Founded in 1906, Congregation Mount Sinai is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Jersey City. Our distinctive building with its copper cupolas is a historic landmark and a symbol of our deep roots in the neighborhood. Services are held 10 a.m. Saturday and are conducted in Hebrew.
Men and women sit separately, and children are welcome. Join us for Shabbos or a holiday or contact [email protected] for more information.
Congregation Mount Sinai, founded in 1906, is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Jersey City. Our distinctive building with its copper cupolas is a historic landmark and a symbol of our deep roots in the neighborhood.
We are a warm, welcoming, and traditional congregation with a modern perspective on Jewish life and learning. Members include longtime Jersey City families as well as newcomers of all ages who are participating in the economic and cultural revival of Jersey City and Hudson County.Visitors are likely to hear a wide variety of
languages and accents as our congregation is exceptionally international. Page numbers are always indicated, and we offer a welcoming environment for people to express, deepen and rediscover their Jewish heritage.
Founded largely by Jewish merchants who anchored the Central Avenue retail district, Congregation Mount Sinai flourished in the mid-20th century. At the time, The Heights was home to many first and second-generation American Jews.
During the 1960s and 1970s, many members moved to the suburbs but the area is being rediscovered by a new generation.
We are walking distance from Journal Square, Hoboken and Union City. During the week, The Heights is a quick commute to New York with easy access to the Light Rail, PATH trains, buses, jitneys, and Uber. Other highlights include the Central Avenue shopping district, Pershing Field, and stunning panoramic views of Manhattan from Fisk Park/Riverview Park.
A welcoming synagogue with a fine rabbi and a commitment to progressive issues
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Young Israel: Past, Present and Future
"The aims and purposes of the organization shall be to foster and maintain a program of spiritual, cultural, social and communal activity towards the advancement and perpetuation of traditional Torah-true Judaism; and to instill into American Jewish youth an understanding and appreciation of the high ethical and spiritual values of Judaism and demonstrate the compatibility of the ancient faith of Israel with good Americanism.
The organization shall promote cooperation among the constituent branches now existing and which may hereafter be formed, establish a close bond of kinship to the end that their individual and common problems may more easily be solved, and act as the federated and central body for the Young Israel Movement so that its influence as a force in Jewry may be felt and recognized in America and the world over."
(from the Preamble of the National Council of Young Israel Constitution)
Young Israel was born in 1912, when the primary aspirations of most American-born Jews were economic success and acceptance in American society. Jewish education was very low on their list of priorities, and as a result, was usually rudimentary, at best. Orthodox synagogues were exclusively Yiddish-speaking and permeated by an Eastern European atmosphere. American-raised Jewish youth who wandered into these synagogues typically found themselves shut out completely. It is not surprising that the Jewish youth of that era generally avoided the synagogue, attending only when expected by family custom. Although intermarriage was relatively rare, the distance between young Jewish hearts and minds and Jewish belief and practice was almost huge. It was in this environment that Young Israel was founded by a group of 15 visionary young men and women.
Its first activities were Friday night lectures in English (which was very controversial) on a variety of topics of Jewish interest. Three years later, the group formed a "Model Synagogue" with innovations designed to attract American-raised English-speaking Jewish youth, including participatory singing and youth programs. To enable people of all means to fully participate in synagogue services, Young Israel prohibited the auctioning of synagogue honors. The National Council of Young Israel required the minimum halachic standards of a mechitza, closed parking facilities on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and that each of its synagogues officers be Shomer Shabbat. Young Israel synagogues popped up across North America.
Young Israel envisioned itself as much more than a conglomeration of synagogues. Young Israel was the first on secular college campuses, with over 20 kosher dining halls and intercollegiate programs. Young Israel created an Employment Bureau for Sabbath Observers, in an era when most employees were expected to work 6 days a week. At Young Israel’s headquarters in New York, arms were packed for the Haganah defense forces of the not-yet-born State of Israel. The Free Soviet Jewry Movement was championed by the leadership of Young Israel. Young Israel has always been fiercely Zionistic, and promoted the rights of Jews to live throughout the Land of Israel. Young Israel placed an important role in gaining broad acceptance for advocating for the commuting of Jonathan Pollard’s sentence.
Today the National Council of Young Israel provides professional advice and cost-saving initiatives to 135 Young Israel synagogues (and beyond), advocates for the interests and views of our 25,000 member families, trains aspiring rabbis, supports rabbis in the field with biweekly question and answer sessions, aides communities in rabbinic searches and relations, coordinates informative Gabbai2Gabbai conference calls, provides exciting Parsha Nation curriculum for synagogue youth groups, runs inspiring Achva Summer Teen Experiences, shares best practices through monthly e-publications Shul Solutions and The Practical Pulpit, runs a three division basketball league in the New York metropolitan area, and serves as the sponsor of four senior centers at Young Israel synagogues which feed, educate and recreate the generation that made Young Israel great.
