Congregation Degel Israel

There will be services at the synagogue this evening at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/behar-bechukotai-5781/

Please join us for Erev Shabbat services at the synagogue this evening at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/tazria-metzora-5781/

Tonight is the start of Yom HaShoah, the day in the Jewish calendar set aside for Holocaust remembrance. Please find below the latest in the 'Ceremony & Celebra...tion' series of family educational resources which includes some extracts from the writings of Rabbi Sacks zt"l pertinent to Yom HaShoah. https://rabbisacks.org/wp-cont/uploads//04/Yom-HaShoah.pdf This 4-page resource includes a prayer for Yom HaShoah composed by Rabbi Sacks zt"l in 2013, the text of which is pasted below. --- Today, on Yom HaShoah, we remember the victims of the greatest crime of man against man the young, the old, the innocent, the million and a half children, starved, shot, given lethal injections, gassed, burned and turned to ash, because they were deemed guilty of the crime of being different. We remember what happens when hate takes hold of the human heart and turns it to stone; what happens when victims cry for help and there is no one listening; what happens when humanity fails to recognise that those who are not in our image are none the less in God’s image. We remember and pay tribute to the survivors, who bore witness to what happened, and to the victims, so that robbed of their lives, they would not be robbed also of their deaths. We remember and give thanks for the righteous of the nations who saved lives, often at risk of their own, teaching us how in the darkest night we can light a candle of hope. Today, on Yom HaShoah, we call on You, Almighty God, to help us hear Your voice that says in every generation: Do not murder. Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbour. Do not oppress the stranger. We know that whilst we do not have the ability to change the past, we can change the future. We know that whilst we cannot bring the dead back to life, we can ensure their memories live on and that their deaths were not in vain. And so, on this Yom HaShoah, we commit ourselves to one simple act: Yizkor, Remember. May the souls of the victims be bound in the bond of everlasting life. Amen.

Please join us for services at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Shabbat shalom!

Chag sameach! Wishing you all a happy and easy Passover as we reflect on our past and hope for our future. https://rabbisacks.org/pesach-cc-family-edition/

Please join us for Erev Rosh Hashanah services at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Shabbat shalom and shana tova!

The High Holidays are fast approaching! Here are the services we have planned at the synagogue: Friday, Sept 18: 7pm Erev Rosh Hashanah service Saturday, Sept 19: 10am Rosh Hashanah morning service Sunday, Sept 20: 11am virtual Lunch'n'Learn with Rabbi Johnston Sunday, Sept 27: 7pm Kol Nidrei... Sunday, Sept 28: 10am Yom Kippur morning service There will also be services on Fort Drum, with Rabbi Lans. All are welcome to attend, whether at the synagogue, on Fort Drum, or any combination of the two.

Please join us for services at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/ki-tavo-5780/

There will not be services at the synagogue tonight. We will be meeting again next Friday, September 4th, at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/ki-teitse-5780/

Please join us for Erev Shabbat services at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Shabbat shalom!

There will not be services at the synagogue this evening. We will meet again next Friday, the 21st, at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/reeh-5780/

There will be services (and a baby-naming!) at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/matot-masei-5780/

There will be services at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/balak-5780/

There are not services at the synagogue tonight. We will be meeting again next Friday, July 3rd, at 7pm. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/korach-5780-family-edition/

There will be services at the synagogue tonight at 7pm. Please be aware that a face mask must be worn while in the building, and social distancing must be maintained. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/shelach-lecha-5780/

There will not be services at the synagogue tonight, but next week we will resume our regular schedule of having services the first and third Friday of each month at 7pm. Attendees will be required to wear a face mask while in the building, and we must maintain social distancing. Shabbat shalom! https://rabbisacks.org/behaalotecha-5780/

There will still not be services at the synagogue this evening. Hopefully everyone is staying safe and sane during this trying time. Shabbat shalom! http://rabbisacks.org/bamidbar-5780/

This Passover, we find ourselves in a time of stress and uncertainty. A time when we can't come together to find strength in our community. But as we have learned from the history of our people, we can withstand whatever obstacles come our way. May everyone find comfort in our traditions and in the faith that this too shall pass. This poem by Bracha Meshchaninov seems rather fitting this year: PESACH House cleaned more or less... kitchen surfaces covered more or less food ready more or less an experience of redemption more or less While we can't come together for Seder, and we won't be having any communal services in April, we look to the future with hope. Always hope.