvah strives to create opportunities for all of our congregants to enjoy and celebrate Shabbat. Below, you will find more information about the programs designed to meet the needs of our children, from toddlers to school-age students. All of our programs meet every week during the school year, with the exception of a few holiday weekends. All programs below meet in the Youth Wing.

Moadon Shabbat (Shabbat Club) is available in the Youth Wing at 10:00am for children aged 18 months old through 4th grade. Rooms containing age-appropriate toys and games are set aside for the program. Caregivers supervise each room. Parents are asked to accompany their children to the Youth Wing, rather than sending them on their own. At the appropriate times the Moadon Shabbat rooms close, and all children are escorted to the age-appropriate youth service.

Tot Shabbat is an early childhood service for children 18 months-old to 4 years old. The service includes prayers, songs, stories, and activities. Parents are invited to participate in Tot Shabbat, or they can choose to rejoin the main service after dropping their children off. Tot Shabbat will meet every Shabbat morning (with the exception of a few holiday weekends) during the school year. Children will then be escorted back to the main sanctuary to rejoin their families in time for Adon Olam.

Shorashim is a youth service for children in Pre K-1st grade, and Junior Congregation is a youth service for children in 2nd-4th grades. Both services include prayers, stories, and discussions. Participants have opportunities to lead prayer and add their voices to discussions and interactive activities. Children are escorted back to the main sanctuary in time for Ein Keloheinu. A special section of the sanctuary is set aside for participants and their leaders to sit in when they rejoin the service.

5th-6th Grade students participate in a program designed to expose them to the prayer and choreography that occurs each week in our Sanctuary, as well as engage them in conversation about sacred text. The morning begins in the Youth Wing at 10:30am with discussion designed to complement the Shabbat prayer experience. They then come into the Sanctuary in time to join the congregation for Musaf. Participants sit in a special section, where a leader helps them to focus and think about different aspects of the service as it happens.

Questions? Contact Debra Beland Ackerman