Gordon Heit
732-297-6284
The Ritual Committee facilitates religious observances and services at the synagogue and in the congregational community. The volunteers on the Ritual Committee work as a whole and on several subcommittees, with the Rabbi and Cantor, to plan specific services, to maintain and have available religious articles when they are needed, and to review policies and practices.
The committee members organize Daily Minyanim, Shiva Minyanim, services for Shabbat, High Holidays and Festivals. We ensure that there is a Minyan Leader and assign aliyot and other honors during services. We arrange for babysitting during services and coordinate transportation for those who need assistance getting to the synagogue. We assign the dates when students will celebrate becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
We plan and facilitate holiday celebrations such as the Chanukkah Party, Tu B’Shevat Seder, Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, and solemn observances such as the Yom HaShoah Service.
Serving on any synagogue committee is an important function but the Ritual Committee carries with it a specialized responsibility. It demands a person with a good Jewish background. It is desirable that each member of the Ritual Committee be familiar with the prayers and the Siddur and be able to read Hebrew well, but there is room on the committee for those who are still learning these skills. It is most important that committee members be grounded in the customs and traditions in the synagogue and Jewish life at home, be dedicated to the synagogue’s mission as a religious community and have a sense of commitment to and love for Jewish values.