Rating: 3/5- Typical American Conservative service, with participation in the service likewise
Service Attended: Friday Night Services
Date: 8/29/2014
About: Fully Egalitarian, Masorti (Conservative) congregation
Time of Service: 6:45pm Friday night
Mechitza: None, people can sit wherever
Women: Full participation
Sermon: English on Friday Night, Hebrew (same sermon) on Saturday Morning
Meals: No mention of offers to set people up
Frequency: Weekday mornings, every Friday night, Saturday Morning
Family friendly service: Yes, Rabbi gave out treats to the younger kids present.
Review: Moreshet Yisrael is one of the only fully egalitarian, Masorti (Conservative) synagogues in Israel. The space is beautiful, but unfortunately acoustically lacking. On the evening I was there, there were around 30 people, which is around 1/4 of the total size of the synagogue, so it was also lacking in the energy necessary to fill the space fully.
As such, it was a typical American Conservative shul in many ways. Seating was spacious, and prayers mumbled or quietly sung in contrast to the typical Israeli loud kavanah. They used a guitar (and a tambourine) for Kabbalat Shabbat, and put it away for Ma’ariv. The shlichei tzibur led a very nice service, but they were largely on their own in the davening.
In the end, if you’re looking for a place that resembles a service back home where men and women participate equally and can sit together, check out Moreshet Yisrael.
Moreshet Yisarel is located at 4 Agron Street, Jerusalem, as part of the Fuchsberg Center Complex. For more information, visit their website.
