Congregation B’nai Tikvah is a warm, inviting, and inclusive congregational family. This didn’t happen by mistake or by sheer luck; it was a conscious decision made by the founders of Congregation B’nai Tikvah. Our founding member, Marc Usatin, set us up for success in creating this hamish home. “It’s up to the new generation to maintain the ideals we were founded on…inclusivity [and] an honest warm environment.” The caring spirit accompanied by a sense of coming back home is the cornerstone of our communal culture.

Core to our current values and central to our communal identity is the constant pursuit of being “radically welcoming,” which Rabbi Chabon defines as “recognizing the need to not just be welcoming by default, but by actions and statements.” 

Lori Siegel, our congregation’s president, believes in opening our doors and extending our tent to all who would like to belong, following the legacy set by our founding members. She says, “We welcome all who want to belong. We welcome those of us who belong to a synagogue because it provides a connection to Israel and its centrality to life in the diaspora. We welcome our LGBTQ friends and families looking for an open, inclusive synagogue. We welcome Jews of Color looking for a synagogue in which their Jewish identity will not be questioned. We welcome Millennials and Gen X, Y, and Z-ers who have been unable to find a fountain to quench their spiritual thirst. We welcome interfaith families. We welcome folks who want to convert to Judaism. We welcome those who are unsure of their own religious identity.”

We invite you to join our congregational family.