Or Olam: A Trans-denominational Jewish Congregation?

Question: So what denomination are you? Whom are you affiliated with?

Answer: Judaism.

Increasingly, we’re seeing the growth of independent Jewish congregations that choose not to affiliate with any denomination at all.

That’s been our choice. At Temple Or Olam, we’ve decided against definitions or restrictions that might label or confine us. We’re just Jews. Some of us are intermarried. Some are not. Some of us remember Conservative services with nostalgia. Others recall the social justice message of Reform with pride. We bring our background and our history and our interests to our congregation. But once there, we decide as a community what we need and want in order to live Jewishly.

Our community is the congregation’s defining factor – not a national organization. We each choose where we want to grow in our practice and experience; we each help define the direction we take as a congregation. Our life cycle events, festivals, and services are communal and welcoming.

We combine our independence with local and communal consciousness. What denomination are we? We aren’t. We don’t have to be. We’re just Jews.