Congregation Emanu El, Redlands

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Congregation Emanu El, Redlands

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Welcome to Congregation Emanu El, a vibrant Reform synagogue in Redlands, CA, serving the Jewish community since 1850s.

Join us for spiritual growth, lifelong learning, Shabbat services, and community events. All are welcome in the Greater Inland Empire! Welcome to Congregation Emanu El, a vibrant and inclusive Jewish community in the heart of Redlands, California. We are a Reform synagogue dedicated to fostering spiritual growth, lifelong learning, and meaningful connections among our members. At Congregation Emanu El, we embrace people of all ages, backgrounds, and stages of their Jewish journey. Our mission is to create a warm, welcoming environment where tradition meets innovation, and faith meets action. Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of Judaism, participate in our lively events, or connect with like-minded individuals, you'll find a place here. Join us for Shabbat services, holiday celebrations, and a variety of programs that cater to families, young professionals, and older adults alike. We’re passionate about building a strong, supportive community and actively partnering with local organizations to make a positive impact in Redlands. Discover more about our upcoming events, community initiatives, and how you can get involved. Follow us to stay updated and be part of our journey towards spiritual enrichment and community building.

10/31/2026

A 226-year-old Torah. A journey across continents. And a story that nearly disappeared.

Inside the sanctuary of Congregation Emanu El in Redlands rests something extraordinary. A Torah scroll written around 1800, long before the Holocaust, whose original Jewish community is no longer known.

It is one of 1,564 Torah scrolls preserved from Jewish communities in what was then Czechoslovakia during World War II. While so many lives and communities were destroyed, these handwritten scrolls survived.

In 1964, they arrived in London, where an extraordinary effort began to preserve them and return them to Jewish life around the world.

Ours is known as Memorial Scroll #17.

After decades in the care of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, and later Temple Adath Joseph in St. Joseph, Missouri, it found a new home at Congregation Emanu El in 2025.

Its arrival was made possible through the efforts of retired U.S. Navy Captain Debra Duncan, Rabbi Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel, and the leadership of Temple Adath Joseph.

But the story doesn't end with its arrival in Redlands.

On Friday, November 6, we welcome Andrew Keene, a trustee of London's Memorial Scrolls Trust, for a special gathering and conversation about the remarkable history of these scrolls. Joining this story is Captain Duncan, whose efforts helped bring Scroll #17 to our community.

It's a rare opportunity to learn about a piece of history that has traveled more than two centuries, survived one of humanity's darkest chapters, and now has a place in our own community.

We invite the entire community to join us for an evening of remembrance, discovery, and a remarkable story that continues to unfold right here in Redlands.

Friday, November 6, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Congregation Emanu El
1495 Ford Street, Redlands

Photos from Congregation Emanu El’s November 7, 2025 Kristallnacht memorial service, which included the welcoming of Holocaust Memorial Scroll #17 and a presentation by Julie Kohner of Voices of the Generations.

10/29/2026

Being grateful doesn’t mean you have no complaints.

You can appreciate the people in your life and wish you saw them more. Love your family and worry about them. Have plenty to be thankful for and still be having a hard week.

In Jewish tradition, hakarat hatov means recognizing the good. That leaves room for an honest picture of our lives, including the parts we’re struggling with.

Here at Congregation Emanu El, we’re grateful for the people who keep showing up for each other. Often, they’re carrying plenty themselves.

10/28/2026

📅 What’s happening this November?

Our November Bulletin is now available. This month brings a community dedication of our Holocaust Torah, Veterans Shabbat, Torah study, and opportunities to gather with the Congregation Emanu El community.

Inside, you’ll find the calendar of services, community events, and news for the month ahead.

📖 Read the November Bulletin:
https://emanuelsb.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/153/securepdfs/2026/10/November-bulletin-2026-final-rev.pdf

10/24/2026

A community is shaped not only by what happens within its walls, but by the care its people carry into the world around them.

Aliyah Lang has a longstanding connection to Congregation Emanu El. She celebrated becoming Bat Mitzvah here and continues to share her musical talents at special gatherings within the congregation.

Now, Aliyah has been playing for residents at nursing homes throughout our area. She also hopes to pursue a career in nursing.

There is something especially meaningful about seeing those two parts of her story come together: caring for others through music today, with the hope of continuing to care for them in the future.

It is a beautiful expression of mitzvah: using what you have to bring care and joy to others.

We are proud to share what Aliyah is doing and the kindness she is bringing to the wider community.

10/23/2026

Fall is making a little appearance at Emanu El.

Rabbi Cantor Bern-Vogel spotted these changing leaves outside the temple and sent this photo our way. A little autumn color, right here in Redlands.

Shabbat shalom!

Photo: Rabbi Cantor Bern-Vogel

10/22/2026

Some of the best stories are sitting right beside us.

