Kehilat Yedidya is a 150 family modern orthodox congregation based in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem. Founded in 1980 by a group of British individuals and families and their American cousins, Yedidya is now comprised primarily of immigrants from English speaking countries as well as from many countries in Europe and native Israelis too.
The founders envisioned a halakhically based community equally concerned about democracy in Israeli society and traditional Jewish values. Through its social vision, Yedidya attempts to cross the conventional boundaries which currently define Jewish religious life in Israel.
Yedidya is a pluralistic, multicultural congregation, Sefaradi and Ashkenazi, with singles, young marrieds, and established families with as many as seven children. Congregants come from diverse religious backgrounds, and all are made to feel comfortable with different levels of participation. Yedidya offers weekday, Shabbat, and holiday services led by its own members.
The mechitzah at Yedidya divides the Beit Knesset down the middle, with symmetrical and equal sections for men and women. During services, women's voices sing harmoniously along with the men's. The congregation functions entirely in Hebrew.
Since many of the congregants are immigrants who arrive with no family, Yedidya attempts to fulfill the function of being a surrogate family for those who need it. The Kehilla offers not only prayer services and classes, but also social functions open to the entire community. A committee for Gemilut Chesed assists individuals in time of birth, illness and (God forbid) death. Immigrants and visitors from abroad (both Jewish and non-Jewish) are provided home hospitality through an organized outreach program, and Yedidya often serves as a home congregation to academics and others on sabbatical, and young people studying in Israel for the year. Its proximity to Ulpan Etzion, one of Israel's foremost Ulpanim, provides an opportunity to reach out to new immigrants from other geographic origins, such as North African and French olim.
Our synagogue hosts youth groups from the United States as they travel throughout the country. The members of these groups are seeking meaningful spiritual experience in Israel. We not only welcome them to our services but also provide them with home hospitality for Shabbat meals. It is often one of the few experiences they have to interact with English-speaking Israeli families where there is no religious coercion, but instead a high degree of openness and empathy.
About 10 years ago Kehillat Yedidya began a charity fund to collect and distribute funds to those in need. In 1994 over 25,000 NIS were distributed. Of the money collected, 35% was used to supply basic needs of local residents, including donations to a local soup kitchen, 26% went towards education (helping local children purchase books, pay for school trips for new immigrant children, and a general donation to the Efrata school to help needy students), 21% aided families in the purchases necessary for the religious holidays and 12% was used for medical expenses that were not covered by the existing medical system. The remaining 6% went to other non-political causes.
We are committed to building alliances between Jews and non-Jews. We are the only Orthodox congregation that on a regular basis host visiting groups of Christian Clergy and lay people for Shabbat services and Shabbat meals. We have an ongoing relationship with St. George's College in East Jerusalem, with visiting groups of German theology students and with the Swedish Theological Institute. Our congregation has hosted dialogues with local Palestinian Christians and Moslems.
Yedidya is deeply committed to encouraging the extensive participation of women within the community - both in communal prayer and in community leadership. A standing committee on law and custom addresses halakhic questions which are brought to its attention. Given this framework, decisions are made by the entire community upon the recommendation of the halakha committee.
Many years ago, after much halakhic debate, Yedidya decided to permit women to read from the Torah during a women's Torah reading and Bat Mitzvahs, to allow women to read the megillot during holiday services and to encourage women to offer sermons and Torah discussions on Shabbat and holidays.
An outstanding example of Yedidya's approach to women's involvement is our Simchat Torah celebration. Every year, hundreds of women from across Jerusalem and Israel come to Yedidya to receive an aliyah during a women's Torah reading and to sing and dance with the Torah. Our Simchat Torah celebration was the first of its kind in Israel and has been the model for other modern orthodox congregations in encouraging the full participation of women in the community.
We focus on "promoting Jewish Learning" (formal and informal) for all members of the community. In addition to lectures, classes and informal educational programs for all ages within our community and the wider public are offered. For example, this year we are hosting a lecture series with alternating lectures in Hebrew and English on "Reading the Talmud; A Women's Perspective".
We provide a forum not only for local Israeli scholars and teachers
but also for North American Jewish leaders who are visiting with us in
Jerusalem so that they and their messages can be exposed to the
Israeli public. The lecturers we have invited have transcended the
entire spectrum of Jewish life: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and
Reconstructionist, Secular, Left and Right. Together with our local
Reform synagogue we held joint Tu B'Shevat and Yom HaShoah programs.