Congregation Darchei Noam
| Rabbi Stacey Blank P.O. Box 1309, 47100, Ramat HaSharon Israel Phone: 011-972-3-547-3594 Fax:011-972-3-549-3230 E-mail: vaad@d-noam.org www.d-noam.org/en |
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About
We are a Reform congregation serving Ramat HaSharon, a town of 45,000 just north of Tel Aviv, as well as neighboring areas. Under the leadership of Rabbi Stacey Blank, Darchei Noam offers prayer services, holiday celebrations, and many other events throughout the year. Our congregation serves an important function in this overwhelmingly non-Orthodox community, attracting hundreds of local residents during the High Holidays and other Jewish holidays.
Our Bat and Bar Mitzvah program is very popular and we are proud to host Bat/Bar Mitzvah celebrations almost every Shabbat. As a result of the lack of proper facilities, Darchei Noam has not been able to fully develop its potential within the community, nor even to meet the needs of its existing congregants.
Activities and News
- The Building Project (See the Building Plan and how far we’ve come)
For the past 20 years we have relentlessly pursued our dream of building a synagogue of our own, in the hope of parting ways with the high school auditorium which has been our temporary home since the Congregation was founded 25 years ago. After 15 years of fighting for a plot of land on which to build, the case finally reached the Israeli Supreme Court, which ruled that Darchei Noam must be allocated land. After that, it took another 5 years and more hard work until the much-desired Building Permit was finally obtained in March 2006. In June of that year, a very emotional Groundbreaking Ceremony took place in the presence of members and friends of the congregation, as well as representatives from the Reform Movement overseas. Currently we are working hard to raise the $2 million needed to complete the building. We receive small contributions regularly, but we still need a lot of help to reach our goal. (Click here to read the Prospectus on the Building…)
- Monthly Shabbat Excursions
Young families gather on Shabbat afternoon to visit different sites of interest in our region. Each time, a different family takes responsibility for planning the trip as well as leading the group – from a treasure hunt in the sand dunes of the Sharon to an historic tour of Old Jaffa. Adults enjoy the camaraderie and the kids enjoy the activities and games. We always end with a picnic (too much food!!), a story, and the Havdalah ceremony that ends Shabbat led by Rabbi Stacey.
- Photography Club
Our bar/bat mitzvah graduates stay connected to the congregation and have found many creative ways to explore their Judaism. Over the summer, they created a photo-montage of Congregation Darchei Noam and life in Ramat HaSharon. Over Sukkot, they documented the building of our community sukkah with this unique photo series.
During Chanukah, the group visited in B’nai Brak, a local ultra-Orthodox city, in which they participated in the candle-lighting in the home of our Rabbi’s relatives, experiencing a type of Judaism they had never scene before. They learned about the history and demographics of the city as well participated in an exercise photographing the chanukiyot in all of the windows as well as photographing things which made B’nai Brak unique and things which showed that B’nai Brak was like any other city.
- Judaism Class for 4-5-Year-Olds
The newest program of Congregation Darchei Noam is a class for English-speaking 4-5-year-olds. This class was initiated by young parents of the congregation who want their children to learn about Jewish holidays, traditions, and values. This class is for native English speakers or children who learn in an all English-speaking framework.
