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.

Sabbatical: Guest Rabbis

Dear Fellow Congregants, As noted in my previous letter, Rabbi Spitz will be going on Sabbatical starting in October and we are busy planning. We anticipate a year of exciting teaching and learning. I want to take this opportunity to introduce the talented group of guest Rabbis that will fill in while he is on…

Sh’lach: “And” rather than “Or”

What went awry? Contemporary Biblical scholar, Avivah Zornberg, faults Moses’ instructions. The Israelites “broke into loud cries and wept all night” (Numbers 14:1) in response to the report of the scouts. The goal of their mission was to prepare the Israelites to fulfill a long awaited goal: taking possession of the Promised Land. Instead, the…

Constancy Of Character: Beha’alotkha

Dr. Abraham Twerski, a Hasidic rabbi and psychiatrist, uplifts me with memories of our times together and through his writing on both the nature of addiction and the wisdom of the Jewish tradition. Dr. Twerski’s words resonate because I identify his life’s work and personality with compassion, humility, and integrity. In his book, Living Each Week,…

May your possessions not possess you. Naso: Climate Change and Consumption

In this week’s Torah reading we are offered a three-fold, priestly blessing that begins, Yeverachecha Adonai VeYeshemerach- May God bless you and protect you (Numbers 6:24). Isaac Abravanel (15-16th century, Spain-Italy) understood this blessing as cautionary: May God give you material abundance and protect you from the possessions possessing you. We run the risk of obsessively gathering…

What is CBI Sisterhood and Why Should You Care?

What is CBI Sisterhood and Why Should You Care? Since its inception 35 years ago, in 1982, Sisterhood has supported the CBI community.  Whether it was running the synagogue kitchen, catering Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, or providing a welcome religious home for congregants old and new, Sisterhood has been there for all of us.  …

Awake for Shavuot: Reaching and Reenacting Revelation

Did you ever dream that after much preparation you overslept and missed a big event? Well, that nightmare occurred to the rabbis when imagining what took place at Mount Sinai. The Torah recounts thunder and shofar blasts. Rather than reading that as a dramatic display of God’s power preceding God’s revelation, some rabbis imagined all…

Divine Demands- B’Har-B’Hukkotai

Torah is a sacred text. We kiss the scroll when carried around the room to convey that it is precious. We relate to the Torah as a love letter from God and yet, for many of us the Torah is also a human document with a history. Dr. David Lieber, the chief editor of the…

Sabbatical: Context and gratitude

My friends, This week’s Torah reading describes the Sabbatical year, offering rejuvenation akin to the Sabbath day. Every seventh year,  the Bible commands, the land is to lie fallow (Leviticus 25:2-7; 26:34-35; Exodus 23:10-12). Both the farmer and the land itself would rest. In that light, this coming year is a shared opportunity for renewal…