About Us

Founded in 2021, as a Jewish baking collective, Taste of Olam Haba has grown into a progressive, pluralistic, cross-denominational Jewish community for all ages, backgrounds, and relationships to Judaism.

Our Core Values

Hachnasat Orchim – Welcoming Others

We honor the mitzvah of welcoming others by cultivating a community where all feel received with dignity, warmth, and care. Like Avraham and Sarah’s tent, our gatherings are open on all sides, embracing newcomers and regulars alike as full participants in our shared spiritual life.

Shlemut – Wholeness

Each person enters our space as a reflection of the Divine. We honor the fullness of each individual, their body, story, background, and beliefs, as part of the integrity of our community. We strive to hold complexity, supporting one another as whole beings.

Kavanah – Intention

We seek to infuse our words and actions with mindful intention. Whether in ritual, conversation, or community care, we commit to learning, showing up thoughtfully, and practicing teshuvah when we miss the mark.

Simchah – Joy

Joy is not only a spontaneous feeling: it is a mitzvah and a spiritual discipline. We cultivate joy in our celebration of Jewish life, in our relationships, and even amid struggle. Simchah reminds us of the holiness that lives in song, food, dance, and togetherness.

Briut – Wellness

Our community values rest, nourishment, and reflection as spiritual acts. We support one another in sustaining the joy, energy, and wisdom needed for long-term communal engagement.

Sukkah Shalom – Shelter of Peace

Just as the sukkah reminds us of impermanence and interdependence, we strive to hold one another with care and humility. Our peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of compassion, accountability, and mutual refuge.

Land Acknowledgement

We recognize we occupy the ancestral lands home to the Quapaw, Caddo, and Osage people. We further acknowledge that a portion of the Trail of Tears runs through Pulaski County and the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw and Seminole Nations passed through what is now Arkansas during this forced removal. We affirm the stewardship of this land by the Indigenous people in the past, present, and future. We know Jewish liberation is tied to the land returning to its original stewards. We also recognize the history and continued effects of slavery in Arkansas and the larger United States. In 1860, Arkansas was home to more than 110,000 slaves, with one in five white citizens being a slave owner.

We are dedicated to dismantling colonial, imperial, and capitalist structures that are antithetical to a land-based Jewish practice. Connecting to land is integral to our Jewish practice, allowing us to weave ancestral practices into our community through ritual, prayer, food cultivation, justice work, and festival celebrations rooted in the natural cycles of the Jewish calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We are an inclusive, pluralistic community and welcome anyone who is committed to our mission of creating a spiritually vibrant, radically inclusive Jewish community that reflects a vision for a world of justice, equity, and liberation for all people.

  • Absolutely! Everyone is welcome to join our services, gatherings, and other programs. If you come to events and feel at home, we encourage you to consider becoming a member.

  • Currently, all of our programming and services are held in Little Rock. We do not have a set worship space. We will often meet at members' homes, libraries, parks, and community centers. 

  • We currently do not have a rabbi. Our services are led by community members. Our services are fully egalitarian and people of all genders lead services and count in the minyan.

  • Children are welcome to attend all services and we seek to be an intergenerational collective.  We do not currently have a Hebrew School or specialized programs for kids, but if you are interested, please reach out!

  • No problem. Our siddur (prayer book) is fully transliterated. We are committed culturally to using Jewish terminology and Hebrew, but will always try to translate when possible.

  • When serving or sharing food, we adhere to vegetarian kashrut, refraining from any meat or fish products. We encourage that all food be hekhshered (certified kosher), but when not possible, all food should be labeled.

  • During all Shabbat services and holidays where technology is traditionally prohibited, we ask that all technology be stowed away to help preserve the spirit of Shabbat. Screen readers, digital prayer books, and other accessibility technologies are welcome and encouraged. We understand that life happens, do what you need to do--but please respect those who do not use technology as part of their practice. 

  • You should wear whatever helps you to feel comfortable and in touch with the spirit of a religious service! Some people like to wear extra-nice clothing to embody the specialness of Shabbat or holidays, but anything you wear would fit in. 

    We encourage all genders to wear religious garments in line with their own religious practice. This can include the tallit (prayer shawl), kippah/yarkmulke (Jewish headcovering), or tefillin (phylacteries). We do ask that non-Jews refrain from wearing religious garb. 

  • We want programming to be available to as many people as possible, while maintaining our commitment to pikuach nefesh, safeguarding life, as a central value. In pursuit of keeping each other as safe as possible, attendees to our programming must adhere to the following safety guidelines.

    All attendees of our in-person events must be fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated means two shots plus a booster for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and one shot plus booster for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

    Rapid testing is required for events for attendees over 2 years old. Attendees are asked to take a rapid test shortly before attending any event and to only attend if their test result is negative. We can provide rapid tests with advanced notice.

    Attendees may not attend if they currently have any common symptoms of Covid-19, including cough, sneezing, fever, chills, or nausea. Please do not attend if you have a confirmed exposure to Covid-19 or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 in the last 14 days.

  • We are building a community focused on the liberation of all people and this explicitly includes liberation for Palestinians. We do not fuse our spiritual practice with any form of political nationalism: American, Israeli, or otherwise. As a foundation, we affirm that the Jewish future requires the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinians. This community is a home for anyone who is on their own journey in relationship to Zionism. We have members with family and friends in Israel and we seek to be a space to wrestle with different and difficult questions around Zionism, Israel, and diaspora.