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Community Corner

Congregation Hakafa Celebrates 30 Years on the North Shore

Congregation Hakafa marked its 30th anniversary with a special service and party at the Winnetka Community House in June.  Leading the gathering were founding Rabbi Emeritus, Robert J. Marx and current Rabbi, Bruce Elder.  Joined by over 200 congregants, the group celebrated 30 years of a Jewish community dedicated to worship, social action and study.  Congregation President Jeff Rosenberg joined the ranks of 11 past presidents who represented the history of the congregation. Beginning in 1984 as informal gatherings in participants’ homes to celebrate Shabbat, study Torah, and engage meaningfully in social justice issues, Hakafa has grown to over 250 families from across the North Shore and surrounding communities. Hakafa members are actively addressing the myriad of needs in the community including interfaith relations, poverty and hunger, the welfare of women globally, immigrant rights, and more.

A member of the Union of Reform Judaism, Hakafa, which means “an encirclement of friends,” chooses not to have a permanent building, believing it is better to invest in people, not property.  Religious and Hebrew school is held at the Glencoe Community Center, Friday Night Services are at the Winnetka Community House, high holidays are celebrated at Wilmette Junior High School, and member homes are opened for other events and holidays. Hakafa is member-driven and there is no Board of Directors.  For more information, please contact Hakafa Membership Director John Thomason at membership@hakafa.org . Learn more at www.Hakafa.org.

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