At B’nai Havurah, I discovered a welcoming, sincere group of individuals all wrestling with life’s most significant questions while helping make the world a more joyful, just, and peaceful place. People from all walks of life seem to have found their way to B’nai Havurah, and for so many of us, it has become a new form of family. We may look different from one another, we may have come to this place from different paths, but in each other, we’ve found a community where we’re free to explore Judaism in all its nuances and complexity.
Who We Are
B’nai Havurah is affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism, which is committed to the renewal of American Jewish life. Our movement defines Judaism as an evolving religious civilization that encompasses history, literature, art, music, land, and language. We achieve this through study, worship and joyous practice, social justice, acts of kindness, and connection with the Jewish people. We are an egalitarian and participatory community, open to a variety of perspectives and forms of religious expression.
Where We Came From
B'nai Havurah had its beginnings as a fellowship/study group (havurah). It was started in 1961, after its founders became inspired by a local appearance of Rabbi Ira Eisenstein - a key figure in the Reconstructionist movement.
Within two years, this small group grew to between 12 and 15 couples and in 1963 we officially affiliated as a Havurah with the Reconstructionist movement. In 1964, we were able to bring Mordecai Kaplan, the originator of Reconstructionist thought, to Denver to teach us more about this dynamic new approach to Jewish life and practice.
By 1969, the group had grown to four havurot, and members began a school for their children. The community continued to grow, and in 1983 the first rabbi was hired.
B'nai Havurah was the first Denver congregation to regularly feature guitar, drum and other instruments at our religious services. Our lively music, our inclusive egalitarian approach and our progressive theology have deeply influenced all corners of Jewish life in Denver and beyond. We invite you to help us continue to grow and evolve!
Our Mission Statement
Adopted April 25, 2000
B’nai Havurah is an inclusive, participatory Jewish Reconstructionist community (Kehillah) that is passionately committed to experiencing Judaism by infusing tradition with renewed meaning in a contemporary American context. We do this through study (Torah), worship and joyous practice (Avodah), social justice (Tikkun Olam), acts of kindness (Gemilut Hasidim), and connection with the Jewish people (Am Yisrael).
