One of our instructors is a lot of fun in class and we've really gotten to know her this year. She lives near Jerusalem in an area called Mevasseret Tzion. It was about a 25 minute cab ride from a square near my apartment to get to her synagogue. We were there for a little while before services started and we got to hear a little about the history of the community.
It was really a great story to hear. Starting with a small community of five or six families, they have built up a community of something like 200 families. Their services reminded me of home in so many ways. They used HaAvodah SheBaLev, the Israeli Reform Siddur, and the melodies were very familiar. I was even more impressed by what I we learned over dinner. Apparently, the cantor position is filled on a volunteer basis and it seemed to work really well. I also loved to hear the different people chiming in and doing other readings during services. It had a strong community feel and I really liked it a lot.
I would recommend making a point to visit Kihilat Mevasseret Tzion if you are around Jerusalem for an extended period of time.
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