Joliet Jewish Congregation
Lunch and Learn With the Rabbi
Wednesdays, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Friends, on Wednesday, June 3, we resume our learning together. Interfaith Bible Study right here at Joliet Jewish Congregation. We have always known that learning together is the best way to build our community. As we learn and laugh together, we get to know and understand each other better. We will study the weekly Torah portion and anything else that comes up!
We meet from 12 to 1 on Wednesdays (we will publish the schedule soon). Our next discussion is Wednesday, June 3rd at 12 noon. We hope you will be able to join us. Please let your friends know – be sure to invite people you know from local churches who have enjoyed learning with us in the past.
Bibles will be provided; feel free to bring your own version or translation.
There is never a charge for the class or for the food, but your free-will donations are always welcome. For the first meeting, we will serve veggie pizza. Feel free to bring your own bag lunch, but only dairy, tuna or PB&J, no pork products or shellfish! We will provide beverages.
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Registration is required to attend in person - CLICK HERE to confirm you will attend.
You MUST register in advance to be admitted to the class!
The class will also be offered on Zoom.
CLICK HERE to Register for Zoom
(Zoom registration must be completed by 11:45 a.m. on Wednesdays.)
Questions? Call or text Rabbi Serle at 612-251-5045
Shabbat Services
Friday Evening
Monthly Tot Shabbat and
Family Services as Scheduled
(815) 741-4600
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
Live and Streaming
Location
250 N. Midland Avenue
Joliet, IL 60435
In-Person Guests
Please contact the office a minimum of 48 hours prior to services.
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Rabbi Brian Serle
We welcome our new Rabbi!
Rabbi Brian Serle has served as spiritual leader of Congregation Sons of Abraham in La Crosse, Wisconsin and Congregation Beth El of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, as well as a lay leader in several other communities. A native of New Jersey, Rabbi Serle has taught at various synagogues and day schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He has served as the principal of religious schools in New Mexico and Illinois. Rabbi Serle has taught college-level courses about Jewish history, Israel, and the Holocaust.
He loves to teach Torah to children and adults. Rabbi Serle’s spirituality is based on his love of leading others in joyful group prayer and song. As a rabbi, he strives to help others make informed Jewish choices, always respecting and nurturing the many ways of belonging to the Jewish people. Rabbi Serle’s leadership approach is rooted in being a good listener first. This allows him to work with our synagogue leadership, the professional staff, and the members of the congregation to create the best possible Jewish experience for all. His focus is always on building relationships and integrating the many constituents that populate our diverse communities. He is dedicated to discovering the congregation’s strengths, cultivating them, and making them bloom in the spirit of unity. Drawing from his personal and professional interests and experiences, he strives to create innovative, challenging, integrated, and fun activities to meet the needs of all congregants, ensuring everyone feels welcomed and included. Rabbi Serle has long been a leader of interfaith organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This work has included interfaith Bible study, Thanksgiving services, jail ministry and immigration issues. He enjoys working with other clergy and elected representatives to combat hate speech and prejudice. In addition to his rabbinic ordination with the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, he has studied privately with cantors throughout the Midwest. He is a member of the International Federation of Rabbis.
Rabbi Serle enjoys singing and playing guitar, reading, photography, biking and hiking with his partner Renana Friedman. He loves to stay in touch with his five children and eight grandchildren, living here in Illinois and in Israel.
JolietRabbi@gmail.com
612-251-5045 (Cell)
815-741-4600 (Office)
Rabbi Charles Rubovits
Rabbi Emeritus
Cantor Jessica Tobacman
I’m fortunate to be the cantor for Joliet Jewish Congregation, helping to maintain and grow the community’s musical traditions.
I teach music at Sunday school, direct the chorus for High Holidays, and help to lead High Holy Day and occasional Shabbat services.
We have a wonderful temple, and hope to share our musical and other Jewish traditions with you!
Sing along with Cantor Tobacman
Our Synagogue
We are a traditional synagogue mixing Reform and Conservative ideology. We welcome all families of the Jewish faith and families where a spouse is of a different faith.
At the Joliet Jewish Congregation we strive to shine the goodness in each other through the joy of community worship and learning.
We at the Joliet Jewish Congregation have a dynamic strong liturgy & Jewish worship combined with interfaith tolerance and inclusion. We are committed to a creative, contemporary approach to Jewish life and the practice of Judaism.