A warm and loving community! The services are lovely . The pre-school brings great joy to the…read moresynagogue .

The congregation is so kind and warm. I feel truly blessed to have found this beautiful and vibrant…read morecommunity.

I've been going here since 2000, I continue to love this phenomenal community more and more the…read moreolder I get. The clergy are so amazing and they make you feel like part of the SHM family.

I really like this synagogue and the community. It's kind of hard being the new girl in town…read more.. moved here right before COVID. Finding a shul where most of the members are warm, welcoming, and kind is hard to find in general, but during COVID-19? Oy, it was a long process. Before moving to OC from LA, I belonged to Stephen Wise Temple up in Belair. We were the envy of all Shuls in the LA area... and at one point, I considered us the best... not due to the glitz and glam, but the dedication the clergy had for it's members. Esp. My cantor and one rabbi that is still there. It was so difficult to find a shul similar SWT in OC... until I decided to look into SHM It also helped that my teacher, mentor, friend, and arguably the greatest chazzan of our time, cantor Nathan Lam, pointed out that the LOVELY Rabbi Zive is now at SHM, in Irvine. (Where I live now), so that got my attention very quickly *it was kismet*. The words Rabbi Bryan Zive and Mensch are synonymous. He is a great leader- kind, compassionate, caring, WISE, and makes time for young people (like myself). I really appreciated the fact that he carved time out to meet with little 'ol me as he is such a busy man. With a little help from Nate, We started conversing, and finally scheduled a meeting as soon as it was good for us. Zive gave me the 411 on the temple and also put me at ease with respect to some concerns I had at the time. I also love the fact that SHM has an amazing musical program (& tons of things available for kiddos! Can't wait to bring my 1 year old as she deserves to be apart of a warm Jewish community and have the opportunities I had growing up). It seems like there's a program for everyone here. It's nice. I've been to this temple a couple of times before moving to OC (back when it was at the JCC), and really liked the vibe then. Their former Cantor, Arie, is such a dear and I love his Israeli flair with respect to music. Gotta love the lion from Zion. He's a very sweet man. I'm not sure if they have a full time cantor, yet... but I'm certain they will select a great one when the time is right. Big props to zive for being involved with the musical stuff + being a rabbi. I can't imagine it being easy to juggle both roles, but he definitely makes it look easy, lol. FYI:He was trained by the best and comes from great stock- just sayin'. My most recent experience at SHM was great. They had a lovely HHDs service, and everything was wonderful from the Classical chazzanut to the inspirational, educational, and insightful sermon. Truly fantastic from start to finish. Grateful to Zive for bringing me into the SHM community & I so look forward to some amazing "shecky" (Shehecheyanu) moments + making lovely memories with my daughter here in the future.

Great place clean I went there for a quinceañera as a guest everything was great and security…read moreguards are great they put you on a bracelet you show your Id so you can drink alcohol

My children went to this preschool and at the time was a wonderful school. Covid happened and the…read moreschool shut down, fast forward to almost 4 years later and a teacher attacks me on social media for being a republican! Completely unhinged and uncalled for. Andrea if you are still teaching you should NOT be around children with that rage: horrible feeling as a parent knowing their child was exposed to this kind of anger.

My wife, 2 kids and I have been attending Ben David now for almost 5 years now (the kids are now 12…read more&13). If you are looking for a Messianic congregation to attend, then Ben David is not too bad of a place to start, but it depends on what you are looking for in a church / congregational experience. Some Messianic congregations tend to behave like an orthodox or Jewish conservative "like" traditional synagogue experience. I have found that others have a more typical church like service with aspects, celebrations and teaching of Judaism. Ben David is in the middle with a leaning towards a church "like" routine a little bit I would say. As you know, you'll never find the perfect church or congregational experience that checks off all the boxes you're looking for unless you start in place and design your own church :). As far as a kids Shabbat school (like Sunday School) they have something for the different ages/grades for your children. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, their Shabbat school curriculum teaching leans more towards teaching mostly from the Old Testament and about the Jewish culture, Jewish life and holidays and all the Jewish aspects of the Messianic movement (***BUT, this totally depends on who's teaching on that day, since the teachers rotate). Being a Messianic congregation, where is the "balance" of Jesus (Yeshua) in the teaching? Without the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua) there would be no Messianic movement. If this "elephant in the room" became obvious to our family, we think it's a problem. But if you want to get your feet wet and see what a Messianic service is like, come check them out. Like a lot of places, you could find the services online to watch if you don't want to go in person yet (which I would recommend with any place you want to visit). Ben David is a medium sized congregation, not large enough to get lost in but not small enough for everyone to know your business either. Come check them out for a month and you be the judge and see what you think (don't take my word for it). Consequently, my favorite orange county Messianic Congregational experience has been "Shuvah Yisrael Messianic Jewish Congregation" in Irvine, their website is https://shuvahyisrael.org/. You can watch them online also to see what you think. Like I said at the beginning, you can't find the perfect church or congregational experience that checks off all the boxes you are looking for unless you decide to start your own church :) So, if you are happy stay and grow, but if you find you are not completely happy to plant yourself and grow roots here, you can move on elsewhere in your spiritual journey of course. Whatever works for you. Just always keep it in prayer and listen for the Lord's direction.

