Dedications

When the Jews wandered the desert, the Mishkan served as their source of holiness, emanating outward like the warmth of a fire to infuse the entire camp with sanctity. Our goal is not to build a lone building, but an entire campus which will serve as the spiritual focal point…

Just as Hashem created the universe as a home for humankind, the Jewish people were commanded to build a Sanctuary as a home for G-d. The Young Israel Building is the home base for our community, where we will not only engage Hashem, but one where Hashem engages the community…

We are commanded in the Torah to build a physical home for Hashem’s shechinah to dwell in our midst. With the construction of our new spiritual home, we will provide a beautiful and welcoming space for the Shechinah and for the members of our community to grow spiritually…

A place of welcome is highly valued in the Jewish tradition, between Avraham Avinu’s open tent and the mitzvah to “welcome the stranger.” Our lobby will be an open, bright space where all who enter are welcomed warmly…

The holy Aron was once stored in the Kodesh HaKedoshim, the holiest of holy places, which indicated the high value of the ark’s contents…

The Talmud says that those who guide their children on the right path will “know that their tent is safe.” Children are a vital part of our community, and their growth, connection, and joy our priority…

Meat is a food specifically gifted to us from Hashem after the flood, and is considered a vital element to the pleasure of Shabbos…

When Hashem created Adam, he showed him Gan Eden and said, “See My works, how fine they are; Now all that I have created, I created for your benefit.” (Kohelet Rabbah) Hashem takes pride in a beautiful garden, meant for his creations to enjoy…

The shul’s Bimah is designed to uphold the word’s meaning of “an elevated place.” It will serve as stage where prayer, Torah reading, and Shabbat- and holiday-related mitzvot will be performed with the deepest love and kavanah…

The vestibule marks the transition between one space and the next. In this case, the the threshold of our shul marks the step from the mundane world into a place of holiness…

Food is a centerpiece of Jewish tradition, as are the laws of kashrut. As Jews committed to living a Torah lifestyle, it is our honor to designate a kitchen only for dairy foods, to ensure that the standards of kashrut are maintained…

The Sukkah, a temporary dwelling, reminds us of the transience of this world. While it is humbling to internalize that all we have is the result Hashem’s chesed, the Sukkah is meant to give us peace as we sit securely in the protection of our Creator…

The Torah compares a man to a tree, with deep roots, wide branches, and the capability for stunning growth…

Before beginning any holy work, we are called to purify our bodies, representing how we strive to purify our souls…

One of the roots for the word “Torah” is the world “Orah,” light, from which we learn that one of Torah’s many gifts is illumination – both spiritual and metaphorical…

While the focus of our community is on inner development and personal growth, we also believe in the power of outer beauty to uplift and inspire…

We are taught to “teach each child according to his way.” Children learn best in warm spaces where they are free to explore…

While our new building will serve as a center of adult education and social programming, the shul will also be a space for every generation to engage and connect…

At every threshold, we are called to take pause and reconnect to our true intention by kissing the mezuzah…

The sages call upon us to create “fences” to separate the sacred from the profane, the permitted and the forbidden. These boundaries also serve as reminders as to where our focus should be placed…

Moshe Rabbeinu describes the ideal Jewish leader as someone who will “go out before [the community] and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in…

On the klaf inside the mezuzah are written “the things that I commanded you today,” – the 613 mitzvot…

The mitzvah of remembering yeztiat mitzrayim is perhaps most easily done in the Sukkah, where our people dwelled while wandering the desert…

Our Jewish ritual objects, such as the etrog or matzah, engage the five senses in order to imprint the experience into our bodies and memories…

There are times of arrival and times of departure, and our tradition encourages us to do both in peace…

Family is the center of Jewish life, and our shul is designed to reflect that in every aspect. Bringing young children to shul each week is not always easy…

Spiritual progress cannot be made without first tending to our physical needs, providing our bodies with warmth and protection…

The structure of a tallis is meant to remind its wearer of Hashem and his commandments, and is a garment that distinguishes Jewish men…

In the heat of summer, it can feel like Hashem has “pulled the sun from its sheath.” To preserve the community’s ability to focus on davening and learning…

While a mezuzah serves to remind us of our connection to and covenant with Hashem, it is also the way we identify to the outside world that we are committed to a Jewish way of living…

While a mezuzah serves to remind us of our connection to and covenant with Hashem, it is also the way we identify to the outside world that we are committed to a Jewish way of living…

While a mezuzah serves to remind us of our connection to and covenant with Hashem, it is also the way we identify to the outside world that we are committed to a Jewish way of living…

“A person should pray only in a house with windows,” says the Talmud, “as it is written, ‘and his windows opened from his loft towards Yerushalayim’” (Berachot 34b)…

Rabbi Tzaddok said that we “should not separate yourself from the community.” The YICH community is ensures that our members stay connected…

Our Torah is beloved and treasured beyond all possessions; we learn it not only because we are mandated to do so, but because it is our very life force…

Rabbi Yosef Caro called his treasured code of Jewish Law is the Shulchan Aruch, or “the set table,” for he knew that at a table is where we fill ourselves physically and spiritually…

“Tefillin” are often referred to by their Greek name, “Phylacteries,” which comes from the root “to protect.” Just as tefillin protects those who wear it…

Even David Hamelech, who stood at the apex of authority of the Jewish people, longed to sit in a Beis Hashem. Like him, our deepest desire is to sit…

Our community is beloved not only for the many spiritual resources it offers, but because of the warmth and welcome we provide for our members…