In the spirit

-- Compiled by Michele M. Marr

Address: 1011 Camelback Road, Newport Beach

Phone: (949) 644-1999

Denomination: Jewish Reform Congregation but with traditional services

Year established: 1973

Service times: 8 p.m. Fridays, except the first Friday of the month, when

a family service is held instead at 6 p.m. A monthly Shabbat dinner is

held at 6:15 p.m. on the third Friday of the month, followed by a Tot

Shabbat program at 8 p.m. Shabbat dinners are open to the community and

prospective members. Reservations are essential, however, and may be made

by calling the temple office. A new program, The Breakfast Club, meets

from 10 a.m. to noon on the first Sunday of each month.

Rabbi: Mark S. Miller has been rabbi at Temple Bat Yahm for 24 years, as

of summer 2000.

Cantor: Jonathan Grant, the only cantor in Orange Countyordained from

Hebrew Union College. Grant has been cantor at Temple Bat Yahm for seven

years.

Size of congregation: 660 families

Makeup of congregation: Mostly families with children still in the home,

and singles. Members come from Orange County’s coastal communities and

Irvine and Mission Viejo.

Child care: Provided at all services and family activities.

Type of worship: Traditional. Services include prayers, singing and

teaching. There is a lot of Hebrew in the service, but prayer and song

books are in Hebrew and English and are easy for anyone unfamiliar with

Hebrew to follow. The junior choir, under direction of Cantor Jonathan

Grant, provides music at the family service on the first Friday of the

month.

Type of sermon: Miller’s teachings are generally based on the portion of

Torah designated for the week, though at times he addresses a current

issue in view of the wisdom of Torah. At the monthly family service, his

teaching is more a story accessible to the children than a sermon.

Programs: Shabbat services, worship services, celebrations for High Holy

Days and other special holidays. Temple Bat Yahm’s Sisterhood provides

events and services for the temple and community at large. Small groups,

called “chavurah,” provide friendship to families with common ages,

children and interests. There are many educational programs for children

and adults, including “Mommy and Me” and preschool programs, and

religious school for older children. The temple’s yearly lecture series

features distinguished guest speakers, and Rabbi Miller lectures

throughout the year on topics of Jewish content. The temple contributes

to the community through food drives, blood drives and various charitable

walks, runs and benefits for social services and causes.

Dress: Clothing should befit the time, Shabbat, and the sanctuary, a holy

place.

Temple design: The temple is preparing itself for the new millennium with

Project TBY 2000, a growth expansion program for the future of its

children and the generations to come.

Mission statement: The congregation’s purpose shall be to worship God in

accordance with the faith of Reform Judaism, to promote religious

education, to promote cultural and spiritual welfare of its members as

Jews and as members of the general community, and to advance the liberal

interpretation of the Jewish tradition. The congregation has been

established to maintain a house of worship and learning and a place of

assembly for the preservation and perpetuation of Judais. The

congregation also aims to maintain the ethical and moral values for which

it stands and to provide members with the means to identify with their

Jewish heritage, to live in accordance with Jewish teachings and to

preserve the Jewish faith for future generations.

Interesting note: The temple encourages people to frequently visit its

Web site, at o7 www.tby.orgf7 . It is updated on a continuous basis.