Our Community

Beth Israel Congregation is a welcoming community. We reflect our cultural cross-roads, the interweaving of southern Appalachian crafts and culture, a Jewish community that has been present here for well over a century, and the continued drawing in of people from all over the United States and, in fact, the world. We are an egalitarian congregation whose members are devoted to the principles of inclusiveness, tolerance, and respect for others.

Our community is committed to a continuing search for vital, meaningful and joyful expression of Jewish values and traditions, to plant the seeds for a rich and sustaining Jewish life in the 21st century. People of all faiths are welcome to visit and participate with us at our communal gatherings devoted to prayer, study, and celebration.

We honor traditional observance of Shabbat, Festivals, and holidays according to the principles of the Conservative Movement. We are equally committed to insure that all who seek spiritual sustenance and meaning can find a door through the renewal of time-honored, though not always practiced, paths of Jewish spirituality, including meditation, mysticism, and the creative use of music.

Furthering participation and thereby communal and individual growth is central to our community's purpose and ways. We support a wide variety of adult and family education programs. We believe in the value of communal experiences, ranging from raucous Chanukkah and Purim celebrations with live music and great food to contemplative observance of Tisha B'Av and Yom HaShoah.

Our mission is to further understanding and relationship in an often fractured world, whether by furthering knowledge of and open conversation on Israel, in order to support those who live in our ancestral homeland as fully and wisely as possible, or by nurturing strong relationships within those of other faith traditions within our local community. We believe in the power of tikkun olam and chesed, acts of lovingkindness, to change the world.

Beth Israel supports the Lou Pollack Cemetery and holy work of Chevre Kadishah.