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:
- Leading any of the tefillot, please contact our gabbaim
- 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
"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 fall 2009 is:
September 5th
September 19th - Rosh hashana (9am)
September 20th - Rosh hashana (9am)
September 27th
Kol Nidrei 6:20 pm
September 28th Yom Kippur
Shacharit 9:00 am
Yizkor 12:15 pm
Mincha 4:40 pm
Neilah 6:00 pm
October 11th Simchat Torah (morning service on a Sunday)
October 17th
October 31st
November 14th
Announcements
Rosh ha-Shana
Join Minyan Urim on both days of Rosh HaShana, with Tefillah starting at 9am. We will have a kiddush on both days at around 11am (after the Torah reading).
Minyan Urim's Talmud class
Idolatry, Talmud and Dinner
Come join us for a textual study of passages from Tractate Avoda-Zara (idolatry) in the Babylonian Talmud. Based on the Talmudic text itself, issues such as the World to Come, repentance according to Christian monks and why medieval sages thought it was OK to ignore the Talmud and more will be discussed. No need for previous Talmudic background, text will be provided with English translation. Class will take place over dinner on Tuesday at 5:30 at the Kosher Kitchen. If you are not a member of the Kosher Kitchen and you want to eat, subsidized rate will be available. The class will be given by Michal and Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal, the halachic advisors of Minyan Urim.
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 Michal Bar-Asher Siegal or our gabbaim, Rebecca Linfield
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 Elitzur Bar-Asher to sponsor kiddush.