OF BUFFALO · EST. 1972

A fellowship in name and in practice.

We are a small, lay-led Reform Jewish congregation in Williamsville, New York. Our members write our services, everyone participates as an equal, and we are supported by voluntary contributions instead of fixed dues.

Join us for a service

A liberal Reform Jewish congregation

Allied with Reform Judaism since 1972, with room for every point of view — our founding principle is ultimate freedom of thought.

Member-written, egalitarian services

No one stands behind a podium and directs. We all compose services, we all participate — and have from the very first year.

A community of mature adults

Fifty years on, the families who built Havurah are still here — joined by newcomers who want a congregation small enough to know them.

Voluntary contributions

We have never sold tickets to a service. Each household sets its own contribution, in confidence, with a single trustee.

Our Story

Founded in a living room, sustained by its members

In the autumn of 1971, a handful of Buffalo families began meeting on Monday nights to ask what a more personal, more honest Judaism might look like. They wanted to write their own services rather than watch from the pews, and to put religion back in the context of a community.

On a warm evening in July 1972, twenty people crowded into a small living room and voted — 19 to 1 — to found a new congregation. By Rosh Hashanah, Congregation Havurah was holding services. We chose the name because havurah means fellowship, and decided from the start that we would never buy a building: we would remain small enough that every member matters.

A quarter-century history written by a member put it simply: “It’s a group of people who care.” Fifty years later, that is still the whole idea.

Read the first twenty-five years — our 1997 history (PDF)

Collage of Congregation Havurah members in the 1970s — Havurah members, 1970s. Courtesy of Congregation Havurah / Jewish Buffalo History Center.

1972 letter confirming Havurah’s affiliation with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations — September 21, 1972 — Havurah becomes an affiliated member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Courtesy of Jewish Buffalo History Center.

How We Practice

Judaism in our own words

Havurah has no pulpit and no professional clergy. Services are written and led by members, in English and Hebrew, ranging across the spectrum of Reform thought — some traditional, some humanist, all of them ours.

Shabbat & holidays

Services and holiday celebrations through the year, written by the members who lead them, followed by time together.

The High Holy Day retreat

Since our earliest years we have marked Rosh Hashanah in retreat — praying by the water’s edge and singing beside a campfire.

Study & social action

Discussion and adult education stand in for sermons, and ethical action has been a founding principle from the start.

Outsiders once called us “the congregation that prayed in jeans.” We took it as a compliment — and kept praying.

Founding Principles

Havurah is committed to

Congregation Havurah is a Jewish community that responds to the continuing needs of its members for a personal and meaningful religious experience.

Making the community experience an integral part of our Jewish life.
Maintaining an inclusive community, respecting the dignity and equality of all people, and welcoming all who seek Jewish values in their lives.
Preserving ultimate freedom of individual thought with the acceptance of, and respect for, a broad range of religious beliefs and practices within the framework of Reform Judaism.
Affirmation of the Torah as a record of the Jewish people’s search for eternal values, and as a continuing source of inspiration and guidance.
An emphasis on member involvement in Congregational activities.
The incorporation of Jewish rituals, traditions, and customs that enrich our community experience, and our personal lives.
Continuing education, experiences, and exposure to cultural arts that strengthen Jewish heritage within ourselves, our families, and our community.
The application and implementation of Jewish ethical principles in the search for solutions to problems of human injustice through social action, charitable efforts, and respect for the environment.
Affirmation of the right of the State of Israel to exist and prosper, fulfilling a vision that promotes full civil, human, and religious rights for all of its inhabitants, and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world.
The encouragement of mutually respectful dialogue with people of other faiths and cultures, in the hope that together, we can bring peace, freedom, and justice to our world.
An atmosphere which promotes meaningful participation of each member, maintaining a sense of intimacy and personal involvement.

Visit

New members are warmly welcome.

The best introduction to Havurah is simply to join us for a service. Come as you are — no tickets, no dues, no expectations. Send us a note and we will be in touch about the next one.

Where we meet

6320 Main Street, Williamsville, NY 14221

Call

(716) 833-3165