Mission

Our mission:

Westchester Reform Temple is a vibrant, caring, and welcoming community – a Kehillah Kedoshah – that connects through Judaism to cultivate joy and meaning at every stage of life.  We join together to support and lift each other spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually; carry Jewish tradition forward proudly; and impact the world positively.

We accomplish this through:

  • Prayer and Celebration: providing musical and other inspiring spiritual expression, including for Shabbat, holidays, lifecycle events, and other times of happiness and sorrow;
  • Learning and Exploration: offering engaging, lifelong Jewish study and experiences; and
  • Community and Global Action: promoting justice, repairing the world, and supporting the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Enduring values guide all that we do: 

  • Community and connection
  • Caring, respect, and inclusion
  • Judaism in our daily lives
  • Pursuit of excellence and innovation

WRT’s mission and values build upon five long-standing pillars inscribed on our temple’s walls: Avodah (Worship and Spirituality), Chavurah (Community), Talmud Torah (Learning), Tikkun Olam (Social Action and Repairing the World), and Clal Yisrael (Responsibility For All Jews).

Seven Initiatives:

  1. Deepening our focus on membership recruitment and retention

Objective: attract, welcome, and retain members

  1. Rethinking the Shabbat experience

Objective: increase Shabbat engagement as a focal point for connecting members with WRT and each other, and enhancing religious meaning

  1. Creating smaller communities within our larger congregation

Objective: increase engagement by offering small group experiences that explore interests and deepen personal connections

  1. Rethinking Board/EC governance, particularly trustee roles and responsibilities

Objective: determine optimal Board/EC structure to maximize trustee engagement and involvement, benefiting both trustees and WRT

  1. Designing and implementing a sustainable approach to Development/Philanthropy

Objective: ensure sufficient financial resourcing to sustain WRT’s broad range of experiences and offerings across the congregation 

  1. Ensuring an engaging JLL experience

Objective: educate the next generation and create happy Jewish memories

  1. Envisioning the ECC of the future 

Objective: consider ECC needs going forward including whether to expand the program and other potential improvements, all while enhancing the quality of the program for families.