Lexington Jewish Community Directory

Contact president, Austin Cantor, for additional information about the local B’nai B’rith chapter and upcoming activities.

Shabbat meal every Friday at 10 minutes before sunset. (Schedule may change during High Holidays.)

Contact the rabbi about study and other opportunities for prayer.

Welcome to the University of Kentucky Hillel
Your Jewish home for Shabbat, holidays, and life in Lexington. If you are a new or prospective student who is interested in speaking with a Hillel student about being Jewish at UK, email

Already a UK student? Join our Facebook group to get meal and event invitations.

Want to help? As we are asking the students to bake challah, roast chicken and serve 20+ students on a regular basis, we are asking you to help provide them the tools to do so.

Visit our Get To Know Us pages to learn more.

“The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.”

Find us on Facebook

About

“Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is a volunteer organization that inspires a passion for and commitment to its partnership with the land and people of Israel. It enhances the health of people worldwide through its support of medical care and research at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem. Hadassah empowers its members and supporters, as well as youth in Israel and America through opportunities for personal growth, education, advocacy and Jewish continuity.”

To Join or to reach a representative: [email protected]

Great Plains Region

Website: https://greatplains.hadassah.org

National Headquarters

50 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019

Website: www.hadassah.org

Rabbi Shani Abramowitz  [email protected]

Ohavay Zion Synagogue (OZS) is an egalitarian Conservative congregation in affiliation with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

OZS is a welcoming and active congregation which holds events and activties for everyone as they strive to be a Beit Keneset (house of gathering), Beit Midrash (house of learning), and Beit Tefilah (house of prayer).

Worship

Regular Service Times:

• Minyan on Tuesday afternoons at 5:45 pm.
• Friday evening rotating Kabbalat Shabbat services at 5:45 pm. Check OZS website for more details.
• Shabbat services are held every Saturday morning at 9:30 am. Kiddush lunch follows services.​

Gan Shalom Preschool

Website: www.ganshalom.com

Contact: Amy Howe
Email: [email protected]

Since 1998, Gan Shalom, Ohavay Zion Synagogue’s early childhood program, has been offering Lexington families an intimate, nurturing environment, making the first school experience an overwhelmingly positive one. Our primary goal is to provide quality care and education. We are STARS-rated and offer children ages 12 months through 5 years a stimulating, age-appropriate setting that supports and prepares them for a life-long love of learning.

OZS Religious School

Website: https://www.ozs.org/education/religious-school/

Contact: Ilona Szekely, Education Director
Email: [email protected]

It is our mission at the OZS Religious School to help our students wear their Jewish identity comfortably, both in Kentucky and around the world. Our goal is to foster in our students a love of Jewish learning that will continue throughout their lives.

Our school meets on Sundays for students beginning at the age of 4 through high school years. Our teachers are committed to fostering the spiritual, social, and academic growth of all our students. We also have an outstanding Hebrew program on Tuesday afternoons and Sunday mornings, with additional classes for Dalet (6th grade) and B’nai Mitzvah (7th grade) on Thursday afternoons. With regular attendance at our warm and spirited services, our students become proficient in reading and understanding Hebrew prayers, and become fully participatory in evening and morning Shabbat services.

Rabbi David Wirtschafter – [email protected]

Temple Adath Israel (TAI) is a Reform Jewish congregation linked to a tradition of welcoming those searching for a community committed to honoring the dignity we all share as children of the one God by embracing these enduring Jewish values: AVODAH (Worship); TALMUD TORAH (Torah Study); TZEDEK (Social Justice); and KEHILAH (Community).

Worship

Regular Service Times: Erev Shabbat Services every Friday evening at 7 pm.

TAI Religious School

Website: https://www.lextai.org/religious/

Contact: Elissa Weinstein, Youth Education Director

Our Religious School is a warm, exciting, vibrant, and nurturing environment. Our goal is to create a community of learning and caring. It is our aim to enable students:

• to develop a positive Jewish identity;
• to apply Jewish ethical beliefs to daily life, and
• to gain a fundamental knowledge and understanding of Jewish practice, history, and language.

School is in session for 28 Sundays through the year. We have 100 students attending programs for 2 year olds through high school students.

We are now utilizing the URJ’s CHAI Curriculum for 2nd through 7th grades. This Curriculum is based on the premise that study, worship, and deeds of loving-kindness provide the framework with which Jews build their relationship with God, one another and the world. Accordingly, the curriculum is divided into segments that deal with Torah-study, Avodah-prayer, and G’milut Chasadim-deeds of loving-kindness.