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Congregation Tikkun Olam
Our History
We hoped to engender a house of worship where people can worship God, study
Torah, and assemble within a community of mutual respect and inclusion.
It was important that non-Jewish loved ones be welcome to be fully participatory. We wished to emphasize, the moral, ethical and spiritual values that are intrinsic to Judaism. We wanted to educate ourselves and our children to be good Jews. Congregation Tikkun Olam represents the culmination of these efforts. The Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State on March 26, 1996. The first formal meeting of the Board was held on July 28, 1996. The first Service was held on Friday, August 30, 1996. In 1999, Congregation Tikkun Olam was formally affiliated with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), now known as the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). Our Philosophy
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In 1995, several
Jewish families met to discuss their aspirations, dreams and needs. We found
that we shared many concerns about our lives and our community. These informal
discussions were followed by regularly scheduled meetings, the objective of
which was to concretize the emergent vision for our future. We resolved that
whatever we 'created' must stand for what we believe. We wanted to
be socially responsible. We acknowledged that, even as we seek consensus, it is
critical for us to respect individual differences.
We
exist as a home for all Jewish people and their families, where one can honor
God through communal worship, Torah study and assembly. We strive to provide a
community of friendship among Jewish and interfaith families. Our
congregation is open to all, including those who were not born Jewish. We
consider Judaism not only a religion, but also a culture and community of people
bonded together by shared values and tradition. We welcome pluralism and embrace
diversity. We cherish the dynamic tension that is requisite in the spirit
of inclusion, knowing that differences in people enrich our lives and help make
us better Jews. We are responsible to educate our children and ourselves to be
good Jews, not merely to practice Judaism. We believe in individual
freedom. Each of us has the right to decide for ourselves those beliefs
and practices to which we subscribe. We strive to be moral, ethical and
honorable people, and we believe in social responsibility. That is
the spirit of Tikkun Olam; we dedicate ourselves to the improvement of the
world. We endeavor to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people and to
promote the fundamental and enduring principles of Judaism. We believe in the
universal goodness among all people and in the life that one leads. We
aspire to personal search for spiritual meaning. We abide by the
principles of Reform Judaism.