Davening, from the days of the Mishkan through the development of the Reform and Conservative movements, has been at the core of Jewish life. Across generations and continents, Jews have lifted their voices in ways that spoke to their moment, shaping and reshaping prayer to meet the needs of their communities. We now wish to walk in that same tradition — to experience Judaism in a way that speaks to us, and to create a sacred space together: our space, Shelanu.

We are not seeking to be a synagogue, and there will be no Rabbi, nor are we planning to host life cycle events like b’nai mitzvot, weddings, and funerals.  We are seeking to form a community sharing our love of Judaism, spirituality, and connection. Words of Torah will be delivered by one of our own each week, volunteering to share thoughts and wisdom. It will be Shelanu.

We acknowledge that there are divisions within the Jewish community, but we are not seeking to divide. We welcome people of all political views, from left to right, and are interested in focusing on what unites us and our shared values, while leaving political debates outside our services. We do, however, have a point of view: We love Judaism, we love Israel, we love America and the American Jewish community, and we are proud of who we are.  Our services will proudly present the Israeli flag and American flag, and we will include Israel and our soldiers in our prayers. We want to enjoy each other’s company and experience Judaism and Jewish prayer together.

We have hosted two services this year and are continuing to experiment with what helps our evolving community find meaning. We will continue this “soft opening” by hosting one service a month through mid-2026 as we work to identify what works for and moves our community, and, frankly, who chooses to join our community.

We are fortunate to have found a uniquely talented prayer leader, Noah Chase Solomon, who will continue our services. We will be located at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan where we are renting space, though we will be experimenting by using different locations within the JCC to see which room creates the best environment for our davening.

Our services will begin each week at 5:45 PM and conclude promptly at 7:00 PM.  There will be a 5-minute Dvar Torah, and we look forward to volunteers signing up to share their words of Torah. We ask that you arrive around 5:30 PM. This is the beginning of a journey, and we don’t know where it will land, but it will belong to all of us who want to be part of Shelanu.