Andrea

My partner (of a different faith) and I joined SOZ over 10 years ago when our son was very young. He attended Hebrew school and became bar mitzvah here. I am an active member of the synagogue. The community is warm, inclusive, and welcoming to LGBTQIA families. Our family experiences unconditional love here and we enjoy celebrating Shabbat, and the other Jewish rituals and holidays in such a friendly, compassionate, and vibrant shul.

Rick

 Although I didn't grow up with much Jewish education, and my command of Hebrew is limited, I am still able to find meaningful connections and spirituality at SOZ. I love listening to the Hebrew singing during Shabbat morning services, and our online choir during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over so that I can get back to the synagogue. 

Barry

My membership in the Sons of Zion congregation offers me a way to manifest the following:
-To manifest my Jewish identity and my wrestling relationship with the infinite cosmos
-To follow a family tradition in maintaining a Holyoke institution with a rabbi, leadership, and group of people I admire
-Because of their ability to maintain a balance of faith, ritual, and openness to others that meets our current needs as a congregation.

Bonnie

To me, SOZ is far more than a synagogue. It is a spiritual home and a community that truly feels more like extended family. Services are consistently both meaningful and inspiring. Rabbi Perlmutter has a very warm, engaging, interactive manner that reaches and touches people in ways that make Judaism more accessible and personally meaningful to all. This is a loving community where people genuinely care about one another and stand together in both celebrations and difficult, painful times. Not to mention that we love to spontaneously sing and laugh together!

Deborah

Congregation Sons of Zion is a very welcoming, warm community with a big heart.It is a small congregation that allows everyone to know each other well. There is a great spirit of participation whether on Tikkun Olam Projects, renewing the garden and yard ,or producing "award worthy" Purim Shpiels.

Marjorie

I joined Sons of Zion synagogue several years ago because of the closeknit community I observed. As the pandemic evolved, I decided to live on Cape Cod. 

Thanks to Zoom, I have been able to remain connected to the synagogue community throughout these past many months. Rabbi Perlmutter creates a welcoming service every time we meet and has provided many opportunities for learning about our Torah and the Jewish tenets that have been passed down through the centuries.

Mady

I joined the synagogue six months before the shut-down and loved the welcome and friendliness of the members; I felt very much at home.  I did not grow up in the Conservative tradition, but have become familiar with the services and the wonderful songs and now feel very comfortable.  I especially love the study group discussions that have been initiated by the rabbi on subjects suggested by the participants.  Zoom is not las good as showing up in the sanctuary, but it has turned out to have many unexpected pluses.

Paul

My partner (of a different faith) and I joined SOZ over 10 years ago when our son was very young. He attended Hebrew school and became bar mitzvah here. I am an active member of the synagogue. The community is warm, inclusive, and welcoming to LGBTQIA families. Our family experiences unconditional love here and we enjoy celebrating Shabbat, and the other Jewish rituals and holidays in such a friendly, compassionate, and vibrant shul.