Join us for Shabbat Services: Friday at 6:00 pm, Saturday at 9:30 am
An egalitarian Conservative congregation serving the diverse Orange County Jewish Community

Welcome to Congregation B’nai Israel! We are delighted that you are considering joining our village.

We are an inclusive and family-friendly community, welcoming members at all levels of religious observance, those born Jewish, those who have chosen Judaism, and interfaith families. Our diverse, multi-generational congregation welcomes people of all ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those at any point on their Jewish journey.

Belonging to the community means taking an active role in shaping our future and demonstrating your commitment to helping Judaism to flourish in OC and beyond. In addition, members access clergy support throughout life’s ups and downs, Jewish education for children – from preschoolers to teens – participation in High Holy Day services and events year-round, and a precious and priceless sense of belonging and home.

We look forward to having you as a member of our congregation!

To learn more, please see our list of contacts. To schedule a conversation, please contact the office at cbi18@cbi18.org or (714) 730-9693. We look forward to welcoming you.

We also invite you to join us for upcoming events. Information is shared in our weekly e-newsletters. To receive updates: sign up here.

Click here for our new member information form.

July 2023 – June 2024 – Click here for our membership payment form

Family Category
(please note that financial assistance is available to those with need)
Donation Amount
Couple (ages 36-67)$3,550
Single (ages 36-67)$1,950
Senior Couple (age 68+)$2,100
Senior Single (age 68+)$1,250
Young Couple (ages 35 and younger)$600
Young Single (ages 35 and younger)$330
Sharon” Families (Building Maintenance)$525
“Friend of CBI” (associate membership for those outside our area, does not include High Holiday tickets)$360
Benefactor Membership: Platinum Chai Honors Circle*$18,000
Benefactor Membership: Golden Chai Honors Circle*$11,000
Benefactor Membership: Silver Chai Honors Circle*$8,000
Benefactor Membership: Bronze Chai Honors Circle*$6,000
Benefactor Membership: Copper Chai Honors Circle*$4,500
*Honors Circle membership is accompanied by event tickets and sponsorships throughout the year.
Specific details can be found within the membership forms and documents.

Membership at CBI includes many wonderful benefits including:

  • Belonging to a community with people to share life’s joys and ease life’s sorrows.
  • Our Rabbi, Cantor, and staff are there for you through important life cycle events and every day for counseling, teaching and care.
  • Opportunities for Jewish education for children, including B’nai Mitzvah training, and continuing education for adults.
  • Priority enrollment and reduced fees at our preschool.
  • High Holy Day tickets (unless otherwise noted)
  • Opportunities to live your Jewish values by caring for others in need.
  • Leadership opportunities to become a board or committee member, or to lead worship services.
  • A varied and rich offering of events, programming and classes to enrich and engage.
  • The ability to secure a place in CBI’s section at Harbor Lawn cemetery.

Choose?! Nitzavim-Vayelekh

Do you knowingly choose your actions? Some neuroscientists have cast doubt on “free will.” Itzhak Fried, a neurosurgeon and researcher at UCLA and Tel Aviv Medical Center, used implants combined with fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) to document that there is brain activity for a second and a half before subjects make a conscious decision…

Gratitude coupled with memory: Ki Tavo:

“And it shall be that when you come into the land which the Ever-Present-One your God is giving you as a heritage and you possess and settle in it, you shall take some of the first fruit…” In the Torah, that act of gratitude is coupled with specific words for the pilgrim, words also contained…

Self-Restraint: Ki Tetzei

Titilation was my initial reaction as a twelve-year old reading this week’s Torah selection, which begins: “When a man goes out to war and sees a beautiful captive and he craves her…” (Deuteronomy  21:10). And yet, the Torah reading responds with rules of restraint: You, the soldier, need to give a captive woman thirty days…

Preparing for a New Year: Shoftim

Preparing for the New Year. This morning is Rosh Hodesh Elul, the beginning of the month before Rosh HaShanah. As is the custom, I recited Psalm 27 and blew shofar at the end of my morning prayers. The shofar blasts lacked precision. Eleven months have passed since I took the ram’s horn to my lips. I hope…

What would Elie Wiesel say now?

What would Elie Wiesel say now? I miss the clarion voice of our great survivor who repeatedly addressed hate. Charlottesville’s “Unite the Right” rally began on Friday night as a mob surged through the campus of the University of Virginia carrying tiki torches, many chanting words freighted by the past, including “Blood and soil…Jews will…

More Than Bread: Ekev

More than bread: Ekev “A person does not live by bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3). What does this mean? In the immediate context of our Torah reading, the verse emphasizes that the Israelites have survived due to manna- God’s daily provision- and that they will need more than physical nourishment in the Promised Land. They will…

Word(s) Count: Va’Ethannan

Word(s) Count: Va’Ethannan Why does Moses alter God’s words? Moses prepares the children of the slaves to enter the Promised Land. He repeats the Ten Commandments, but with changes. Exodus 5:1-14 is the immediate account of Mount Sinai. Deuteronomy 5:6-18 is Moses’ retelling. The first seven verses, 103 words are identical with the exception of…

Small Groups Year 3 Launches at Kol Nidre!

Small Groups, year three. Please consider hosting or participating in a group for five weeks of conversation that will explore Love. We have already written a draft of the booklet that will offer content and context for you to meet with friends five times to further your understanding of how love informs your life. Click here for…

“Poised for Action:” Mattot-Mas’ei

This week is a double portion that concludes the book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Torah that covers thirty-eight years of travel through the desert. The people are now poised to enter the Promised Land. Mattot means tribes. Each of the twelve tribe had a distinctive identity as part of a larger collective.…