Rabbi Patrick on behalf of Kehillah is honored to serve you in your lifecycle events including weddings, baby naming, bar and bat mitzvah, and funerals. We are also honored to support people on their path through conversion to Judaism. We turn no one away!
100% of the fees from lifecycle services fund Kehillah.
For more information on any of these lifecycle services, please contact us.
Conversion to Judaism
As a community with many Jews by choice, as well as a rabbi who is a convert to Judaism, it is an honor to help those on their spiritual journey.
We consider everyone who comes to our events as equal and make no distinction between those who were born Jewish, not Jewish, or in the conversion process.
There are many considerations concerning the halacha, the Jewish legal perspective, on conversion. Rabbi Patrick will help you to make an informed decision on these questions and more.
Conversion with our community includes student-directed online learning as well as participation in the life of Kehillah through Shabbat, holidays, classes and volunteering. Conversion is a personal process and should be guided as much by the student as by the community. While we choose not have a formal “conversion to Judaism class” (opting instead to welcome people with open arms without gatekeeping), our monthly Learning Cafes are a great way for students to meet fellow learners, many of whom are often Jews By Choice.
Your conversion reaches its ritual completion in the Temple Beth El mikvah. Fellow educated Jews (rabbis and/or cantors) participate in your spiritual journey by being on the bet din prior to your mikvah. If you let us, our community will throw you a party the following Shabbat to celebrate!
Weddings
Rabbi Patrick is available for weddings including interfaith, intercultural, and non-religious weddings, as well as weddings for LGBTQ partners. All weddings are customized to fit your particular needs and do not require a set “script”. Weddings include free use of any Judaica you need, as well as one session of pre-marital counseling. Please note that Rabbi Patrick is sometimes not available for weddings on Friday evenings, Jewish holidays, but will do the best he can to make himself available. Learn more on his website at RabbiPatrick.com.
Funerals
Funerals and memorials are a difficult time. Our community makes it simple by meeting whatever needs you may have, whenever you may have them. Unlike weddings, Rabbi Patrick is available to offer funeral and memorial services anywhere, anytime. Funerals and memorials can include many Jewish religious and cultural rituals. Rabbi Patrick will guide you on what may be best for your family, and give you the opportunity to pick and choose those things which are most meaningful and relevant to you. Rabbi Patrick will officiate funerals of non-Jewish members of Jewish families, funerals on Shabbat, as well as in the case of cremation.
B’nai Mitzvah
Information about bar and bat mitzvah can be found here.
Baby Naming
We are honored to support Jewish families through baby naming/bris/simchat bat. Rabbi Patrick will officiate baby namings for Jewish, interfaith, LGBTQ, and intercultural families. Rabbi will also officiate baby namings where circumcision is either performed before the baby naming in a medical environment, or not performed at all.