A Place for Making Memories
From lifecycle events, weddings and private gatherings, business functions and lectures, Temple Israel’s stunning new facilities provide an exceptional setting for all kinds of special occasions and events.
Click here for facility rental information.
One of Omaha’s most contemporary and technologically sophisticated locations, Temple Israel’s sanctuary, chapel, social hall and meeting rooms accommodate both large events and intimate celebrations.
Temple Israel’s staff is dedicated to working with you through each phase of your event, from initial planning through day-of-the-event, on-site coordination.
Extremely modern in design, Temple Israel’s 58,500 square foot award-winning synagogue, multi-use building, community court, social hall and outdoor spaces flow together seamlessly, instilling an open and sophisticated feel with a warm, intimate ambience.
The entry courtyard, Schrager Memorial Garden, and Social Hall balconies offer outdoor gathering spaces.
The sanctuary, chapel, and social hall have induction loop systems which can transmit magnetic energy directly to hearing aids fitted with telecoils.
For rental inquiries or to schedule a tour of our facilities, please call 402-556-6536. We look forward to helping you create a memorable event for you and your guests.
The Schrager Sanctuary
Designed with warm materials and natural light, the sanctuary creates a worship space that is sacred and intimate. The unique glass turns nature, the light and sky, and the changing seasons, into a subtle, impressionistic backdrop for prayer. The Sanctuary is equipped with a complete AV system and the ability to record and stream your event. Sanctuary seats 885 people.
The Chapel
An intimate, sophisticated spot for you and your guests. The chapel is a favorite venue for small gatherings. Chapel seats 125 people.
The Social Hall
The hub of Temple Israel regularly hosts speaker events, special dinners, and large gatherings. Accommodates up to 350 guests with a dance floor (dance floor not provided). Room can be subdivided into smaller configurations for more intimate events. This space has AV capabilities and a wireless microphone system.
Simon Community Court
This gracious space has been designed to transition beautifully between the Service and the reception. This area can be used for hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail hour with the understanding that it is a public space and therefore other people may walk through the area.
Weddings
Weddings are an extra-special occasion at Temple Israel. Whether your guest list is small or grand, we have a beautiful venue. And when the ceremony is over, treat your guests to an elegant reception just steps away. The lush grounds are also perfect for beautiful wedding day photographs. Please note: Weddings must be officiated by Temple Israel clergy.
B’nai Mitzvah
Extend your family celebration right here at Temple Israel. Our rooms can fit any size or theme.
Sponsor an Oneg Shabbat
Sponsoring an oneg Shabbat after Friday evening service is a lovely way to honor someone you love, or to celebrate an upcoming simcha.
Celebrating a Shehecheyanu Moment
Temple Israel is an ever-present partner in the transitional moments of our members’ lives. Be it a baby naming or brit milah, conversion, or a recovery from illness, our clergy and staff strive to ensure that each sacred ‘Shehecheyanu Moment’ is deeply fulfilling and personal.
Funeral Reception and Shiva Minyan
Temple Israel believes it is important to have a community when a member experiences a family a loss. After the funeral service, many people choose to have a special gathering of friends and family. The gathering is a time for stories, tears and laughter. At a Shiva Minyan, where the mourners may recite Kaddish, the memorial prayer, the congregation takes the mitzvah of comforting mourners.
Corporate Function
Expect an easy-to-host event in beautiful surroundings with on-site catering support. Auditorium style spaces accommodate large gatherings, while smaller rooms provide a comfortable atmosphere for maximum productivity.
Private Parties
Let us do the dishes. Family get-togethers, anniversary parties, and birthday celebrations are more fun when you get to enjoy the party. Temple Israel’s caterer is ready to create a custom menu for your next event.
Community Events
Our large gathering spaces are perfect for community-wide happenings. Choirs, churches, and non-profit groups have benefited from the flexibility our facilities provide.
Gift Shop
The shelves of the Temple Israel Gift Shop are stocked with beautiful ritual items of every description and price range. You will find a wonderful selection of jewelry, seder plates, menorahs, mezuzahs, tallitot, kipot and more. The Gift Shop is open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and most Sundays during the school term. We can also open the Gift shop by appointment. Contact Sandy Nogg for more information.
Sacred Art
Parochet (Ark curtain)
Temple Israel commissioned Israeli artist Galya Rosenfeld to create the Ark curtain for the Sterling Ridge building. Rosenfeld crafted a dual-layer curtain, with the outer curtain made of colorful laser-cut fabric pieced together in a repeating Magen David (Star of David) pattern and the inner curtain made of sheer fabric printed with symbols evoking the major Jewish holidays.
Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) – Sanctuary
Temple Israel chose Kansas City artist James Woodfill to create the Eternal Light for the sanctuary. He created a modular light that seamlessly blends the light into the bimah wall. Woodfill says the design “lets the light simply emanate from the wall.”
Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) – Chapel
For the chapel’s Eternal Light, Temple Israel selected another Kansas City artist, Linda Lighton, who says she was inspired by a word cloud congregants generated to express the feelings they wanted the Eternal Light to evoke. Her design of a translucent porcelain flower hangs from the ceiling beside the ark.
Hashkiveinu – windows
Michigan artist Lynne Avadenka was tasked with bringing Hebrew passages from the prayer Hashkiveinu to life as a graphical representation on the sanctuary’s clerestory windows. Avadenka created hand-drawn excerpts of the prayer chosen by the worship committee. One passage – “Grant, O God, that we lie down in peace and raise up, our Guardian, to life renewed. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace.” – can be read inside the sanctuary, while two other passages can be read from outside the building – “For You, God, watch over us and deliver us. For You, God, are gracious and merciful.”
Hashkeveinu – music
For its dedication, Temple Israel commissioned New York-based Cantor Jonathan Comisar to compose a new version of the Hashkiveinu prayer. Titled “Hashkiveinu: A Shelter of Peace,” this interpretation is scored for cantor and choir, as well as violin, cello, clarinet and flute. Comisar says his goal was to “make this not only fitting for a prayer but fitting for the grandeur of a new synagogue.”
Aron Hakodesh (Ark) – chapel
The ark in the chapel, which was designed by Rabbi Sidney H. Brooks, was taken from the Cass Street building’s Livingston Chapel. It represents hope after the Holocaust with its branch and bud motif. The text on the ark door reads, “And the surviving remnant which is escaped of the House of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.”
Stained Glass Windows
Local artist Bill Hammon was commissioned to execute the stained glass windows that were affixed in the windows of the sanctuary at the Cass Street building. The windows now sit in the hallway of the current building, opposite the Yahrzeit wall.
The windows suggest the bright colors of morning and the softer shades of evening, recalling this passage from the Creation story, “And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And it was evening and it was morning, one day.”