A wonderful little congregation that sings praise songs in Hebrew (translations in English are…read moreprovided), celebrates Jewish holidays and festivals (e.g., Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot), and has two sermons (one from the Torah and another from the New Testament) every week! They have a nursery with a flat screen TV so nursing mothers can hear the sermons. Shabbat School Classes are available for ages 3-17 during the service. My wife and I have been attending this congregation for almost a year now and find it to be a wonderful place for our family to hear God's word, enjoy the richness of the language in which most of the Bible was originally written, and serve in a congregation that practices what is preached. Highly recommend this place. A++

When visiting from Brooklyn, we are always made to feel most welcome here at Temple Beth Tikvah…read more For Shabbat services or study, it's a beautiful friendly place with friendly people. Back home in Brooklyn, we can join in on line. TBT combines the old fashioned warm friendly feeling with modern technology and a spiritually uplifting modern service.

I felt at home, from the moment I stepped on the grounds of this temple. I was searching for an…read moreintimate place of worship close to me, and I've found it. With 1 Rabbi at the helm, this place is amazing!! Also, this is the most friendliest shul I've ever encountered in my life. Great for families, and people of all ages. If you're looking for a place to join and worship, check this place out. Plus, there is something always going on and activities galore. So, there is something for everyone. I'm proud to be a member.

A small congregation of middle-aged and older congregants who enjoy a beautiful hour-long Friday…read moreeve service with oneg after. We love the people there and look forward to seeing them every week.

I would reccomend anyone looking for a small group in a local temple of the back bay location in…read moreNewport Beach, Ca. try Temple Issiah. This temple was founded by Flory A. Van Beek who recently passed away this year. She wrote a fabulous book named: Flory ... Survival in the Valley of Death Holocaust 1940-1945. (when I read this book, I couldn't put it down until it was finished!) acutally two days i read off and on until i completed it. It was on edge every moment and I feel like I wish so many more people would read it too. In Flory's memory, I would hope some people would help out for her temple is having extreme financial difficulties. It was her husband and her's greatest wish to help to keep the Jewish people together when the Holocaust was over. They vowed to do this if they ever did anything. It would be a great waste to stop her founded temple's growth just because she has left us. It's a small group but it is very sweet and personal. Leah Spalding

As its name implies, this is a cool shul! It's an egalitarian, conservative synagogue that meets…read morein the Central Library in Huntington Beach at Talbert and Golden West. It features friendly people and a co-founder who tells me "It's all about the music and the kids!" Friday night services start at 7:00 in the Talbert room on the upper level. Don't miss the Musical Service on the second Friday! Their rock band features professional musicians who are members of the Tribe! The only Saturday morning service offered is after the second Friday, and it is traditional. The third Friday is skipped, but a lovley Havdalah service follows on that Saturday, meeting at members' homes before sundown. The atmosphere is hip and casual, although someone occasionally shows up in a suit! Come prepared to sing, smile, and sample all the goodies afterwards at the oneg! Their Hebrew School features an Israeli principal!. Check them out at www.surfcitysynagogue.org or call (714) 596-2220

This is a wonderful place, with absolutely wonderful people. I am not Jewish, but I had an amazing…read moreexperience here. I had a friend in a wheel chair, and I would bring her her often, for a couple of years. I was sooooo impressed with the quality of people gathering here. Always welcoming, warm, kind, helpful, and loving to one another. This synangogue helps its members, many get groceries and monetary help, if they are struggling. My friend, Julie, did! They would always check in on her, making sure she was ok. And they were always inclusive and non judgemental towards me, and very caring. On Saturdays after service they have a big lunch, ohh my Gaaawwddd, my mouth would water on the drive over . It is a feast! Everyone brings food, helps one another, cleans afterwards. God bless them, it was an experience I will treasure forever

I very much like this congregation. I checked it out initially because it has three minyanim 365…read moredays a year, which is super convenient, but was hesitant as I'm a conversion student with a Reform rabbi. However, they were incredibly warm and welcoming to me, and even helped me with keeping track of the place in the siddur. I first went to daven there after Pittsburgh, literally the day after the congregation itself was vandalised, and was still treated to wonderful hospitality before and after some initial questions for me. It is a Modern Orthodox schul, and I would recommend some knowledge of Hebrew if visiting on a day that's not Shabbat (they do have the transliterated Shabbat and Festival Artscroll siddur, which is very convenient). Their website has additional information in regards to Shabbat, including the status of the Irvine Eruv, which is quite substantial. Finally, Rabbi Ciner is very kind, knowledgeable, and welcoming. A true mensch.