Our Name: Ashreynu

The Hebrew word Ashreynu אַשְׁרֵינוּ, opens a beautiful sentence from the morning t’filot (prayers). It stems from the Hebrew word osher אוֹשֶׁר which means, among other things, happy and satisfied:

״

אַשְׁרֵינוּ מַה טּוֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ וּמַה נָּעִים גּוֹרָלֵנו וּמַה יָּפָה יְרוּשָּׁתֵנוּ

Ashreynu, mah tov chelkeynu uma na’im goraleynu uma yafa y’rushateynu

We are happy – how good is our lot, how pleasant is our destiny, how beautiful is our heritage!

״

Thus the word Ashreynu – the name of our kehilah – means ‘our happiness,’ and connotes in our liturgy and usage how happy, satisfied, and fulfilled we are in being Jewish, and in having Judaism as the paradigm, framework, lens, vision, heritage, substance, and setting of our lives.  

Ashreynu – a joyous Jewish foundation to have, to build upon, to be a part of, and to help grow! 

-Rabbi Jonathan Pearl

The second Hebrew letter of Ashreynu, the shin (ש), is drawn to resemble the shape of a kinor, or ancient harp. Music is an essential element at the heart of Ashreynu, conjuring the deep musical tradition of Judaism, from Torah and Temple times to this very day.

Our logo was a team effort, with the harp hand drawn by Stephanie Luxenberg of
@studio.shoshan, the design rendered by @JulieMaschler, and the colors and layout drafted by @AyeletPearl and Karishma Miah, inspired loosely by a @_fontbit style.