There was something especially lovely about Sunday's Sisterhood Paid-Up Brunch at Congregation Emanu El.

Our octogenarian and nonagenarian women were celebrated, along with past Sisterhood presidents who have given so much of themselves over the years. Between them are decades of memories, friendships, wisdom, and experiences. How wonderful to have them here, still sharing their stories and being part of the community they have helped shape.

That appreciation for the stories that connect generations carried into the afternoon's special presentation. Scott and Carol Hamre from 123 Farm shared the fascinating history of Highland Springs Ranch in Cherry Valley, once known as the "Catskills of the West," where Albert Einstein, Hollywood celebrities, and generations of Jewish families once gathered.

And somewhere between the lavender, the laughter, and the conversations, the afternoon became a lovely reminder of what community is really about: making people feel seen, appreciated, and connected.

Thank you to everyone who made the day so special, and to Lisa Wise-Wolk and Kerry for sharing these wonderful photos!

10/21/2026

Some stories survive because someone refuses to let them disappear.

This is one of them.

During the Holocaust, entire Jewish communities across Europe were destroyed. Synagogues were emptied, families were torn apart, and centuries of Jewish life were lost.

But 1,564 Torah scrolls from Czech Jewish communities survived.

One of those scrolls has traveled from the Czech lands to London, then Missouri, and finally to Redlands, California, where it has found a home at Congregation Emanu El.

On Friday, November 6, we're inviting the entire community to experience a remarkable piece of living history.

Out of the Ashes: Back to Life and Hope is an evening dedicated to the story of this Torah, the people who helped preserve it, and what it means for something that survived such devastation to be read and cherished by another generation.

We'll be joined by Andrew Keene of the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London and retired Captain Debra Duncan, who helped bring the Torah to Redlands.

There will be a brief Shabbat service, a special dedication, and a reading from the Torah itself.

Because remembering history isn't only about looking back. It's also about what we choose to carry forward.

Friday, November 6, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Congregation Emanu El
1495 Ford Street, Redlands, CA

Everyone is welcome.

10/18/2026

We remember the people who never made us feel small.

The person who welcomed our questions. Who took us seriously when we were young. Who remembered our name when we were new.

Jewish tradition has a word for the honor, dignity, and respect behind those moments: kavod.

In Pirkei Avot, a collection of Jewish ethical teachings, we’re asked: “Who is honored?” The answer: “He who honors his fellow human beings.”

It’s a teaching we can practice every day. We can disagree with someone and still speak to them with care. Explain an unfamiliar tradition without making anyone feel embarrassed. Notice whose voice hasn’t been heard and make room for it.

These choices matter because the way we treat someone can stay with them long after a conversation ends.

At Congregation Emanu El, we want people to feel comfortable asking, learning, and joining in. Practicing kavod helps us build that kind of community together.

What’s one small thing someone did that made you feel respected?

10/16/2026

Before his name was on San Bernardino’s central library, Rabbi Norman F. Feldheym was serving beans to hungry neighbors.

He arrived in 1937 to lead Congregation Emanu El. Among his first acts of public service was helping feed people alongside Father Patrick Dunn at the beanery run by St. Bernardine’s Catholic Church.

A rabbi and a Catholic priest, working together over a meal.

Today, differences in belief can become reasons to keep our distance. This small piece of local history offers a reason to come closer: someone nearby needs help, and there’s work we can do together.

We don’t have to share a faith to share responsibility for our neighbors.

Feldheym went on to serve on the city’s library board for twenty years. His name became part of San Bernardino’s landscape, but it’s this earlier moment that feels especially worth remembering.

For those of us at Emanu El, it’s part of our history. For anyone who calls the Inland Empire home, it’s an example of how we can care for the place we share.

Photo: Community leaders, including Rabbi Norman Feldheym (center), break ground on San Bernardino’s Feldheym Central Library in December 1983.

10/14/2026

Sometimes, a bubble carries more than a little air.

This past September at Emanu El’s School for Jewish Living, our children stepped outside and blew bubbles, imagining their worries floating away with them. Then they watched them pop.

It’s an idea grown-ups might appreciate, too.

Throughout the month, the children explored stories about facing challenges and how one person can make a difference. They made paper chains of gratitude, decorated fruit, and created signs for our communal sukkah, the temporary shelter built for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

There was room for gratitude and room for worry. Children could talk about what felt hard and think about how they might help someone else.

That’s something we hope they carry with them beyond the classroom: you don’t have to be big to make a difference, and you don’t have to keep every worry to yourself.

📷 Photos from last year’s bubble activity at our School for Jewish Living.

Address

1495 Ford Street
Redlands, CA
92373

Telephone

+19093070400

Website

http://www.emanuelsb.org/

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