Principles
Ahavat Olam is not easily labelled.There are a number of ideals that attract us and bind us together as a congregation:
- We are progressive, inclusive and egalitarian. Jews by patrilineal descent, members of the LGBTQ+ communities, and Jews by choice are full participants in the congregation, and anyone is welcome to join us for any of our services or other activities. Got questions? Contact us for more information.
- We offer an authentic spiritual experience in a Jewish context. This can take many different forms and always represents an honouring of our own spiritual truths as well as the collective experience of the Jewish people as taught through our religious tradition.
- We strive for a sense of empowerment with our religious heritage through knowledge and understanding of the tradition. We believe that our religious tradition has always been dynamic and evolving. We have the responsibility to shape our religion so that it serves joy and compassion in this world in our times and the future.
- We share a commitment to religiously motivated engagement with significant social justice issues. This can be called the prophetic side of Judaism and has many different ways of being lived.
- We are unaffiliated and respectful of all Jewish denominations. Spiritually, we are inclined towards Reconstructionist Judaism and Jewish Renewal.
- We are a community-led Chavurah of volunteers. We rent space for services at the Peretz Centre, 6184 Ash St, Vancouver. We don’t own a building and are not planning to raise funds for one.
- We welcome all, regardless of ability to pay. Our annual membership fee is just $18. We don’t sell tickets for high holiday services. Just come.
