Congregation Tikkun v’Or (Ithaca Reform Temple) is a vibrant congregation that strives for a warm personal bond among its members, quality education for the children, and a dynamic program for adults.
Shabbat Services are held Friday evenings and some Saturday mornings at our synagogue, 2550 N. Triphammer Rd, Lansing. Please check our calendar or call the office (607) 256-1471 for updated event listings.
Rabbi Brian Waltserves as Tikkun v'Or's rabbi, leading services and classes on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and monthly throughout the year. Rabbi Walt was born in Cape Town and grew up in a traditional Jewish family and community in South Africa. He is profoundly connected to the prophetic tradition and ethical core of Judaism. Rabbi Walt was ordained as a rabbi by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He was the founding Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights - North America. Read more.
Cantor Abbe Lyonsprovides leadership for our b'nai mitzvah program and many holidays. She graduated from the Davennen Leadership Training Institute and completed an internship as a hospital chaplain. Chazzan Lyons received ordination as a Cantor from the ALEPH Cantorial Program in January 2010. Read more.
THE GUIDE TO BEING LOCAL 2013 The Jewish Education Committee is happy to announce a very special opportunity to purchase The Guide to Being Local 2013, featuring 100 money saving coupons from locally-owned businesses ($2500 value!), plus tips for being/living local and a local food map. Profits will help purchase new siddurim (prayerbooks) and Torah books, used weekly at Shabbat services and at Religious School. Only $15 To order, email <info@tikkunvor.org>
Rabbi Brian Walt
Rabbi Brian Walt will be with Congregation Tikkun V'Or on the following upcoming dates:
Thurs May 16 - Tues May 21, 2013
Thurs June 13 - Tues June 18, 2013
Thurs August 1 - Tues August 6, 2013
Jewish & Interfaith Families: Two Community Conversations
Join us for two special programs with Rabbi Brian Walt:
Sunday, May 19 The Experience of Interfaith Families 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. 9:30-10:00 a.m. Coffee and Bagels 10:00 a.m.- 12 p.m. Panel of Interfaith Families: Patti Jacobson & Alayne MacArthur, Dorothy & Paul Debbie, Bridget Meeds & Kenny Berkowitz. These three families will share with us the experience of being in an interfaith family. They will respond to some or all of the following questions: • Tell us about your experience of being in an interfaith family. • What are the blessings of being in interfaith families? What are the challenges? • Tell us about your experience of being an interfaith family at Tikkun v’Or? In what way has our community has been helpful, in what ways not? Following the presentation of the panel, there will be time for questions and communal reflection. Childcare will be available with advance notice only. Contact 256-1471 or by May 15.
Sunday, June 16 Interfaith Families and Our Community 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. 9:30-10:00 a.m. Coffee and Bagels 10:00 a.m.- 12 p.m. Our discussion in June will respond to whatever emerges from our first conversation. Our focus will be on the way in which interfaith marriage has affected our families, our community and our Jewish and religious identity. The questions we will ask: • How has interfaith marriage affected you and your family? • What are the blessings that interfaith families bring to our community and to the broader Jewish community? • What are the challenges? • What are the questions and issues that we should explore further? Childcare will be available with advance notice only. Contact 256-1471 or by June 10.
Tikkun v'Or Religious School
We are now accepting registration for the 2013-2014 school year. Forms are here.
Tuition assistance for Religious School is available here thanks to a grant from the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community (IAUJC).
Links for Hebrew Practice are on the Religious School page. Students should practice Hebrew reading for at least 15 minutes, twice each week during our school breaks.
Renting Congregation Tikkun v'Or
Have you seen our beautiful views of the lake, gorgeous open sanctuary, and efficient space? Are you interested in renting Tikkun v'Or for a business workshop or training, small family gathering, wedding, or other life cycle event? We'd love to talk with you and find our ways we can be available for your group. Contact 607-256-1471 or info@tikkunvor.org
Feeding the Hungry in Our Community
Congregation Tikkun v'Or supports hunger relief efforts in Ithaca and Tompkins County. Join us each monthly in making lunches for the Red Cross Friendship Center http://www.tompkins-redcross.org/homeless_frndship.html, or bring cans or boxes of non-perishable food anytime you come to the synagogue. Donations are brought to the Area Congregations Together Kitchen Cupboard http://www.firstpresithaca.org/ikc.htm
9:00 -9:30 a.m. Torah Yoga with Patti Jacobson
9:30 - 10:00 a.m.Chanting and Silent Meditation with Rabbi Walt
10:00 – 10:45 a.m.Morning Service, including the singing of Hallel, special psalms sung on holidays.
10:45– 11:00 Torah Reading
11:00-12:00 Reading and Text Study of the Book of Ruth
with Rabbi Brian Walt
9:30 Coffee and Bagels
10:00 a.m.- 12 p.m. Our focus will be on the way in which interfaith marriage has affected our families, our community and our Jewish and religious identity. The questions we will ask:
• How has interfaith marriage affected you and your family?
• What are the blessings that interfaith families bring to our community and to the broader Jewish community?
• What are the challenges?
• What are the questions and issues that we should explore further?
Childcare will be available with advance notice only. Contact 256-1471 or by May 15.
A class with Rabbi Brian Walt. Pre-registration is required.
$30 for temple members, $60 for non-members
How do we nurture and fulfill our ethical values? Mussar, a Jewish ethical practice developed by Rabbi Israel Salanter in Lithuania in the nineteenth century, understood that one could observe all the rituals of Judaism and still be unethical. Salanter focused on midot (character traits/virtues) and examining how we act on those virtues in our daily lives. Salanter's teachings have been revived and reinterpreted in recent years by Alan Morinis, Rabbi Ira Stone and other contemporary Jewish teachers. Many liberal Jews have found it to be a powerful way of deepening our ethical and spiritual lives. In the class we will study the teachings of Mussar and experiment with Mussar practice.
Congregation Tikkun v’Or (Ithaca Reform Temple) is a vibrant congregation that strives for a warm personal bond among its members, quality education for the children, and a dynamic program for adults. 
a. He is profoundly connected to the prophetic tradition and ethical core of Judaism. Rabbi Walt was ordained as a rabbi by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He was the founding Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights - North America. 
Cantor Abbe Lyons 
