Congregation Adat Shalom - Emanuel is situated in Rehovot, about 24 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv and 10 kilometers from the sea. This city, once surrounded by orange groves, was founded in 1890 by Polish and Russian Jews, and today has a population of 109,000. Rehovot is home to state-of-the-art bio-tech and defense enterprises; the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences; and the Weizmann Institute of Science. There is no question of the value that this industrious community brings not only to Israel, but to the international community as well.

Composed of about 160 families from Rehovot and the surrounding area, Congregation Adat Shalom – Emanuel was originally established in 1970 by North American immigrants, and remains the only Conservative (Masorti) congregation in the community, and in fact is the only non-Orthodox synagogue from Rishon LeZion to Ashdod.

Adat Shalom - Emanuel serves as a spiritual home to a diverse array of congregants, from native Israelis to immigrants from all around the world: Latin America, the UK, the United States, the former Soviet Union, Australia, France, and elsewhere.

A word about our Rabbi  For the past seven years, we have turned to Rabbi Yosef Kleiner - himself a Latin American immigrant - for leadership, Jewish knowledge and wisdom, and for comfort in times of need. Rabbi Kleiner not only leads services on Shabbat and holidays, but also teaches weekly courses for teenagers and adults, as well as for Bar/Bat Mitzvah youth, and, alongside teen-aged counselors, supervises No’am (Conservative youth movement) activities.

On the High Holidays, Rabbi Kleiner addresses some 500 people from the surrounding area, as Adat Shalom - Emanuel serves as a regional center for Conservative Judaism. Classes in basic Judaism and Hebrew are offered to Russian immigrants, our congregational choir meets weekly, and there is a lecture series for adults. Future plans – future dreams – include outreach to young families, to non-affiliated post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah youth, and to other populations in Rehovot and surrounding communities.

Because Conservative Judaism in Israel offers a message of understanding and respect, pluralism and acceptance, we can offer a kind of Judaism that appeals to many secular Israeli Jews - especially those who would otherwise increasingly identify as Israelis but not as Jews. As such, we feel it is vital that our presence in the community be safeguarded.