Worship Overview

North Shore Synagogue believes that worship provides a powerful way to get closer to God, our community and ourselves. A core part of our Vision as a synagogue is that we “envision a congregation where our members find a sanctuary from the stress of the outside world; a place to recharge our emotional and spiritual selves through community, music, meditation, study and prayer.”

We recognize that finding spirituality in worship is a very personal thing. Therefore, we offer a range of different service styles to satisfy a variety of tastes. Whether you prefer a traditional classical Reform service with moving cantorial music or a more contemporary style where you can tap your feet and clap your hands, we’ve got it. We hope you’ll try out a range of services, and we hope you’ll enjoy them all!

We encourage you to make a commitment to yourself to worship with our community on a regular basis – whether that’s every week, every month or just once in a while. We know that the more you come, the more you’ll want to come back.

Friday night Erev Shabbat services are held at 7:30 pm every week. Tot Shabbat services are held on the third Friday of each month at 5:30 pm.  (Check the calendar for occasional changes.)

Traditions

Kaddish

We read the names of recently departed congregants and congregants’ family members. If you attend services to observe a yahrzeit, you will have an opportunity to stand and speak your loved one’s name before we recite kaddish as a congregation. If you are unable to attend and would like a name read aloud, please contact the Clergy Assistant or Office by Friday noon.

Dress Code

We don’t want getting dressed up to stand in the way of getting you in the door! However, Shabbat and Festivals are a holy moment. We ask that you avoid shorts, t-shirts, jeans and sneakers. At a typical Friday night service, some men wear jackets or jackets and ties, but some are “business casual.”  For more family-friendly services including Tot Shabbat, Family Services and Shabbat Alive, the dress is slightly more casual, although we encourage again no shorts, t-shirts or sneakers. We only ask that we dress appropriately modest for the worship of God.

Saturday morning Service-in-the-Round services are casual.  Bar and Bat Mitzvah services in the sanctuary are dressier out of respect for the B’nei Mitzvah families.