On any given day, Montebello Jewish Center strives to meet the spiritual needs of its members through many avenues. No matter where in the Judaic spectrum you place your knowledge and practice, you will find that our community - our congregational family - provides a myriad of opportunities for you to celebrate Judaism with wonderful people in a warm and energetic environment. Below are just a few of the highlights of our shul:

    Religious Services:  Every morning, we begin our day together as a congregation and a community with Shacharit.  Services on Monday and Thursday begin at 7:15 a.m. and include the traditional Torah reading.  Services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays begin at 7:30 a.m.  On Sundays and on secular holidays, services begin at 9:00 a.m.  And on Rosh Chodesh - the beginning of a new month on the Hebrew calendar - services begin at 7:00 a.m.  All morning services end shortly after 8:00 a.m. and we always welcome your help to ensure the success of our minyanim.  Our Minyanaire Program is designed to strengthen our daily services so that anyone needing to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish will have the opportunity to do so supported by the greater MJC community.

Friday evening Shabbat services begin at 7:00 p.m. and are always fun, participatory and very family oriented.  Children are encouraged to come up to the bima and help Rabbi Zimbalist lead services, while the adults lead a variety of English readings.  Rabbi Zimbalist regularly offers a brief D’var Torah; however, about once a month, the D’var Torah is replaced by an interactive story designed for the children.  Services last approximately an hour and are always followed by a wonderful oneg.

Saturday morning services begin at 9:00 a.m. and are filled with the joy and ruach expected on Shabbat.  The service is conducted by Rabbi Zimbalist, who also reads the Torah and delivers the sermon, but the service leadership - our daveners and all of our service participants - come from the talented greater MJC community.  Although we do not have an official Cantor, those who ascend the bima and lead services on Shabbat daven with the melodious beauty, enthusiasm, grace and dignity as seasoned, trained Chazzanim.  During our services, we are often blessed to celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, baby naming or other simachot.  Services usually conclude around 12:00 p.m. and are always followed by a delicious Kiddush luncheon.

    Hebrew School and Youth Groups:  The Montebello Jewish Center Hebrew School meets on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and has truly become a place infused with a love for Jewish learning.  Our talented staff is continuously working to ensure the best quality education for our children, and our curriculum and programming is regularly evaluated and improved.  There are approximately 125 student currently enrolled in the Hebrew School, with over 25 students preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah.  We offer Ruach, Kadima and USY youth group programs and often join other Rockland County synagogues for special youth events.  As we all know, our children are the guarantors that Judaism will survive, and at Montebello Jewish Center, we try to imbue all of our youth with a sense of community that enables them to grow into responsible and knowledgeable Jewish adults.

    Early Childhood:  An extension of our Hebrew school, our Early Childhood Program has everything to offer moms and children ranging from newborns to 4 year-olds! Start with our "First Friends" program (for newborns-10 months), then move on to our "Double Date" program (for 10 months-24 year olds),  then move on up to "Just Us", our drop off program for 2's, and don't forget about our 3 and 4 year old programs! We have now added afternoon enrichment classes for our 3 & 4 year olds, and are very pleased to now offer three different summer camp classes in our 8-week camp: a First Friends mommy-and-me class (babies up to 12+ months), a Double Date mommy-and-me class (12-24+ months) and a "Just Us" drop-off class (2-4 years). The children will explore summertime themes through stories, games, music, art, messy play, outdoor play and much more. Please take a look at our Early Childhood Page for more details of all of our programs!

    Adult Education:  Adult education meets regularly at 8:00 p.m.  Although classes are scheduled to last 45 minutes, oftentimes the joy of study leads to many late evenings together.  MJC currently offers Hebrew classes, a Talmud class and a theology class.  Everyone is invited and encouraged to come and learn together.

    Special Programming:  Montebello Jewish Center is fortunate to have a dynamic and excited membership who develop fabulous programs and special events throughout the year.  Annual events include meaningful services for September 11th, Tisha B’Av, Yom HaShoah and other significant dates in both the Jewish and secular calendars, Sisterhood’s Boutique, Sisterhood and Men’s Club Shabbatot, the Men’s Club Golf Outing, the Journal Dinner Dance, communal Shabbat dinners, and lectures given by renowned scholars and distinguished lay leaders.

Looking to the future, we have to be very proactive and address the needs of our growing community.  Over the past two years, membership has increased and our small, intimate congregation is becoming a larger thriving, passionate community.  Our membership is approximately 270 families, and we hope that it continues to steadily rise.  Our Long Range Planning Committee is currently looking at viable options to address the constraints of our physical space.  As more and more people join MJC, we have to prepare ourselves for new and exciting challenges that accompany this growth.  We have succeeded in the past, and we will succeed in the future.  However, that success depends on you and your continued support.  Please attend our Long Range Planning meetings and share your thoughts on our potential building expansion.  We need your help and input, and we need to hear your voice.

Chazak v’Ematz - May we continue to work together and support each other making Montebello Jewish Center the center of Conservative Jewish life in western Rockland County.

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