Is Torat Yisraelreally moving toEast Greenwich?

Yes! We broke ground for our new building in a movingceremony on Sunday, November 15

. We were honored by the presence of US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse,representatives of the East Greenwich town government,religious leaders and guests. Over 250 people attended theceremony.Despite the stalled economy, substantial pledges are stillbeing made and work with our architects, landscapedesigners, kitchen designers and interior designerscontinues.

Is is true that Torat Yisrael’sCohen Religious School hasmoved to East Greenwich?

Yes! We are grateful to St. Luke's Episcopal Church in EastGreenwich for hosting our Yeladon Kindergarten/FirstGrade class this past academic year. This pilot program inEast Greenwich was so successful we sought space in EastGreenwich to house all of our classes from kindergartenthrough 7th grade.We are delighted and grateful to announce that the YeladonK-1 class and the entire Frederic G. and Lawrence G.Cohen Religious School now meets at the Village LowerSchool, 2220 South County Trail, East Greenwich! Ourclasses meet on Sunday mornings (Pre-K-7

grade) andTuesday afternoons (3rd-7th grades).

Are interfaith familieswelcome at ToratYisrael?

Yes! We embrace any non-Jewish spouse and/or parentwho is supportive of the Jewish identity and faith of theirspouse and children. Rabbi Levin, our education director,Ronni Guttin, our officers, board and general membershiplook forward to sharing the Judaism we love with all non- Jewish spouses or parents. Indeed, we have done so formany years.At Torat Yisrael, there are many opportunities forinvolvement for everyone in the family in services,educational and social events as well as family celebrationslike bar and bat mitzvah.

What does the term "family"mean at Torat Yisrael?

The more important question is "what does "family" mean to you? Single parent families, interfaith families, same-sexpartners with or without children, mom, dad and kids . . . if you consider yourself a family, we embrace you as a family and we look forward to integrating you into our broaderTorat Yisrael family.

What are some of the family-oriented programs we might enjoyat Torat Yisrael?

The Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat, is the heartbeat of ourcongregation. We hold Shabbat services every Friday evening and every Saturday morning. Two services a monthare especially designed to engage every generation of ourcongregation: The first Shabbat morning of the monthis

Shabbat Yachad

Shabbat Together

. This specialSabbath morning program offers us varied and engagingShabbat experience during which we choose meditation,traditional services, contemporary ethics discussions, textstudy, a communal lunch and singing. It's a great time forus to attend a learner's service with our children or engagewith adults in alternative liturgies.The third Friday evening of the month we hold

Simchat Shabbat /

The Joy of Shabbat.

We begin with anearly family-oriented Shabbat dinner and then continuewith an informal, interactive service.All of our holiday celebrations are family-friendly and offeropportunities for children and adults to learn andexperience together.

I am not the parent of school-age children. What kind ofprograms are available for me?

Each month, Rabbi Levin joins a lively group of people atrestaurants in East Greenwich and Warwick for

Lunch &Learn

. The subject is always a contemporary issue of interest (we've discussed Jewish Anger Management; Jewishmothers; Israel and Us; Alcohol in Jews and much more).We each order off the restaurant menu and enjoy astimulating learning lunch. The group generally meets thethird week of the month, Tuesday at T’s in East Greenwichand Thursday at The Cozy Grill in Warwick. Seewww.toratyisrael.org for details.

Shabbat Yachad,

described above, is designed for every generation and every interest, which includes our youngfamilies, our empty nesters, singles, couples . . . everyone!Our calendar is full of opportunities to get together andenjoy each others company: this past year we enjoyed aSunday afternoon art auction, a packed-house concert by pianist George Winston, a fashion show at Coldwater Creek and more.