Believe in People
There is a popular graffiti artist who tags his work as BiP or
Believe in People. You can see some of his work around New Haven. In
this week’s Torah portion, G-d painted the sky with a tremendous
rainbow. There was a great flood which nearly destroyed all of the
world. Most of humanity living at the time was destroyed, save for
Noah and his family. G-d sought to restart the world as people
descended into an unholy and overly materialistic lifestyle.
After the catastrophic event, G-d’s rainbow appeared in the sky as a
promise that He would never destroy the world again. G-d was saying
that from now on He believes in the people to make the right choices
and to live a positive and constructive life.
In this difficult and chaotic time for our world, we must remember
that rainbow and know that G-d does trust us. We can make the proper
decisions and right this seemingly wrong direction. It really takes
humanity believing in themselves, that they are capable of restoring
the peace and calm in the world. If G-d believes in us, we need to
believe in ourselves.
Make it happen,
Rabbi Mendy Hecht
About Our Shul
Located in a New Haven Landmark building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and honored by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Orchard Street Shul was reborn in 2010 as a traditional yet “post label” synagogue after many years of disuse. We continue to build a dynamic community made up of Jewish people of all ages, from all backgrounds and levels of affiliation.
We seek to appeal to the Jewish self in us all, so we can join in a community in which every member of our family finds comfort, meaning, and spiritual connection. We celebrate our Jewishness, and yours. We invite you to join and experience our spiritual haven where you will be welcomed as family, find depth, meaning, and a new appreciation for Jewish life.
Orchard Street Shul
Our beautiful Eastern European Ashkenazi style synagogue was built in 1924 with a unique blend of Federal style and Eastern European architecture seen in our façade. The Shul stands proudly as a symbol of a once vibrant Jewish neighborhood, adjacent to Yale University and both campuses of Yale-New Haven Hospital. Today, the Shul is an anchor of New Haven’s emerging medical and biotech corridor. Jews of all backgrounds make our Shul happen, bringing Jewish life back to an historic neighborhood, in the only synagogue remaining of the dozen that once served our area. Now the only Shul servicing the downtown New Haven community, the sounds of Jewish life are once again regularly heard in this restored gem. You are invited to join your prayers with ours.
Read more About Our Shul, Shul History and Shul Restorations, and check out our Photo Gallery.
Connect With Us
We hold services every Shabbos at 9:30 AM, a Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat minyan on the First Friday of the secular month (see posted time depending on season).
We welcome your membership, and contributions, but most importantly we welcome you. There are no tickets to attend our services and, please, you should always feel welcome to be part of our family.