Alaska Shabbat House based in Juneau, Alaska seeks to promote for Jews living in Alaska a love for Judaism through the celebration and sharing of Shabbat in the home and through engagement in compelling and spiritually relevant Jewish learning. With our focus on celebration and learning, we share Jewish cultural, ethical, and spiritual traditions with Jews, non-Jewish partners, and those interested in Judaism. Our commitment to a welcoming approach aims to revitalize the ancient Jewish practice of hospitality and a personal commitment to Jewish learning as core practices of living as a Jew in Alaska and 21st century America.
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg, ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, oversees the programs and posts most of the blogs for the Alaska Shabbat House. We embraces a pluralistic approach to Judaism which is open and non-judgmental of different expressions of Jewish identity. Check out this website for more information about our activities and ways you can connect.
The Juneau Learners’ Minyan
The Juneau Learners’ Minyan (JLM) is a learning service and community gathering for the Jewish community of Juneau and Southeast Alaska. Minyan is the Hebrew term for the quorum of 10 adult Jews needed to form a community of prayer. JLM was created as a gathering to pray, learn about Jewish prayer and spirituality, and to celebrate Shabbat every month throughout the year. Rabbi Dov Gartenberg, director of the Alaska Shabbat House, is the leader along with several Jewish community members.
The JLM is open to all! Come participate by bringing food, serving as a greeter, leading a discussion on the portion of the week or chanting a section of the Torah. If you would like to learn a synagogue skill such as reading Torah, chanting a portion of the service, or leading a Torah discussion, ask Rabbi Gartenberg to set up a personalized tutorial to master a synagogue skill. If you don’t read Hebrew we have phonetic transliterations to make it easy to participate. There are many ways to feel at home, including children of all ages who are included in portions of the service.
The JLM will resume on Shabbat , October 12, 2013 and will meet monthly through the summer of 2014. Please check our calendar on this website for upcoming dates of the minyan. We meet at Congregation Sukkat Shalom, 211 Cordova Street, Juneau, Alaska 99802.
If you live in the Southeast and want to know more about the JLM and getting involved, contact Rabbi Gartenberg at alaska-shabbat-house@outlook.com or call 907 500-7430.