Ritual and Lifecycle Events
Weddings
Wedding and commitment ceremonies work with the beauty of Jewish tradition and connect it to the individuality of each couple. Below you will find some general information regarding CBH policies, requirements and fees.
• It is important for the clergy to meet with each couple three or four times before the ceremony in order to get to know you, plan the ceremony and provide some basic counseling.
• We welcome interfaith couples who wish to have a Jewish home and who are committed to raising their children Jewish.
• We like to create an environment where the non-Jewish partner and their family are an integral part of the service.
• The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association prevents our clergy from co-officiating a ceremony with a clergy member of another religion. We welcome conversation on this matter and will refer you to other rabbis when possible. Please be aware that we do not perform ceremonies on the Sabbath or on most Jewish holidays.
• If you are committed to having our clergy perform your ceremony, we would appreciate as much flexibility around the date as possible, due to our clergy's busy schedules.
Finances and Logistics
For non-members and those who have been members of CBH for less than one year, there is a fee for the clergy's services. Please contact the office for more information. As with most things at CBH, in cases of financial hardship, fees can be negotiated. Payment in full is appreciated at the time of services.
There is no fee for members of more than one year; it is customary, however, for congregants to make a donation to CBH to show their appreciation for the work of our clergy.
Anyone being married by our clergy is welcome to borrow our community's chuppah for a nominal fee. Please contact the office for more information.
funerals
We are so very sorry for the loss that has brought you to this page.
Both staff and CBH members are eager to offer our support in any way that we can when a member of our community passes away or experiences a death in his or her family.
Should a death occur over the weekend, CBH members may send an email or may leave a message on the Clergy, Executive Director, or President's personal phone. The clergy will make arrangements to visit the family as soon as they are able.
Please know that you are always welcome at our Friday night or Saturday morning Shabbat services if you seek a minyan in which to say kaddish. Please see the calendar or call the office for more information about times and locations for those services.
If you are not a member of CBH or you are a member who is looking for rabbinical services for a friend or more distant relation, please contact the Atlanta Jewish community chaplain, Rabbi Judith Beiner, by clicking here.
conversions
We honor your desire to learn more about Judaism and about the possibility of seeking conversion.
Like any life journey, people arrive at this place of inquiry in many different ways and for many different reasons. It is our intention at CBH to honor all people, and we hope to be a safe and welcoming place to explore your interest in Judaism without causing you to feel pressured to undergo conversion at any point along the way.
It is usually helpful for individuals to have some foundation in Jewish learning and community life before they embark on an individualized course of study or conversion process. If you are coming to this page fairly early in your journey, there are several ways to begin to learn more.
- You are always welcome at our services! We have many visitors each week and people have widely divergent levels of Jewish literacy. Please feel free to ask someone else at the service - either the greeter for the evening or another person at the service - for help navigating the prayerbook or the service in general. If you feel anxious about it, feel free to call the office in advance to let us know you are coming, and we can try to have someone meet you and welcome you.
- There are several good Introduction to Judaism classes in Atlanta that you might consider. Please call the office for current offerings.
- Here are some introductory books we like:
When you feel you have a basic foundation and are ready to begin having individual conversations with a rabbi, please call the office and speak with the rabbi's assistant.
This conversion process is special; each person expresses their spirituality and religious identities differently and our goal is to match your uniqueness with a structure that has integrity and meaning so that your conversion will honor both you as the individual and the community that you may be joining.
Wishing you a wonderful journey of learning!
Welcoming babies
Baby Naming
The Jewish naming ceremony is a way of welcoming a new baby into the world.
The baby naming ceremony is not only an opportunity to celebrate the birth and introduce the child to the community, but it is also a chance for the community to show their support and commitment to the physical and spiritual well being of the child.
It also allows the parents to explain why a particular name was chosen.
Typically, Jewish parents give their baby a secular name as well as a Hebrew name to express their child’s individuality and unique personality while also enforcing the connection to previous generations and their place within the community. It is this name that will be used at their Brit Mitzvah, religious rituals and ceremonies, marriage, and is the one that will ultimately be passed down to future generations.
The bris milah is simultaneously a performance of the mitzvah of circumcision and a celebration of the newborn child’s entrance into the divine covenant and the Jewish community. The ceremony welcomes the newborn child into the community and the covenant As the mitzvah is incumbent upon the parents, it is recommended that parents lead as much of the ceremony as they feel comfortable with.
Brit Mitzvah
At CBH our goal is for each Brit Mitzvah student to find their voice and their space within Judaism through loving, individualized, and rigorous preparation. All people learn differently and we are committed to being strength-based and meeting each child “where they are.”
As a synagogue affiliated with the Reconstructionist Movement, we believe that there is no “one way” to be Jewish, that Judaism is an evolving community and culture, and that Jews, themselves, in whatever way they practice, create a holy space. We honor rituals, traditions, and liturgy found throughout Judaism while inviting creativity and innovation.
The traditional terms of bat and bar mitzvah literally translate into "daughter/son of the commandment.” Brit mitzvah, a gender-inclusive term, indicates an affirmation by the student of their entrance into the Jewish brit, or “covenant.” We choose to use the term to carry on our CBH tradition of gender inclusivity and flexibility for all members of our community.