About Us

We are a four years old and growing community at the Yale Slifka Center in New Haven, CT, consisting of students from Yale University and others from the New Haven area. In our services, we strive to create an uplifting and song-filled tefilla while maximizing the participation of women and men all in accordance with a traditional halachic framework. Our community meets on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. 

Consistent with our commitment to halacha, we have sought out the opportunities afforded by traditional Jewish sources for increasing the inclusion of women in our tefillot. In our Shabbat morning services, both women and men may have aliyot and read Torah and Haftarah. P’sukei D’zimra and the Torah service are led both by women and men, while men lead Shacharit and Mussaf. In our Friday night services, a woman leads Kabbalat Shabbat and a man leads Ma’ariv. We have a mechitza separating women and men during tefilla. 

We hope you’ll find Minyan Urim to be an open and friendly environment. Come visit us and see what we’re all about!



Contact Us

To be put on our mailing list, please contact us.
If you are interested in:

If you are interested in knowing more about our halakhic sources, we would love to study them with you.  Please contact either Michal Bar-Asher Siegal or Elitzur Bar-Asher.

Please contact our webmaster for any questions or issues regarding this website.



Links of Interest

Minyan Urim in the News
”Urim Minyan Maximizes Participation of Men and Women,” Jewish Ledger 11/10/2005

"Orthodox Conference explores Partnership Minyan," The Jewish State 2/16/2007

"Patnership Minyanim": Orthodoxy on the Edge (or Maybe Even a Bit Over)" The Jewish Voice, pages 8-14, Jully 2007

"No rabbi needed as Jewish group adapts customs," New Haven Register, 9/29/2008, Boston Globe 10/4/2008

Minyanim
Kehillat Shira Hadasha (Jerusalem)
Darkhei Noam (New York)
Minyan Tehillah (Cambridge, MA)
Shira Hadasha of Teaneck, NJ

10 and 10 Minyan (Los Angeles)
Shira Hadasha of Melbourne, Australia

Halakhic Analyses

Elitzur and Michal Bar-Asher Siegal, "Guide for the 'Halachic Minyan'" (English Version), (Hebrew Version)

 

Rabbi Mendel Shapiro,  "Qeri’at ha-Torah by Women: A Halakhic Analysis" (Edah 1:2)
Rabbi Daniel Sperber,  "Congregational Dignity and Human Dignity: Women and Public Torah Reading."  (Edah 3:2)

Links to other articles in Hebrew and English

 


 

Our services meet on Saturday morning at 9:15 am, on the 3rd floor of the Slifka Center, 80 Wall St., New Haven, CT 06511.

Our schedule for spring 2009 is:

Jan 17th  Shemot

Feb.  7th Beshallach - shabbat shira

Feb. 21st Mishpatim

March 8 - Purim (see bellow)

March 28 Vayikra 

April 18  Semini

May 2nd Acharei Mot-Kedoshim

                                                       




Announcements


On the night of PURIM (March 9) Minyan Urim will have Megillah Reading (joint with egal) at 7:30 in the main Chapel at Slifka, which will be preceded by Arvit in our usual location at 7:10.

After the reading there will be food to break the fast (and lots of holiday good cheer...). 

 

 


If you'd like to be included in our contact list, please send Saskia Swenson Moss your phone number, email address, street address, degree and graduation date. 


We have many resources available for you to learn new skills or to brush up on old ones. If you need help in leading part of the service, or if you want to learn to read Torah and Haftara please approach Michal Bar-Asher Siegal or our gabbaim, Rebecca Linfield and Ted Rosenbaum


We are pleased to announce that the Yale / Downtown Eruv is now operational. The new Eruv is attached to the Westville Eruv so you can walk freely from one to the other.

Click here for a map of the Eruv.

It is very important to check that the Eruv is up each week before using it. This can be done by checking here.


Want to celebrate with us? After our Shabbat and holiday morning services, we stick around for our main social event – a fabulous kiddush along with a short dvar torah. If you are having a birthday, you just submitted a huge paper, landed a great job, or just want to feed your friends, please contact Elitzur Bar-Asher to sponsor kiddush.