Shalom and thanks for visiting our Temple Emanu-El website
We are a Reform Jewish Congregation in Rochester, New York. Our members are Jews by birth, Jews by choice, and those drawn to Judaism, including multiracial, LGBTQ+, and interfaith households. We see ourselves as a family, where everyone’s participation is sought and appreciated. We invite you to attend our services and events, and share in our warm, informal approach to Reform Judaism.
Join us as we approach the High Holiday season
Elul Classes led by Rabbi Drorah Setel
Harm and Healing: Contemporary Perspectives on Teshuvah
Online: Wednesday evenings at 7pm: Aug 27, Sept 3, and Sept 10 via Zoom
In-person: Thursday mornings at 10am: Aug 28, Sept 11, and Sept 18 at the JCC
Teshuvah, “return,” is the focus of the High Holidays. It is traditional to begin reflecting on our actions and their consequences during the month of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah. In these three sessions we will explore the writing of three contemporary authors on the topic, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Sarah Schulman, and Dr. Judith L. Herman. Their work leads us to consider not only the harm we do to others, but how we assess harm, as well as how we might heal from the harms that have been done to us.
Elul Course – Registration and More Details
Coming Up
Music Monday
Mon, Sept 15, 7pm
Board of Trustees Meeting Online
Tues, Sept 16, 7pm via Zoom
Elul Class In-Person
Thurs, Sept 18, 10am at the JCC
Shabbat Service
Fri, Sept 19, 6pm at the JCC
Chevre Torah Study Groups Online
Sat, Sept 20, 10am and 11:05am via Zoom
See Our Full Calendar of Services and Events
Rabbi Drorah Setel’s Sept 14 Message
This year, as we gather for the Days of Awe, it seems important to acknowledge the wisdom of our ancestors who understood that resilience comes, not from avoiding times of difficulty, but from meeting them with thoughtfulness and community engagement. They faced persecution and displacement, yet continued to build, to learn, to hope, and to contribute to the world’s healing. The same spiritual tools that guided previous generations remain available to us: the discipline of honest self-examination, the courage to acknowledge our mistakes and make amends, and the conviction that change is always possible.
Read Rabbi Setel’s Complete Message
Protecting Our Health
During our services, holiday celebrations, and events, masks and social distance seating are available upon request.
TigerChat
TigerChat is a phone app that allows you to converse with or listen to another person or group using automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology that converts spoken words into typed text. The app was designed to work on the RIT campus, and RIT has extended it so that it now also works in the JCC.
