- (330) 744-5001
- office@ohevbethsholom.org
- 1119 Elm Street, Youngstown, Ohio 44505
Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom provides a dynamic, inclusive, egalitarian, and spiritually enriching environment for all its members, recognizing and accommodating the varying Jewish ritual traditions or our community.
Our clergy, Rabbi Courtney Berman, Rabbi Jessica Locketz, and Sandy Kessler (Spiritual Leader Emeritus), walk alongside you and your family at every sacred milestone. Every interaction is an opportunity to form or strengthen meaningful connections: human connection, closeness to God, or the discovery of the deep messages of one’s own soul.
Welcoming a new life into the covenant of the Jewish people is one of Judaism’s most joyful occasions. Our clergy officiates at baby namings and brit milah ceremonies, working closely with families to create a meaningful, personal celebration of new life. We welcome both baby girls and boys into the community with ceremonies rooted in tradition and tailored to your family’s needs and ritual background.
B’nai Mitzvah preparation at OBS is a meaningful, multi-year journey through our Greater Youngstown Area Joint Religious School. On the day of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, each student leads prayers, chants their Torah and Haftarah portions, and delivers their personal D’var Torah to the congregation. Our clergy, including Rabbi Berman and Sandy Kessler, provide individual preparation to ensure each student is confident, prepared, and connected to the meaning of this milestone.
Each synagogue in the greater Youngstown area holds its own Confirmation ceremony, a deeply meaningful moment in which our young people voluntarily reaffirm their Jewish identity and commitment after years of continued study following B’nai Mitzvah. At OBS, we celebrate Confirmation as an affirmation of choice and faith. Contact the office for details about our Confirmation program and ceremony dates.
Rabbi Berman officiates at Jewish weddings and lifecycle events, shaping each ceremony around meaningful connection, to one another, to God, and to the Jewish tradition. Our magnificent 1915 Sanctuary, with its Tiffany-stained-glass windows, soaring dome, and marble ark, provides one of the most breathtaking wedding settings in Northeast Ohio. Rabbi Berman also officiates at off-site ceremonies. Modifications have been made to our Elm Street building to accommodate both kosher and non-kosher meal preparation.
Our clergy walks alongside families through loss with compassion and dignity. Membership includes burial rights in Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom’s own cemetery.
The Sisterhood’s Mitzvah Committee is called upon following the death of a member to provide the Meal of Consolation for the bereaved family, a sacred act of lovingkindness at the heart of Jewish mourning practice.
Consecration generally takes place at the beginning of kindergarten, or whenever a child begins his or her Jewish education. This is a lovely and meaningful ceremony for children and families alike. The children are blessed by the clergy and are often given a certificate and a miniature Torah. How wonderful to begin a child’s Jewish education with a celebration.
