Pros: Beautiful facility…read more Cons: The Director Melissa basically accuses parents of abusing their children for self-defense behaviors like biting (yes, of course it's wrong, but it seems only one side is considered when these classroom incidents occur) the child exhibits once or twice. She also has a short fuse and, despite acknowledging she is not Jewish, pretends to know the intra-dynamics of the Jewish community, pushing the "intersectionality" (I support informed intersectionality, not passive aggressive hostility) narrative that "white Jews" oppress other Jews. This is not what we want to teach our children - they should make their own decisions based on observations, and our community certainly doesn't fit so neatly into the North American race-obsessed "oppressor/oppressed" binary.

Temple Beth El has been such a special place for me to connect with other Jewish people in south…read moreOrange County. They have both reform and conservative services and they do so much good for the community. I'm so happy to have found such an amazing Temple.

This is such a WONDERFUL place! Warm and open to all regardless of how religious you are. My…read morechild attends Hebrew school here and likes it so much. We feel a strong connection here and it is like family.

There are many things to appreciate at CBI. Here are our top three. Rabbi Adam Greenwald is…read morelearned, compassionate, and courageous. The music, led by Cantor Amy Robinson Katz, is beautiful and uplifting. CBI offers many opportunities to participate in acts of Tikkun Olam, repairing our world.

We joined CBI in 2000 and found great programming, people and an exceptional space to find your…read morespiritual self. Rabbi Adam is amazing and just such a good human, and Cantor Amy has a beautiful voice and a terrific spirit to match. We have celebrated life events and mourned the passing of loved ones with the support of the CBI community. If you are thinking about joining a synagogue in Orange County you shouldn't miss the chance to check out CBI

Great place of prayer. I go there with my girlfriend every Saturday. Beautiful environment and…read morepeople are extremely nice. The Rabbi is very informative and is open to teaching about Judaism. Any Jew looking for a Chabad congregation? this Is the right place!

I don't know who "David G." is from San Francisco, but that sure is a very long way from Laguna…read moreBeach! Our family has been Chabad Laguna Beach members for over 10 years. It is a beautiful synagogue with a dedicated and warm team- Rabbi G and his wife, Rebbetzin Perel. They have blessed our family and our community with their loving dedication, and they treat any stranger who walks into synagoge for the first time, with the same warm and loving welcome. Anyone who ever visits a Chabad synagogue, the world over, knows that financial membership is never required. That is the unique beauty of Chabad; it is a safe space where you can come to pray in a welcoming community, wherever you travel in the world. This happens because of a Rabbi and his partner who have dedicated their lives to serving the community. Chabad Laguna Beach embraces all people equally- no matter if they make a contribution or not. Chabad Laguna Beach is a true lighthouse of this beach city.

I enjoyed finding a near by Shul , a beautiful , spotless , comfortable place …read more I was happy to discover that it was *not* "reformed . Rabbi Dennis became our California Rabbi , instantaneously . His words and elocution were captivating , related to Israel and the USA ; his bass -singing cantor ensured our return Before COVID struck , we were fairly regular Friday service attendees ...but then Zoom became necessary. We hope to visit again , soon

From the owner: Vibrant, welcoming, caring Jewish communityread more

The most friendly Chabad center in town! Rabbi Mendy and Rebbetzin Kreinie Paltiel provide a…read moreheimish shul, a truely welcoming spiritual home in their new center at the corner of La Paz & Avila roads. Every time I am there, my neshama and byody are overflowing with new insights, knowledge and delicious food! Looking forward to continuing to be a part of this growing and inspirational community!

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.

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.

I've been a member of University Synagogue for 10 years. The Synagogue provides an all inclusive,…read morewarm environment to all. The Pre School and Religious School staffs offer a loving environment where children interact with their teachers who provide positive, Jewish experiences that enrich their lives. I love my synagogue family!

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