KBY Congregations Together | Kehillot B'Yachad

Ve’Ahavta: The Reform Community of Shoham
Building a Home for Modern Jewish Life

Ve’Ahavta – The Reform Congregation of Shoham is a vibrant center of Jewish life, education, and social action. It is a community that provides an egalitarian, pluralistic, welcoming, warm and engaging spiritual home for Jews in the growing city of Shoham, with over 24,000 residents, and its surrounding area.

Today, more than 100 families and 200 individual participants regularly engage in its programs, meeting in a one room, 90-square-meter prefabricated structure. To realize the community’s vision of growth, Ve’Ahavta needs a new home in which all Jews can feel welcome, respected, and uplifted.

The Opportunity

In 2019, Ve’Ahavta became the first Reform community in Israel to receive a municipal land allocation without a legal battle: a groundbreaking milestone for religious pluralism in Israel.

Today, with municipal approval and architectural plans in place, Ve’Ahavta is poised to realize a historic dream: to build a permanent home for Reform Jewry in the heart of Israel. 

The new building will allow Ve’Ahavta to expand and strengthen Jewish identity and belonging. At a time when Israeli society is grappling with war, division and a crisis of values, the new space will provide a vital source of resilience and inspiration.

The Congregation’s Uniqueness

• Weekly musical egalitarian Kabbalat Shabbat & engaging holiday celebrations
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah and other lifecycle events
• Tikkun Olam: food drives, evacuee & IDF family support
• Collaborations across Jewish streams and interfaith communities
• Youth delegations to Uganda, England, USA and beyond
• Innovative educational programs 

A Transformative Inclusive Space 

This modern, state-of-the-art synagogue and community center will include a sanctuary, community hall, multipurpose classrooms, offices, and outdoor areas for meditation, celebrations, and gatherings. A second phase will add an additional floor which will include an educational center for children, youth, and young adults. The building will reflect the community’s values through a sustainable and socially responsible design.

Located in a new neighborhood, adjacent to educational centers, a rehabilitation center for IDF soldiers, and a residential home for people with disabilities, the new building will offer unique opportunities for future inclusive partnerships.

Projected Impact:
• Community Growth: From 100 to 250 families within five years.
• Expanded Lifecycle Events: From 20–30 to more than 50 Bar/Bat Mitzvah and other ceremonies annually.
• Financial Sustainability: Room rental and lifecycle events will generate an additional $80,000 annually for the community’s activities.

• Creative Community Platform: The space will enable the community to host leadership missions and educational tourism that will strengthen Israel–Diaspora relations.

• A Model for Reform Judaism in Israel: The new building will provide inspiration for similar initiatives nationwide.

Ve’Ahavta’s Capital Campaign
VeAhavta seeks to raise $1.6 million USD in order to complete phase 1 of its new permanent home and create a fund for long-term maintenance.

A range of naming opportunities are available. 

Ve’Ahavta is grateful for the support of its partners:
The Shoham Municipality
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ)
& Community Members.

A Thriving Community Ready to Grow
From Vision to Reality

Join Us!

How to contribute:
1. Click on the link at the top of the page to donate online  OR

2. Please send a check made out to:
KBY Congregations Together
PO Box 23170
Brooklyn, NY 11202
(with a note stating it’s for the Reform Community in Shoham)

Contact Us:

Rabbi Rinat Safania Shwartz, Senior Rabbi 
rsafania@gmail.com
+972-54-463-0191

Michael Gilinski, President
michaelg102@yahoo.com
+972-52-432-6617

Avigail Harel, Campaign Chair
Shoham.reform@gmail.com
+972-52-376-9645