Or Hadash, meaning “new light,” is a home for Jewish connection, for the sacred, for authenticity, for the seeker.
New to Or Hadash? Discover how you can become part of our welcoming community. Whether you're exploring Judaism for the first time or seeking a new spiritual home, we welcome you to join us in meaningful connection and joyful practice.
We believe that we each hold a divine spark of light inside of us, whether we’re total novices in Jewish prayer and study or we come from years of experience. We bring our full selves here, and we invite you to bring your whole self, too.
Big ideas need all voices. Please join our Strategic Plan Input Sessions on July 27/29th.
Thank you to everyone that completed the Strategic Plan survey.
What We Offer
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Inclusive Worship
Experience services that honor tradition and embrace modernity.
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Lifelong Learning
Engage in educational opportunities for all ages.
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Community Connections
Participate in diverse groups and social events.
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Social Action:
Join us in making a positive impact through Tikkun Olam.
Join Us for Services
In-Person: Experience the warmth of our community firsthand.
Online: Participate via Zoom (password required) or YouTube (no password needed).
Rabbi Lauren shares one of her favorite fables in her 2024-5785 Yom Kippur message that encourages us to act with agency in the world. What do we want that agency to be? G'mar chatimah tovah - May you all be sealed along the path of life for good.
Featured Events
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Shabbat: August 15/16
Kabbalat Shabbat - 6:30 pm
Shabbat Morning Service: 9:15 am
B’nai Mitzvah of Daniel and Maya Chun
Step out of your week and into Shabbat with song, prayer, and community.
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Evening Book Club
Wednesday, August 13, 6:30 pm
The Safekeep, By Yael van der Wouden
Facilitated by Rachel Schultz
A “razor-sharp, perfectly plotted” (The Sunday Times, London) tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.
It is 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is truly over. Living alone in her late mother’s country home, Isabel knows her life is as it should be—led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis brings his graceless new girlfriend Eva, leaving her at Isabel’s doorstep as a guest, to stay for the season.
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Drop-In Meditation at Or Hadash
Thursday, August 14, 12:15 pm
Drop-In Meditation at Or Hadash
Take a breath during your busy day and re-center yourself through Jewish mindfulness meditation led by Rabbi Lauren. Everyone is welcome—whether you're a newcomer to meditation, an occasional practitioner, or you've had a steady practice for years.
Please arrive before 12:15 pm so we can start on time and allow ample time for guided meditation, silence, teaching, and questions.
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Shabbat Hadasha: A New Shabbat Morning Experience
Saturday, August 23, 10:00 am
We’re going to begin to offer a new kind of prayer experience once a month on Saturday mornings, in lieu of our usual morning service, which we’re calling Shabbat Hadasha: a new Shabbat.
The intention of this service is to be able to enter into fewer words of liturgy but with more depth. We’ll spend time through chant, meditation, learning, and reflection with some of the core ideas within the prayers, opening them up and making them more accessible to all. We’ll offer a Torah service with a shorter Torah reading so that we can go more in depth with the verses themselves and explore what wisdom they might have to offer in our lives, right now.
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Sci-Fi Book Club
Saturday, August 23 at 12:15 PM
Love a good story with a sci-fi or fantasy twist? Join us for our Jewish Sci-Fi Book Club! We meet monthly to dive into fascinating reads that blend imagination with Jewish culture, history, and mythology. Whether you're a sci-fi enthusiast or simply curious, you’re invited to share your thoughts, explore new ideas, and connect with fellow book lovers.
Please join us after kiddush. No need to finish the book—everyone is welcome to stop by and join the conversation!Monthly Book Selection:
Our book for August is Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott.
” At Or Hadash, we enable pathways for people to share who they are and the best of what they can bring to the wider community.”
- Or Hadash Member
Rabbi Lauren Henderson
Rabbi Lauren Henderson originally hails from Spartanburg, SC, and is thrilled to be returning to her southern roots as the newest Rabbi of Congregation Or Hadash.
