Discover the Joy of Judaism!

We invite you to join our historic congregation. Make memories with us. Whether you are hearing the sacred readings and ancient melodies for the first time, or you know it all by heart, you are welcome. Find personal solace as we recite Kaddish as a community. Celebrate with newlyweds as they break a glass under the chuppah. Lend helping hands to neighbors in need. Smile as you hear the sweet voices of our youngest congregants during Consecration. Share the sense of accomplishment as young teens become B’nai Mitzvah.

Everyone is welcome in our Temple family, the young and the young-at-heart; the single and the partnered; the Jew by birth and the Jew-by-choice; the able-bodied and the challenged. No matter where you have been or where you are going, rediscover the joy that is Judaism here at Congregation Ahavath Chesed!

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard jemerman November 18, 2024

Death and Mourning

As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

The Cost of Free Land

The Cost of Free Land jemerman November 14, 2024

Native American issues

The author's Great-Great-Uncle Louie Sinykin posing with men in Dakota garb in South Dakota's Black Hills. Date unknown.

When I was a child growing up in the 1980s, the story I learned about Thanksgiving followed the classic script: it highlighted amity between the Pilgrims and their Indigenous neighbors. Due to this connection, the hunger of the European settlers was met with squash and turkey.

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism

Ten Things We Say When We Talk About Antisemitism sdolgov November 4, 2024

Antisemitism and Hate Crimes

URJ leaders have had thousands of conversations about antisemitism over the past years, especially after October 7th. The following list summarizes the ideas that arise most often in these discussions.

Putting the “Serve” Back in "Deserve"

Putting the “Serve” Back in "Deserve" sdolgov November 1, 2024

As the Jewish community grapples with fears of our eroding security in post-10/7 America, nobody wants to consider the question of whether we have enjoyed that security up to this point by right or by debt.

Temple Calendar Of Events