AT CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL WE ARE... JOYFUL Shabbat services at CBI are full of joyful melodies, the beautiful voice of our Cantorial Soloist, vibrant sounds of acoustic guitar and piano. The Child Development Center & Preschool at Congregation Beth Israel (cdc@cbi) is now one of the most sought after & highly accredited early childhood programs in Austin. Each Friday, our halls are filled with little voices welcoming Shabbat with song and the sweet smells of fresh-baked Challah. DIVERSE We have a history of making a difference. Not only were we the first Jewish congregation in Austin, we were the first synagogue in Austin with a female rabbi, with a female cantor, with a gay rabbi, and with a gay cantor. One of the newest and most active groups in our community is our LGBTQ+ group, Ga'avah (Hebrew for "pride"). We envision a safe environment where LGBTQ people, inclusive of all our intersecting identities, are fully liberated within our congregation. We pioneered the Austin Jewish Community's MLK Social Justice Weekend (2016) and more recently have started Chavuraction Circles at CBI. The goal of the Chavruaction Circles is to build an anti-racist culture in our congregation by gathering for anti racist learning and action rooted in our shared Jewish values. INCLUSIVE We are intentional in our efforts to make CBI a joyful places for all worshippers. Open Door Shabbat, our sensory friendly, "come as you are", music and movement driven service, is for people with ALL abilities to come and share their Ruach (Hebrew for "spirit") and joy. Interfaith families are embraced here! About 1/3 of our members identify as being part of an interfaith household. We welcome your questions about Judaism and offer casual programming where new Jews, lifelong Jews, Jews by association, and Jewish adjacent people can all choose to participate at level that is comfortable to them.