Congregation B'nai Israel

2710 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 | (203) 336-1858 | info@cbibpt.org |

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Shabbat Services

A Typical Shabbat Calendar Includes:

Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday Evening)

Pre-Oneg –We gather around 5:30 p.m. for refreshments – something to drink and a little nosh. We greet one another, kibbitz, meet new people and welcome all as we prepare for Shabbat.

Kabbalat Shabbat – 6:00 p.m. In English, Kabbalat Shabbat means “Welcoming Shabbat.” At B’nai Israel, we light the candles and make our way together into the sanctuary for our service. Sometimes, our rabbis and cantor are joined by our congregational band, junior choir, or other musicians. Always, we make a holy space in our week to try and reconnect – with ourselves, with one another, with our people, with God. This service takes place in our Sanctuary (Chapel during the summer months) and is available for public viewing live or at a later time through our streaming page.

B’nai Israel’s Havurah (group gathering) for Families with Young Children is a bi-weekly opportunity for families with children ages 0-5 to celebrate Shabbat and holidays through singing, activities, stories, and community with our clergy and our Bonim Preschool Director, Alexa Cohen. We welcome you to join us on the first Friday of every month at 5:00 p.m. for “Shabbat Play and Pray,” and on or around the third Saturday of every month at 9:30 a.m. for “Shabbat Social.” Havurah is open to all members of the Greater Bridgeport community. You do not need to RSVP or be a member of B’nai Israel to attend – all are welcome!  Dress is casual. For more information about the Havurah for Familes With Young Children or to join our email list, you can email Alexa Cohen at acohen@cbibpt.org or Rabbi Sarah Marion. We hope to see you at Havurah!

Shabbat Morning:

8:00 a.m.  Services – One of the true gems of the congregation is our early Shabbat Service. It is engaging, participatory and lasts about an hour. Come rain, sleet or snow or the middle of summer, the chapel is filled with worshipers enjoying an engaging and participatory worship experience complete with morning prayers, Torah service and commentary. 

9:00 a.m. Bagel Breakfast – sponsored by the Temple’s Brotherhood

9:30 a.m Torah Study – We learn Torah together every Shabbat morning. Some attend 8:00 a.m. services, while others arrive just in time for the study group. Some participate every week, and others drop in when they can. Some have solid biblical backgrounds, and others are novices to the study. Some know Hebrew, and most do not. Bottom Line: Everyone is welcome! Join us for an enriching, enjoyable and engaging hour of weekly learning of our most sacred text.

11:00 a.m. Services – As part of our services most every week, we celebrate the delights of one or two of our congregational family’s celebrating Jewish learning, commitment and identity as a teenage boy or girl is called to the Torah as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. From time to time, we expand the congregational simchas with a baby naming, marriage blessing or other joyful opportunity.