Welcome to the Temple of Israel website.
We hope that you will get a glimpse of Jewish life in Greenville, SC. We have a rich history and are proud of our growth over the last 90+ years. We look forward to introducing you to Our Staff and our Board of Directors. Please feel free to read our Temple bulletins. It is a great way to get to know us! We have a beautiful Gift Shop where you can find all kinds of beautiful judaica, ritual items and jewelry. If you would like to find out how to become a congregant at Temple of Israel, please visit our Membership page. We hope you will join us for Shabbat services on Friday nights at 7:00. Please contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to meeting you soon! Do you need directions?

We are proud of our Jewish heritage and its progressive application. Our core belief in the fallibility of all knowledge leads to religious humility and the following logical consequences:

• Freedom of inquiry and belief
• The rigorous, scientific, and historical study of religion (including our own) using critical thinking skills and all available scholarly tools
• Complete equality regardless of gender, race, ethnicity and/or sexual orientation
• Equality in the congregational status of non-Jewish family members who wish to join us

The creed may be summed up in the form of a “freedom covenant.”  “I covenant to respect the religious and ritual freedom of all others in the congregation, guaranteeing their complete equality, so long as they covenant to affirm my own freedom and equality. My freedom ends where the next person’s freedom begins.”

  The Temple provides a wide range of programming for members at every age level including:

• Friday night and holiday services
• Monthly "Young and Young at Heart" and "Tot Shabbat" services especially for families with children
• Religious school with approximatley 100 children (full time professional education director on staff)
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah training
• Early Childhood Education Center for infants through age 4
• Annual ShalomFest - upstate community Jewish festival
• Sisterhood involved in all aspects of Temple life and member of Women of Reform Judaism
• Adult Education on a variety of issues affecting Jewish life
• Annual Jewish Music Series
• Youth basketball program for grades 1-12 (also adult basketball)
• Dance classes
• Youth Groups
• Gift shop with Judaica of all types
• Library featuring books, video and audio for adults and children

Contact us to sign up for our weekly E-News for a list of current events!

  Throughout history, Jews have remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even as we learned much from our encounters with other cultures. Nevertheless, since its earliest days, Reform Judaism has asserted that a Judaism frozen in time is an heirloom, not a living fountain. The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.

Reform Judaism affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah and Israel  even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices. We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God, and that we are God's partners in improving the world. Tikkun Olam - repairing the world - is a hallmark of Reform Judaism as we strive to bring peace, freedom, and justice to all people.

Reform Jews accept the Torah as the foundation of Jewish life containing God's ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people's ongoing relationship with God. We see the Torah as God inspired, a living document that enables us to confront the timeless and timely challenges of our everyday lives.

Reform Jews are committed to the principle of inclusion, not exclusion. The Reform Movement reaches out to Jews-by-choice and interfaith families, encouraging them to embrace Judaism. Reform Jews consider children to be Jewish if they are the child of a Jewish father or mother, so long as the child is raised as a Jew. Reform Jews are committed to absolute equality of women in all areas of Jewish life and to the full participation of gays and lesbians in synagogue life as well as society at large.

 

The Temple of Israel has a beautiful building that can be used for many different occasions and organizations when not in use with our own programming. The Temple boasts a large activity center/gym, social hall, catering kitchen, lounges, music room and art room. We also have a board room and classrooms that can be used for smaller meetings. Click Here for a copy of our Facilities Use packet with application, rules for usage, and fee structure.