Religious Tradition

Ketura is a special Jewish community, in that Jewish tradition has become a focus for cooperation, tolerance and mutual respect. Ketura as a public body observes Kashrut and Shabbat in the dining room room and at social and cultural events. Festivals are celebrated in a traditional fashion, and the synagogue enjoys a thriving congregation. However, members are free to do whatever they choose in their homes, and in fact, a majority of the members are not observant in the traditional sense.

Services on Ketura include the full participation of women in all aspects, a fairly strict adherence to traditional liturgy, and no attachment to any one synagogue movement. We have no rabbi, and members of the minyan take turns leading services. There are weekly services on Friday night and Shabbat morning; weekday ma'ariv (evening services) is often held to ensure a minyan for a member saying Kaddish for a loved one. As of today, all kibbutz children have celebrated their bar/bat mitzvah in the kibbutz synagogue.

In keeping with our unique policy of religious tolerance and pluralism, Kashrut is observed in all public buildings, at cultural events, on Shabbat, and during the Jewish festivals. In keeping with the same policy, all residents are free to do as they wish in their own homes (as opposed to an Orthodox kibbutz, where Kashrut and Shabbat are observed in all members' homes). We also avoid non-essential work that would violate the Shabbat.