Shaarei Orah, The Sephardic Synagogue of Teaneck, located on Essex Road in the heart of the Whittier section of West Englewood, provides a centralized location to hold your next special event. The synagogue’s ideal location, situated between the crossroads of several other synagogues, provides a convenient option for guests staying in this central location of Teaneck. The building was uniquely designed to blend in with the neighborhood despite being modern/contemporary. The exterior stone facade was chosen to resemble Jerusalem stone.

The rich stone work and dark wood walls embrace you when you enter Shaarei Orah, almost as if you are entering a synagogue in an old European city. You are welcomed into a large foyer with hand-worked inlaid mosaic tiles. Before you is the beautiful sanctuary and upstairs are the women’s section, upstairs lobby, and a separate, convertible classroom. The social hall on the lower level comfortably seats up to 100 people. Outside the social hall is a large vestibule with washing sinks, restrooms, and a large coat closet.

“I liked the small, intimate size of the social hall room. Most of the other shuls have beautiful event spaces, but the rooms are overpowering and for our party of about 90 people, Shaarei Orah was a perfect size. I loved that the building was new and clean and had ample closet space for our heavy coats,” said Suri R., who recently rented the social hall for her son’s bar mitzvah dinner.

Priva S. liked the location and the service. “We used the social hall for my son’s aufruf. It worked out really well and it was a pleasure working with the shul office staff. We chose Shaarei Orah because of the centralized location to the other shuls. We would certainly use it again and recommend it to others as well.”

The configuration of the synagogue provides a blank slate in which renters can customize events to suit their needs and decorating themes. The vestibule on the lower level can provide additional seating capacity when used with the social hall. Overall, the layout of the synagogue offers flexibility, allowing guests to be creative when designing their event needs.

Rivkie S. recently rented the social hall for her son’s brit and found that the social hall was perfect for her needs. “It was a great option. We set up the coffee and juice station in the vestibule and had breakfast stations for our guests in and around the social hall. The people flow was great and many of them noticed how beautiful the building was and how suitable a place it was to have our brit.

Serena K. enthusiastically shared her experience: “We rented the social hall for a Friday night dinner on the weekend of my son’s bar mitzvah in October 2014. Everything came out beautifully. Although the room is not big, we had enough room for elaborate decorations and special lighting, which transformed the space into a beautiful and intimate setting for us and our guests.

“As a very detail-oriented person, I contacted the office staff (Gila) several times to check measurements for my decorative plans, to arrange meetings with my florist, and just to touch base to ensure that everything would run smoothly on the days leading up to the weekend. Gila was very accommodating and responsive during the entire planning process. The synagogue even printed up signs with ink matching our color scheme to place on the shul entrance announcement stand to direct our guests downstairs to the social hall. I would definitely choose Shaarei Orah again for a future simcha, and I would recommend it to others as well.”

In addition to the social hall, the sanctuary, main lobby, the vestibule and classroom can also be rented to provide a unique experience for guests. Reduced pricing is available for midweek events and consecutive-day rentals discounts are provided.

Shaarei Orah was founded in 1994 as the first Sephardic congregation of Greater Teaneck. Until March 2012, Shaarei Orah held prayer services at a private home in Teaneck. In 2001, a 12,000 square foot lot was acquired at 1425 Essex Road and designated as the future site of the synagogue, creating a larger facility to meet the growing needs of this dynamic and culturally diverse community. Culminating a process that began in 2002, synagogue construction was completed in March 2012. Joel Mizrahi, president of Shaarei Orah, told JLNJ, “Shaarei Orah is a warm kehilla and its doors are open to all. Join us for tefilla, events, or to use our social hall or other facilities.”

Contact [email protected] or call 201-8833-0800 for information on scheduling your event. www.sephardicteaneck.org