Respect For All
TEMPLE HABONIM IS THE SPIRITUAL HOME for 210 diverse and pluralistic families: we are young and mature, families with small children and empty-nesters, singles and widows/widowers, LGBTQ and straight, Jews by birth, Jews by choice, non-Jewish spouses and extended families. Our congregants come from 21 different communities in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming place of inclusion and we strive to offer programs to meet varied needs and interests; we are small enough to know one another and large enough to support diverse programming. We are a place of caring, where traditions are honored, innovations are explored, minds are expanded, friends are made, participation is encouraged and comfort can be found.
“I converted [to Judaism] because of the model this community has made.”
OUR CORE VALUES ARE OUR STRENGTHS. We are a nice, compassionate and haimish group of individuals. Our congregation is “right-sized” - but there is always room to expand our tent. We have never charged for High Holy Day services (we don’t even issue tickets). We welcome all who care to join us. We join our rabbi and songleader in old and new melodies - our gusto to participate undimmed by our vocal abilities. We come as we are - our worship services are not fashion shows. We always want to be “that” Temple Habonim. We innovate and search for new ways to grow and evolve. We try to meet people where they want to be met, at a Beach Service, with Mindfulness Shabbats, on temple-sponsored trips to Israel, Eastern Europe, Cuba and Selma, AL. We try to engage in ways congregants find appealing with family-authored prayers on the High Holy Days, individuals sharing their Jewish journeys between Mincha and Neilah and at Sunday morning worship before religious school. We intentionally do not have fixed seats; we enjoy the flexibility our sanctuary lends to our worship services. We want our rabbi to feel that he or she can grow as an individual, as a rabbi and as a leader. We are hungry. We are a community that is open to discovery and eager to innovate. We rise to the occasion when people are in need. We pitch in. Whether that means making sure there is a minyan in the home of a mourner, stocking the local food pantry, serving Christmas dinner at a Providence soup kitchen, lobbying our elected representatives for permanent protection of women's reproductive health rights, or participating in community-wide Mitzvah days, members of Temple Habonim take action.