About our Synagogue
Congregation Tikvoh Chadoshoh is a Conservative congregation of 220 families located on the Bloomfield/West Hartford (Connecticut) town lines. It is a traditional, egalitarian, davening congregation with Shabbat services at 7:00 p.m. on Fridays and 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays. Evening minyan is held Sunday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m. In addition, young family services are held one Friday night each month during the school year at 6:00 p.m. and separate youth services, which are led by teenage members of the congregation on Shabbat morning, are held several times a year. The religious school of 60+ students holds classes for grades K-2 once a week, and for grades 3-7 twice a week.
The roots of Tikvoh Chadoshoh reach back to Germany. In the wake of Kristallnacht, the founding families fled to the Hartford area and in a spirit of "new hope", began the congregation in 1942. Rabbi Hans S. Bodenheimer was among the founders, and served as spiritual leader of Tikvoh for fifty-four years, until his retirement in 1996.
The present rabbi, Lilly Kaufman, is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where she was also ordained as a cantor. She is committed to building on the foundation of Tikvoh’s rich tradition, while encouraging new growth in the areas of programming for families, children, and teens.
Tikvoh prides itself on its warm, "hamish" feeling, a benefit of belonging to a small congregation. It is truly a place where "everyone knows your name." Lay members of the congregation participate in every aspect of the Shabbat services, from davening parts of the service, to reading Torah and Haftorah, to volunteering in our vibrant Social Action Committee. New members are encouraged to get involved in all areas of synagogue life. The congregation sponsors several family events every year, traditionally around holidays such as Hanukkah and Purim, as well as many shul-catered Shabbat Dinners throughout the year.
For further information, please call the synagogue office, or Rabbi Kaufman, at 243-3576 during our office hours: Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.