Committees

There are so many ways to be involved with Mishkan Shalom.! We are a committed, active, engaging and thoughtful community. We mindfully care for ourselves, for each other, and for the world in which we live. Members partner with Board representatives, clergy, and staff to create stimulating programs and activities

If you would like information about any of our committees or would like to join them, please contact Daniel Ricken at daniel@mishkan.org.

Acts of Caring. The Acts of Caring Committee serves to bring Mishkan members together virtually and spiritually — and sometimes physically — to share in members' life cycle events.

Adult Education. Our aim is to explore and enrich our Jewish Peoplehood through various reflective learning opportunities while in spiritual community.

Building and Aesthetics. The Building and Aesthetics Committee addresses; issues that go beyond specific care and maintenance of our building and site. We maintain the original architectural vision for the building and grounds, including its character and integrity as a multifunctional facility of sacred and non-sacred uses and its relationship to our Statement of Principles. We work to ensure that the building and site can respond to the ever-changing demands and various interests of the community with coherence and dignity.

Education. The education program serves youth from preschool through high school and aims to develop a growing knowledge of the breadth and depth of Jewish religion, civilization and culture. It does so through a dynamic and interactive curriculum featuring the study of Hebrew, Torah, rituals, holidays, history and ethics. We pay particular attention to textual and liturgical traditions as tools for living with Jewish social, spiritual and political consciousness.

Fundraising. The fundraising committee identifies and creates opportunities to financially support our synagogue while maintaining a culture of giving throughout our Mishkan community.

Immigration/Refugee Working Group. Mishkan Shalom has an ongoing Immigration Working Group led by members, who organize and educate within the congregation, help sponsor refugee families, work on projects with www.hias.org and is a proud member of the New Sanctuary Movement, an interfaith, multicultural immigrant justice organization that organizes for justice, dignity and hospitality for all, regardless of immigration status.

Israel/Palestine Committee Our congregation has a range of opinions regarding Israel and Palestine, but we are united in standing against inhumane actions. We are also guided by the core message of Passover: liberation, freedom, ending oppression and connection to the cycles of the Earth. We are taught, “Do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.” We live in a global world, with many “neighbors” in many places. We challenge the decisions of the Israeli government when they contravene these principles, as we do here against decisions of our own government that undermine our democracy and challenge human rights.

Library. The Library Committee’s goal is to help meet the Judaic educational and informational needs of our congregation's adult and young adult members. In addition to maintaining, enriching and circulating the collection, the committee plans the annual One Book Mishkan program series. The library is open when the building is open, and all are welcome to check out books and other materials.

Marketing and Communications. Our communications committee meets quarterly to discuss marketing, communications, website and technological usage in the building.

Membership. The Membership Committee’s role is attracting, cultivating and enrolling prospective members in Mishkan Shalom. In addition, the committee is responsible for creating and organizing gatherings and connections for new members through their first year of membership. 

POWER. Mishkan Shalom is a founding and active member of POWER, a multi-faith movement that focuses on statewide and local issues of racial and economic justice in Pennsylvania. POWER is composed of more than 50 faith communities across southeast and central Pennsylvania, bringing together thousands of people across lines of race, class, neighborhood, faith tradition and other differences which have kept us divided. POWER’s racial and economic justice work is organized through its five campaigns: Live Free for Criminal Justice Reform, Economic Dignity, Climate Justice and Jobs, Education Justice, and Civic Engagement.

Site Stewards. The Site Stewardship Committee’s mission is to guide the planning, implementation and management of Mishkan Shalom's outdoor environment in keeping with the congregation’s founding principles. Just as the building incorporates, reflects and enables prayer, study, acts of caring and repair of the world, so the site, as an extension of the building, is infused with these same core values. Both the ultimate form that the site takes and the process of developing it are understood as embodying these founding ideals.

Weekend in the Woods. Our annual retreat weekend in the Poconos is an amazing getaway for Mishkaners of all ages and stages. We celebrate Shabbat in the open air, enjoy a wide range of activities, from singing 'round the campfire — with s'mores, of course! — sports, crafts, swimming and boating on the lake to Happy Hour, "No Talent" Show, hike to the waterfall...and more. Or, nothing at all...you get to choose the right balance of activity and relaxation for you! Read what your fellow Mishkaners have to say about it, and find all the details, including Registration, on our webpage.

Young Adults of Mishkan Shalom (YAMS). This group gathers members and prospective members in their 20s and 30s to build community at Mishkan through social and spiritual events. We hope you will join us!