About Us
We are a two 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, and our custom is to wait for 10 women and 10 men to start Shacharit or Ma’ariv.
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:
- Leading any of the tefillot, please contact
- Reading Torah or Haftarah, please contact
- Giving a Dvar Torah, please contact
- Contributing to the Kiddush following the tefillah, please contact
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
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 the 3rd floor of the Slifka Center, 80 Wall St., New Haven, CT 06511.
Our schedule for Fall 2007 is:
Minyan Urim meets every
shabbat during the semester
for shabbat morning services
at 9:30 am.
Announcements
Lecture
Minyan Urim invites you to:
Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz' chief US correspondane
Outsiders in 2008 - How Israelis and the rest of the world influence American Election?
Moderated by Jennifer Medina, The New York Times
Monday, March 31, 7pm, Sylvia Slifka Chapel, Slifka Center, 80 wall street
Light refreshment will be served
Click here for more information
Contact list
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.
Learning How to Lead Services or Read Torah
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 our gabbaim, Rachel Novick or Ben Bokser.
Yale Eruv
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.
Sponsoring Kiddush
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 Judi Janette to sponsor kiddush.