Kiddush AT Congregation Netivot Shalom

After every Shabbat morning services (and most holidays) there is a Kiddush at Netivot Shalom, including lunch. Kiddush serves as a cornerstone of our community, where we are nurtured through food, conversation and gathering together. Please consider the mitzvah of sponsoring a Kiddush. It is a wonderful way to honor an event, a memory, an individual or any other life-cycle event. If you are interested in sponsoring a kiddush, please send an email to kiddush@netivotshalom.org. The kiddush coordinators will gladly help with any questions you may have. We are often able to pair people together who wish to co-sponsor, and we also welcome last minute requests to sponsor for a simcha or other event.

SO HOW DOES KIDDUSH WORK? IT'S NOT MAGIC!

A member or group of members volunteers to sponsor. 

This can be in honor of simcha such as an aufruf, milestone birthday or new baby, in memory of a loved one, in honor of someone deserving appreciation, the joint effort of a group like a Talmud class or cohort of families involved in a program, or just because! There is also a monthly "Birthday Kiddush" where all members with a birthday that month are invited to co-sponsor, coordinated by Claudia Valas. 

  • Signing up is easy - Just email kiddush@netivotshalom.org, and Kiddush Coordinators, Tamar Fendel or Lynne Yellenberg, will respond right away.
    Click here to view the Kiddush Calendar.
  • Donations are made through ShulCloud or by dropping off a check.
  • Sponsor(s) choose which kind of kiddush they will host. The choices are:

Kiddush Committee Organized

The sponsors fund the kiddush and enjoy it, but don’t need to do any of the work!
Kiddush Committee members plan the menu and shop; kitchen staff prepare food, set up and cleanup. 

  • Standard Kiddush: Typical menu - green salad, chickpea or black bean salad, cheese and crackers or hummus and chips, an additional dish such as a beet salad, dolmas, egg salad, tuna salad or herring, fruit, dessert, gluten free dessert, coffee and tea.
    Cost $700, including food, paper goods and staff.
  • Bagel Kiddush: Typical menu – Boichik bagels, cream cheese, lox, sliced vegetables, green salad, an additional salad, fruit, dessert, gluten free dessert, coffee and tea.
    Cost $1080 including food, paper goods and staff.
    • Important note: these prices are for "typical" weeks with 70-100 people attending Kiddush. For events with additional guests, such as b'nai mitzvah, aufrufs or baby namings, special arrangements must be made, and the Kiddush Coordinators are happy to discuss the options.
  • If sponsors have a particular dish they’d like to serve, Kiddush Coordinators are happy to discuss feasibility.
  • We do not usually serve challah. If the sponsor would like to add challah, we can do so at cost. 

Do It Yourself

The sponsoring person or group does the shopping, prep work and cleanup themselves. However, staff can be hired to assist with service and cleanup for $350 for a typical kiddush.

This option can be elaborate or exceedingly simple, as long as it follows our Shabbat (everything on site by Friday afternoon, no cooking on Shabbat) and Kashrut policies. 

  • Kiddush coordinators are happy to consult about menu and quantities, if desired.
  • The synagogue kitchen is available to borrow for cooking/baking/prep in advance, with a reservation. Contact facility@netivotshalom.org for assistance.
  • Cost depends on selection. 
  • Netivot Shalom provides wine and grape juice for kiddush along with paper goods. A donation to cover these costs is appreciated, but not required.

Catered Kiddush 

Sponsor works with a caterer to create the menu of their choice.

  • Approved caterers
    • If you’d like to work with a caterer not (yet) on the approved list, please reach out to the kiddush coordinators to begin the process at kiddush@netivotshalom.org.
  • Professionally executed.
  • Price dependent on selection.
  • Netivot Shalom provides wine and grape juice for kiddush along with paper goods. A donation to cover these costs is appreciated, but not required.
  • Food is purchased and brought to shul.
  • Sponsors determine if tablecloths are desired. If so, Netivot Shalom is happy to provide them; the sponsor (or designee) is responsible to wash, dry, fold and return them during the week.
  • Food is prepared (if anything is cooked, it happens before Shabbat) and served.

All members and guests enjoy a delightful meal!

UPDATED: June 2025