At Community Shul of Montecito and Santa Barbara we strive to provide students with a positive, dynamic, and fun experience that instills a love for Jewish thought, practice and spirituality. We want our students to enjoy a sense of awe and wonder about the world. Egalitarian practices will convey the philosophy that men and women should be equal partners in family, religion, and society. Classes will mix the arts, dance music, hands-on activities and study to give students a strong basis in Jewish literacy (holidays, traditions, Hebrew language & stories), Jewish ritual practices, a personal understanding of God, the Jewish soul, and Jewish ethics. Jewish tradition is a vibrant culture that is nurtured by family and Community. As such, we strive to provide family and Community-oriented experiences that enrich our vocabulary and skills for making jewishly informed decisions. We respect the choice of the parents regarding the level of observance at home. We look forward to building on the strong program started by our founding families.
Community Shul History
In 1997, a small group of families came together in a converted garage, engaged ltzik Ben-Sasson to teach Hebrew, and dubbed ourselves the Montecito Country Day Shul. Today that school has become the Community Shul of Montecito and Santa Barbara, representing the richness and diversity of the Santa Barbara area. Our community comes together for monthly Shabbats, holiday gatherings, spiritual exploration and other special events under the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Arthur Gross-Schaefer. His High Holiday services at Casa de Maria have become a special place for people to worship together in a very lovely, participatory and meaningful service. The school, which started with a handful of students, has grown into a full program providing Jewish education and Hebrew to students from 2nd through 5th grade and B'nai Mitzvah training from 6th, 7th & 8th grade.
For information about our Santa Barbara Jewish community summer camp and winter vacation camp please visit our website www.camphaverim.com.
For more information please contact Itzik Ben Sasson at (805) 895-6593, Itzik7@cox.net or check www.camphaverim.com.
