Honoring our past . Celebrating our present . Securing our future

Looking to be a congregation of the 21st century!

Our Woodbury Jewish Center has matured significantly since a small group of dedicated families came together in 1988 to turn their vision into a very special Jewish house of worship. Their passion and hard work, augmented by all those who have followed in their footsteps, created a congregation that is now a center of Jewish life and an integral part of the Jewish community on Long Island.

Together, we have celebrated simchas and supported each other in times of need. We have educated our children and ourselves, and continue to educate the next generation of Jewish children. Our community celebrates aufrufs and baby namings as our children grow into adults. We come together for a wide variety of religious, social, and community events. We also gather for worship at weekday minyanim, Shabbat services, and the High Holy Days.

In nearly three decades, our Woodbury Jewish Center family has accomplished so much!

Working together, our egalitarian congregation has grown to be a hub of activity embracing contemporary worship; educating and inspiring new generations of Jewish youth though our Early Childhood Center, Religious School, and youth programming; and serving as the central location for many social and community events. Our congregation is a source of pride for each of us, and we have become a remarkable family!

"Scott and I are so fortunate that our founding families had the vision and drive to create this warm, welcoming, and vibrant community that we now call our second home. It is essential, and our collective responsbility, to assure that a fiscally strong, dynamic, and spiritual WJC is a cornerstone for future generations of Conservative Jews in our community."
—CINDY MATTE

“Cindy and I feel a sense of responsibility to the WJC and the community; they’ve been around for so many of our life-cycle events and that has meant so much to us. We want the WJC to be around for young Jewish families in the area to have those same experiences.”
—PAUL WOLDAR

“Thirty years ago, we started a synagogue from scratch. Since then, it has been there in times of joy and in times of need. As a congregant, it is our continuing obligation to ensure that it remains strong, vibrant, and a place for all of us to call our home.”
—MARK ANESH

“The Woodbury Jewish Center welcomed us with open arms, and has provided everything we could have hoped for: A nurturing nursery school, an engaging religious school, and incredibly strong values and traditions. And of course, amazing activities for us and for our kids to enjoy, while making friends for life. We couldn’t be happier or more grateful!”
—LISA & DAVID SAKHAI

“We truly care for one another at WJC by sharing our lives with each other—unconditionally lending a hand in times of need, and gathering in celebration in times of joy. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”
— BONNIE & JEFF FACHLER

Looking to Our Future

We are indeed fortunate to be part of a wonderful community that has been a source of comfort and joy for decades. We cannot, however, take the future for granted. To ensure that our Woodbury Jewish Center continues to provide services at a high level, we must invest now in our future, for both the fiscal and physical futures of our community. Please join fellow congregants in making a commitment to the Shelanu Campaign, one of the most important efforts in recent years at WJC.

Because the Shelanu Campaign embraces physical, programmatic, and financial aspects of our congregation, we have developed multiple ways for congregants to express their priorities through generous tax-deductible charitable gifts.

Five campaign portals highlight WJC’s priorities. Each has very special dedications that are either facility or programming needs, or longer term permanent endowment funding options. They include:

spirituality

Giving opportunities range from sanctuary-related dedications such as the pews and the glass panels to endowing various clergy positions.

education

WJC boasts a fine educational program for tots through the senior adult years, but our classrooms require refurbishment and upgrading to transform them into contemporary learning areas. Donors can also consider endowing faculty positions, innovative educational programs, and other aspects that will create and sustain a superb set of educational opportunities.

arts & culture

One of the components of a 21st century Jewish congregation includes housing or hosting cultural programs that complement religious and educational efforts. Included in this portal are dedication opportunities for exhibit showcases and updating the kiddush rooms so they can be used for community gatherings and small conferences. We dream about being able to hold programs that will draw others to WJC, who will then come to love our home as much as we do!

community service

The role that WJC plays in the broader Jewish and non-Jewish communities depends on programming that deepens the congregation’s presence on Long Island and across the greater New York City area. These programs require financial support through our endowment program and will serve to strengthen WJC in a myriad of ways.

unrestricted support

Many donors prefer not to target their financial support but rather to instruct the WJC leadership to use their Shelanu Campaign contributions in the ways it deems a priority. Therefore, donors may choose to identify the “unrestricted support” option on their pledge agreement.

Donor Recognition

Donors who support Shelanu will receive recognition with appropriate listings in the campaign’s specially-created honor categories. Names wil be inscribed in perpetuity upon completion of the campaign. Download our Donor Recognition flyer for more information.

Five-Year Pledge

It is much easier than you might imagine for a contributor to make a capability commitment in this campaign. A pledge payable over five years actually “costs” a nominal amount when reduced to a per week calculation. Download our Cost Breakdown sheet to see how.

Shelanu