What's Cooking at Ahavat Zion

by Rabbi Joshua Brumbach

This past February, Ahavat Zion celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special gala dinner featuring special guests, joyous music and historical trivia and insights into the congregation’s past forty years. This momentous occasion brought together current and past members, as well as other special guests, for an evening of recollection, celebration and vision casting toward the future. The event also turned out to be an excellent opportunity for outreach as there were many Jewish friends, family and colleagues present who were introduced to the community for the first time. Many people expressed an interest in finding our more about our congregation and a few people have already become actively involved.

Our special honored guests included the founders of the congregation, Dr. Ray and Kassiani Gannon, and former leaders Rabbi Barry Budoff and Rabbi Dr. Stuart Dauermann. We also had special music featuring Messianic Jewish recording artists Britta K, Sally Klein O’Connor and Misha Goetz.

The occasion clearly embodied the MJRC’s vision of a vibrant form of Messianic Judaism that is “rooted in Torah, instructed by Tradition, and faithful to Messiah Yeshua in the twenty-first century.”

Ahavat Zion Messianic Synagogue was originally founded in 1973 under the name Beth Emmanuel. However, in 1978 the congregation reincorporated and changed its name to Ahavat Zion. As the oldest Messianic congregation on the West Coast, and one of the seven oldest in the entire country, Ahavat Zion has been at the forefront of the Messianic Jewish movement, serving as a flagship congregation, a think-tank for innovative ideas and services, and a spiritual home for those who are Jewish or intermarried.

It has now been a few months since the 40th Anniversary Celebration and I continue to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback … from the warmth and friendliness of the evening to how nice it was to especially recognize the contributions of significant members throughout the congregation’s history. This was definitely a significant milestone I will never forget. 

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Here’s the Recipe

Special events and celebrations are extremely important in helping shape and direct the vision of a community. Therefore, careful thought should go into the details to help ensure that the event not only brings people together, but is focused on relationships with one another and with the wider community, and in some way reinforces the vision of the congregation. For example, Ahavat Zion’s 40th anniversary brought people together for a joyous and momentous occasion. However, it also served to reinforce the vision of the congregation to its current members, and served as a vehicle to reach out to others who are not yet involved in some way. Such reinforce our commitment to being a vibrant Messianic Jewish congregation that embodies and reflects a contemporary Jewish experience of Yeshua and a Messianic interpretation of Judaism.

So if you have an upcoming event planned, or are considering hosting an event, here are some ideas to consider that will help make your event even better:

  • Focus on relationship-building
  • Establish a warm and inviting atmosphere
  • Reinforce the Vision of the community in some way
  • Recognize the contribution of specific individuals
  • Appoint and empower specific individuals to oversee various details
  • Invite visitors, especially those specific individuals you desire to reach out to
  • And have fun!

I firmly believe that intentional, relationship-focused activities will strengthen your congregation or organization and help it grow beyond its current limitations and challenges. It may not be the only ingredient for building healthy communities, but it surely is an invaluable addition to any proven recipe.

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"The MJRC consists of ordained Rabbis and associates who promote a life of faithfulness to God's covenant among Jewish followers of Messiah Yeshua by providing realistic and practical guidelines for Messianic Jewish observance."

Our Mission Statement

Rooted in Torah, instructed by Tradition, faithful to Messiah Yeshua

 

MJRC

The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (MJRC) consists of a group of ordained Rabbis and associated leaders who endeavor to promote a life of covenant faithfulness among Jewish followers of Messiah Yeshua. 

Our core mission is to:

  • Promote a cohesive vision for Messianic Judaism
  • Define normative halakha and standards of faith for our communities
  • Serve the professional and personal needs of our members
  • Establish high standards of professional competence, ethical behavior, and halakhic conduct for our rabbis
  • Mediate and adjudicate disputes among our members
  • Facilitate professional placement of our members

 

The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (MJRC) was formally established in May 2006. It consists of a group of ordained Messianic Jewish Rabbis and associated leaders who share a common vision for Messianic Judaism rooted in Torah, instructed by Tradition, and faithful to Messiah Yeshua in the twenty-first century.

The MJRC had its beginnings five years earlier. At that time a set of Messianic Jewish leaders from New England invited some of their colleagues from outside the region to join them in working on a common set of halakhic standards for themselves and their congregations.