Shabbat Services

Shabbat Services are being held in-person. Read our Covid-19 protocols (updated October 14, 2022). We will continue to update our protocols as factors change. You may also join us on Zoom (see below for Friday and Saturday links), live-streaming, and on Facebook. Guests are welcome! Information about visiting Mount Zion.

Friday Night

Kabbalat Shabbat Services at 6:30 pm – In person and online via Zoom, live-streaming, and live on Facebook.

Saturday Morning

Torah Study at 9:00 a.m.
Now in person (2nd floor – Johnson Social Hall) and via Zoom.
For Zoom, click here or call 929 205 6099 and then enter the meeting ID 949 308 718 followed by the pound sign (#), then another pound sign (#) for participant ID. (Dial 312 626 6799 If the first number is busy.)

Shabbat Services at 10:00 a.m.
In person – Shabbat mornings at Mount Zion are a joy! Come join any Shabbat for reflection, song, community, and a potluck lunch.

Shabbat Morning Services Online options:

Mount Zion’s Shabbat Morning prayer book can be downloaded here.

Tot Shabbat at 10:30 a.m. (second Saturday of every month)
Designed for families with children from birth through 6 years old. We offer to families with young children a forum for prayer, religious observance, and community connection. Please email the office to receive an email with the Zoom link to Tot Shabbat or to be added to the Tot Shabbat email reminder list.

To connect by calling in for audio only, dial 929-205-6099 or 312-626-6799. Then, when prompted, put in the meeting ID listed for any service or event.

“More than the Jewish people have kept Shabbat,
Shabbat has kept the Jewish people”
-Ahad Ha’am

To see a brief description of the rubrics of a Shabbat evening prayer service, you can read our Service Guide, which explains the what and why of Jewish prayer.

We honor the separateness and sanctity of Shabbat by wearing appropriate attire. Worship attendees dress in various ways; however, you may feel more comfortable in business casual attire.

We use the Reform Movement’s new siddur/prayer book, Mishkan T’filah, for all Shabbat evening and festival services. This innovative prayer book features a two page spread for each prayer, offering the traditional prayer in Hebrew and English translation as well as interpretive and poetic versions. It is available in two versions – one with transliterations from the Hebrew and one without.

Our services are enhanced when our members participate in meaningful ways. For example, you can:

  • familiarize yourself with the prayers and melodies
  • join one of our choirs
  • supplement our worship with instrumental music
  • chant Torah or Haftarah

Contact Cantor Strauss-Klein with questions on how to get involved.

Here at Mount Zion we have a core group of individuals, our “Trope Troupe,” who regularly chant from our sacred texts for Shabbat and Festival worship. Trope Troupe provides our congregants with opportunities to “Take hold of Torah” and to partake in our ancient and moving tradition.

Please contact Cantor Strauss-Klein if you are interested in chanting or would like more information about Trope Troupe.

Click here for a listing of Shabbat blessings.

Children are welcome at services!

Children of all ages are always welcome at Mount Zion’s services. We believe that having children in the sanctuary allows them to experience group prayer, learn the tunes and texts of our prayers, and feel the joy of being part of a community. We have a library of children’s books and activity bags filled with fun fidgets that we encourage families to use in the sanctuary if desired. Children are welcome to be kids and make noises, but there are times when watching the service on our closed-circuit TV in the chapel will feel more comfortable. On Friday nights, we also have drop-in childcare available in room 102 staffed with a wonderful caregiver if you or your kids need a break.

Saturday Morning

We hold Tot Shabbat at 10:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. We begin with a lively Shabbat morning service led by one of our clergy and a songleader using the children’s siddur (prayer book), Gates of Wonder. Lap children, toddlers and preschoolers are all welcome! Older siblings may also participate.  Our program and service is inclusive of all family compositions.

After the service, everyone is invited to stay for kiddush, motzi, a healthy, nut-free vegetarian potluck lunch (but please come even if you are not able to bring a dish to share!) and an activity. This informal time gives families an opportunity to schmooze.

Below was our practice before Covid. At this stage, we do not have childcare.

Mount Zion offers complimentary childcare in a safe, child-friendly environment on Friday evenings during Shabbat services, as well as Sunday mornings when there is Religious School (9:30 am-12:15 pm). Reservations are not necessary. However, we suggest that parents or guardians of infants or children with special needs notify Mount Zion in advance. Feel free to drop by room 102 and check out our wonderful facility and staff!