We have been at OC off and on since 2016. We wound up in Seattle shortly after Ilan started his PhD at University of British Columbia in modeling evolution when Christine moved out to Seattle to take an attorney job working for a local NGO on international land rights for farmers. Luckily, Ilan had some connections at OC from his small hometown community in Sacramento, which saved us some shul shopping. There was a lot of back and forth between Vancouver and Seattle for several years, but OC, and the broader Seward Park Jewish community, was a constant in our Seattle life and always felt like our Jewish home. Our first shabbat at OC we were invited to more meals than we could attend, and we loved the friendly multi-generational community and the obvious care that members – many of whom founded the minyan together – put into making the services and events welcoming and engaging. Our family has had some big milestones in our time at OC, including both our wedding and the birth of our son, Micah. Personally we’ve also had some big milestones, with Christine completing her conversion with the Seattle vaad early in her time here and Ilan finishing his PhD and starting a Harvard epidemiology post-doc recently. Outside of OC, Ilan and Christine both love spending time recreating in the mountains and have already brought 3-month-old Micah on snowshoeing and cross-country skiing adventures.

When Aaron, Shoshanah, and one year-old Eliana moved to Seattle in 2014 from Washington D.C., they quickly fell in love with the mountains, the water and all the beautiful landscapes in between. They knew only one person in Seattle when they arrived, but at Ohr Chadash Aaron and Shoshanah found a warm community eager to welcome them in. It was a new minyan at the time and as this family grew from three to four, they rolled up their sleeves to be part of the volunteer culture that is Ohr Chadash. For example, Aaron has served on the board of directors and Shoshanah has contributed a landscape plan. The whole family has helped with youth programs, kiddush set-up, door duty, announcements and divrei torah. Aaron and Shoshanah come from different Jewish backgrounds, but both feel that their Ohr Chadash community has always felt like a place to call home.

Gary came to Seattle to find a shidduch and ended up marrying Ahava, a widow with three young children, who are now in their thirties.  At one point Gary and Ahava were members of three local synagogues, but after grandchildren started showing up, they decided to just stick with MOC.  The strong volunteer spirit and the positive, friendly atmosphere are big draws.  Our grandchildren love coming and enjoy how everyone treats them so kindly.  They also look forward to the ice cream served at kiddush.

Minyan Ohr Chadash, fondly called “OC”, is a community of the littles, youth, teens, young adults, mature adults, and seniors who range in knowledge and breadth of Torah. Having retired three years ago, it’s provided me with a place to learn, socialize, and most of all, find the center of my spirituality in the observance of Torah.

I trickled up to Modern Orthodoxy, raised in Portland Oregon at a Reform Synagogue where Ilearned to read Hebrew in 5th grade religious school but never really applied it except for a couple of prayers. When married, I affiliated with a Conservative Congregation, learning to read the prayers in the siddur through the chanting. Our family moved to Melbourne Australia and I was introduced to the Mizrachi Orthodox movement. I’ve now lived in Seattle for 26 years and became a member of OC at its inception, in 2013. I’ve developed dear friendships both youngerand older and I’ve learned from the best of the best! I’m a person that feels spirituality through the sacred music, and the music from Israel which is chanted in the Shabbat and Holy Day services. OC is a place where I can feel comfortable singing the words of the tefillah throughout the services and songs sung during meals without feeling I need to be quieted to a whisper.