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The Olympic B'nai Shalom Havurah serves the North Olympic Peninsula's Jewish Community and provides Jewish services in Sequim Washington and Jewish services in Port Angeles Washington as well as for people living in Joyce Washington, Forks Washington, and points between.
Who we are: We are a friendly, welcoming, diverse group of families and individuals, with varied backgrounds, interests and abilities. OBSH began as a small group of Jewish women meeting regularly to focus on Jewish issues, ritual, and the need to provide children with a Jewish education. The group gradually enlarged, involving families in Shabbat and holiday observances and social events. As Jewish retirees, families and singles moved to the Olympic Peninsula, our community grew to meet the needs of a larger and more diverse membership. We recently purchased our own Torah and are starting a building fund so we can have our own facility. The congregation's services are frequently led by our part-time Rabbi, Stan Yedwab. For information about Rabbi Yedwab, please go to the "Shofar newsletter" page.
Our mission is to promote the religious, cultural, social, educational, and ethical goals of the diverse North Olympic Peninsula Jewish community, centering on Sequim, Washington and Port Angeles, Washington. OBSH organizes events to further these goals for the Jewish community, and provides facilities in which to hold these events. Our organization consists of a body of members and a board of directors. Our Board meetings are open to the entire Jewish community. We assist with the diverse needs for Jewish religious education as needed. We are a member of the Union for Reform Judaism, but strive to meet the religious and cultural needs of all Jews in our community. To contact us, press “Contact us” here or on the grey links bar, near the top of the page.
We hold Shabbat services about once per month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, located about midway between Sequim and Port Angeles. For directions to the Hall, press “Directions” here or on the grey links bar near the top of the page. We alternate between two formats. One month we hold a Jewish religious service starting at 7:30 pm, followed by a dessert Oneg Shabbat potluck. Every other month we hold an Oneg Shabbat potluck dinner at 6:30 followed by a cultural, social or other Jewish program. We intermittently hold a Saturday morning service on the third Saturday of the month. All major Jewish holidays, including the high holy days, are also celebrated.
Most of the congregation's monthly services as well as most high holy day services are led by our Rabbi, Stan Yedwab, who comes from the Seattle area for these events.
We have special cultural events several times per year. Typical events are talks about Jewish culture, history of Jews in Washington, and historical roots of the religion. Other events include “deli” night and Jewish themed movie nights. Information about these events can be found in our newsletter, the Shofar. For our most recent newsletter, press “Shofar newsletter” here, or on the grey links bar near the top of the page. For directions to cultural events, press “Directions” here or on the same bar.
Calendars: To confirm specific times and places for services and events, press “Calendar” here or on the grey links bar or call (360) 452-2471 or e-mail us at Baxter@wavecable.com.
Education:
We have a childrens’ educational program which provides basic education in all aspects of Jewish religious and cultural life, as well as the Hebrew language. Please contact us for information about this program.
For a plethora of information on adult education including daily Torah portions, press “URJ educational materials” here or on the grey links bar near the top of the page.
For more information about the North Olympic Peninsula's Jewish Community and what we do, please either call us at (360) 681 - 4518, or e-mail us at wendybg@olypen.com, or press “contact us” here, or on the grey links bar near the top of the page.
Our newsletter, the Shofar,
includes a calendar of events, holiday reminders, member news, board meeting news, and notices of other regional Jewish activities. To add your name and address to our mailing list and to receive our newsletter, call (360) 681 -4518. For our most recent newsletter, press “Shofar newsletter” here or on the grey links bar near the top of the page.
