Become a Member

Hinenu is a spiritual community that celebrates Jewish life through ritual, learning, holidays, song, and prayer. Hinenu offers a home for people of all backgrounds seeking Jewish life to land, feel safe, and be welcomed. Your membership sustains the work of the community and makes us who we are!

Two children reach toward a guitar being played by a young adult. The adult has an expression of excitement on her face. Three other adults singing, playing flute, and playing clarinet are in the background.
A group of nine people stand holding a hand drawn banner that says "Trans People are Divine"
A person on stilts and a red sequined jacket stretches his arms out with excitement
Two people sit inside a Sukkah, wearing masks and playing a card game
Five Polaroid pictures of people hanging out in a park
At an outdoor Purim party, a row of people dance and kick their legs out in front of them.
Two children and an adult sit on the floor playing dreidel. One of the children has his hands in his hair in disbelief.

To become a member:

Want to pay by check, need help with the form, or have a question? Email our Executive Director, Mariya Strauss!

To read the below FAQ in a Google doc instead of in the accordion format, click here.

  • Membership dues make our community possible, and we ask each member to determine an annual contribution that is meaningful, significant, and affordable to you. No interested individual or household will be turned away for lack of funds—our pay what you can model is fundamental to our community’s values.

    Our 5786/FY26 budget is ~$400,000, which we will meet through a combination of membership dues, class tuition, and one time donations. Members contribute at all ranges on the sliding scale. Our current membership is comprised of ~220 households, a total of 319 adult members. “Sustaining shares” refer to the total budget expenses for the year divided evenly by the number of adult members.

    If you are fortunate enough to be able to do so, please consider going as far towards or above the sustaining share as you comfortably can; your generosity is integral to the sustainability of our voluntary dues model. Please calculate your annual dues for the total number of adults in your household.

    Please know that you are fully welcome at any and every Hinenu gathering, regardless of membership in the community!

    We encourage you to make a meaningful contribution. The following suggests a number of ways members financially support Hinenu:

    Contributing Share
    $1.50-$18 monthly or $18-$227 annually

    Building Share
    $19-$72 monthly or $228-$875 annually

    Maintaining Share*
    $73-$105 monthly or $876-$1253 annually

    Sustaining Share**
    $106+ monthly or $1,254+ annually

  • Our membership structure is rooted in our values of kehillah kedosha (sacred community), tzedek (collective liberation and solidarity), and b’tselem Elokim (accessibility). Welcoming a diverse range of beliefs, identities, ages, and experiences, we work together to weave a thick communal culture of practice. We strive to be mishpacha, or family, for one another, one that rejoices in queer and trans identities, converts, multifaith families, and Jews of color.

    We rely on member engagement to sustain and grow Hinenu, including volunteering, communal work, emotional labor, and financial support, and are steadfast in our belief that everyone’s contributions to the community hold deep value.

    Members make a commitment to contribute to the work of the congregation according to their means, both financially and through their time. No interested individual or household will be turned away for lack of funds.

  • • Voice and vote in key decisions, helping shape our direction and growth

    • Support from Hinenu’s Chesed committee, as well as pastoral and life cycle support from the Rabbi for members and immediate family members

    • Participation in Hinenu programming and resources at a free or reduced rate

    • Leadership opportunities through eligibility for office for the Hinenu Board and committees

    • Taking a spiritual and political stance by investing in Hinenu’s sacred community.

    • Read more about member resoures here.

  • Membership is open to any individual who meets the following criteria:

    • Contributes to the congregation through individual contributions

    • Participation in community life through volunteering and committee service

    • Is above the age of 12. (Children of members are welcome to participate in any and all activities of the community.) Youth members (aged between 12 and 17) are eligible for full membership including voice and a vote in decision-making. Youth member contributions are non-monetary and developed on a case by case basis.

    Community members who are also formal members of other synagogues or religious communities are welcome to join Hinenu. Though we are a community grounded in Jewish traditions, our membership is not restricted to Jews, and we welcome all who share our values and want to be in community with us.