Worship and Fellowship

Shabbat

A Traditional Shabbat Table

The heart of Jewish life is worship of the One G-d (or ‘avodah’ in Hebrew) and fellowship with other Jews (‘chaverut’ in Hebrew). The two go hand-in-hand. A Jew has an obligation to worship G-d even if he is the only Jew in his town. But when there are other Jews, it is better to do so when possible in a community, because that creates opportunity for fellowship – for mutual uplifting in Jewish life.

One of Jewish Journeys’ key activities is to create and support opportunities for Jews to meet for worship and fellowship.

It is not necessary to have rabbinical ordination in order to lead a worship service. But many Jews prefer to attend a service led by a rabbi, because he or she is likely to have a competence and spiritual flow transcending that of a lay person. Additionally a rabbi, because of his or her years of immersion into the texts of our tradition, can provide a connection through his or her teaching that is unique and otherwise unavailable.

That said, many Jewish lay people are familiar enough with the rituals and traditions that they can lead and teach, or would be able to do so with some coaching by a rabbi. If you are such a lay person and are struggling to lead your community in worship, we can provide the coaching that will help you to make your community’s worship flow and soar. Additionally, we would be happy to come to your community to lead services: on a one-time basis or periodically.

We currently provide a regular Friday evening ‘minyan’ (prayer gathering) to welcome the Sabbath, normally led by Rabbi Don Levy. It meets at the Rabbi Levy’s home, in Southport. If you would like to attend, please contact us by e-mail for details. We meet at 6.30PM for a service followed by a fellowship meal (‘Oneg Shabbat’). If you attend, we ask that you pay $15 per person to cover our expenses in providing this service. If you object to handling money on the Sabbath, you can arrive early, before sunset.

Additionally, we provide a regular Saturday morning minyan, meeting at the Queensland COuntry Women’s Association Hall, at the corner of Garden and Young Streets in the Southport CBD. No need to book in advance to attend; just come! There is parking in the forecourt in front of the building. If you attend this minyan, as also ask that you pay $15 per person to cover expenses. If you object to haldning payment on Shabbat, you can pay via bank transfer beforehand; please e-mail for bank details.

You need not be Jewish to attend either minyan; other interested individuals are welcome to attend as guests. We are happy to share our traditions with respectful parties.

If you have a group in another location which could use our support, or if you would like to initiate one with our help, please contact us. This would include Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, or any other time of the week and any frequency.