Open doors have always been the hallmark of our congregational community. Our renowned religious school was the first in the area to offer special education programs as we were the first to shelter the homeless; interfaith families have always been welcome with no categorizing of Jewish and non-Jewish members; the New Jersey Gay and Lesbian Havurah has made its home in our temple as have numerous other organizations and religious communities. The front page of Kolaynu, our newsletter, announces that membership is open to persons of any race, sex, ethnic background, physical capability, sexual orientation, national origin or marital status. Many previously turned away elsewhere have found a home with us on James Street.

We offer outstanding adult education programs; our members deliver weekend meals-on-wheels; we collect and distribute food and funds to the needy of our community and reach out to our members in times of need; we still boycott grapes and made our building smoke-free years ago. Torah is at the center of all we do and to the best of our ability, we try to fulfill our obligations as Jews.

A synagogue is a beit k’nesset, a house of assembly. At Temple Emanu-El, the doors to our house are open wide. We welcome young and old, gay and straight, single and married, Jew and non-Jew. Pre-schoolers gather to celebrate Shabbat with songs and crafts. Teens gather to experience Judaism with their friends. We all gather as a community to engage in the sacred work of tikkun olam, the repair of the world, through our award-winning social action programs.

A synagogue is a beit midrash, a house of study. At Temple Emanu-El, our children come to learn Hebrew and the traditions of Judaism. Adults come to study with renowned Scholars-in-Residence and to take part in our Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah program. Interfaith families come to learn how to create Jewish homes. We join together for weekly opportunities to study Torah. A synagogue is a beit tefillah, a house of prayer. At Temple Emanu-El, we join together in worship for Erev Shabbat and Shabbat morning services, festivals and the High Holy Days. We celebrate the birth of children, and share in the joy as they become Bar or Bat Mitzvah and are confirmed. We pray for those who are ill and comfort each other at times of loss. In song, we lift our voices to God and bring holiness into our lives.

Temple Emanu-El is all of this and more. We are a warm, open, and welcoming family. We are dedicated to bringing sacredness into our lives, and into the world. Join us in this wonderful and sacred journey.

Rabbi Deborah K. Bravo 

Rabbi Alfred B. Landsberg - Rabbi Emeritus 

Student Cantor Alissa Waegel

Jill Santoni, Educational Director

Jewell S. Hirschorn, Temple Administrator

Joan Ellen, President

That's us - Temple Emanu-El of Edison, New Jersey. The list of new students at our annual consecration service reads like the United Nations roster and we consider ourselves enriched by diversity. Ours is truly a house for all people and we warmly welcome all who enter.