Future plans include providing spiritual inspiration and connection for Young Professionals and training Ashkenazic rabbis how to serve their Sephardic congregants. We are committed to work to maximize the resources of the Jewish community by working with our colleagues at other Jewish organizations and Jewish institutes of higher education and to maintaining a standard of excellence in everything we do.
Temple Beth Shalom, also known as the Tremont Street Shul, is a warm, friendly, traditional Jewish synagogue located near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts. We embrace a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, and styles of worship. On Shabbat evening and morning we have two styles of services. Shabbat morning services are followed by a sit down Kiddush lunch to which everyone is welcome.
HISTORY
Temple Beth Shalom was formed when Temple Ashkenaz and Congregation Beth Israel merged in 1962. The merged Shul chose to use the Temple Ashkenaz building at 8 Tremont Street because it was newer. The name was changed to Temple Beth Shalom, in part to mark a new spirit of community cooperation.
As members of the original Cambridge Jewish community migrated to the suburbs, the synagogues in Cambridge consolidated in stages. The Tremont Street Shul was the last of original Shuls to remain in operation. In the 1970’s, all the local colleges decided to have a joint Simchat Torah celebration at TBS. Helped by the success of this annual event, the Shul began to attract new members from the young professionals in the greater Cambridge area and has grown steadily since then.
Our Shul underwent a major renovation in 1987. The basement vestry was made suitable for the Alef Bet child care center, which was founded at that time. A second renovation in 1994 transformed our balcony into a convertible classroom. A new office was added in 2004. Meticulous care was taken during each renovation to conserve our building’s historic character. We think our main sanctuary is one of the Jewish architectural jewels of the greater Boston area. Come and see for yourself!
The ancestors of Temple Beth Shalom include:
Congregation Anshai Sfard, organized 1896, chartered 1898, building at 83 Webster Ave., Somerville, merged into Beth Israel 1957
Congregation Beth Israel, organized 1900, building at 238 Columbia St.
Temple Ashkenaz, split off from Beth Israel over the issue of Ashkenazic vs. Sephardic ritual 1908, building at 8 Tremont St.– originally the home of Joshua Kaplan, house torn down and a new building erected 1924
Congregation Yavneh, chartered 1918, building at 8 Howard St. erected 1920, closed 1934.
For more information on our history and the history of Jews in Cambridge, see our on-line exhibit Centennial of the Jewish Community in Cambridge, an event we celebrated in 1996.
Temple Beth Shalom is a member of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts.
ABOUT US
Reflecting the diverse population of Cambridge, Temple Beth Shalom represents a unique, creatively traditional approach to Judaism. Our goal is to make Jews of every affiliation feel at home. Impossible? Try us.
We have three styles of worship every Shabbat and two styles of weekday services. See the worship services page for more information on the styles available. Our minyanim come together later Saturday morning for a sit-down Kiddush. Our Kiddush includes a light lunch, singing, and much fellowship. All holidays are celebrated with services and appropriate observances.
We have an active 20s and 30s group that runs several social events every month.
The Temple hosts a number of educational activities, including the Alef-Bet Child Care, a Talmud class, and other adult education programs. Along with two other local congregations we support the Kesher after-school Hebrew School program.
A unique event at Beth Shalom is our famous erev Simchat Torah celebration which draws as many as 500 or more people. Part of the fun-filled service is the Hakafot, which takes the congregation out onto Tremont St. for singing and dancing well into the night. This service attracts a wide cross-section of the Greater Boston community, including special participation of local college Hillels.
The Jewish Community Center – Chabad of West Queens
Mission Statement
To assist the residents of West Queens, achieve their spiritual, physical and emotional goals through exemplary educational, religious, cultural and social programming and celebration.
To provide support in times of need, illness or emergency
To promote and strengthen Jewish awareness, pride and identity to all Jewish individuals and families regardless of affiliation or background
To provide a warm community home where everyone is made to feel welcome & comfortable.
About our Center
The JCC – Chabad LIC was created with one goal in mind – to offer all Jews, even those with little or no background – a home, and an education and memories that will inspire them for a lifetime. We strive to evoke a sense of history, love for the land of Israel, and a genuine understanding of what Judaism is all about, and thereby develop strong Jewish pride.
Our center is founded on the principle that, while people embrace many levels of observance in their personal lives, there should be a place for no labels, and all affiliations. A place where people can develop a sense of community and enhance their own spiritual experiences of Judaism.
We realize that when it comes to spirituality, it is NOT "one size fits all." We have therefore created a multifaceted program with various sub organizational departments to cater to the different needs of the many parts which comprise a community.
Each department is managed by an individual of our staff that is fully dedicated to the development and expansion of that division. We aim to ensure maximum efficiency and quality of its programming so that everyone's needs can be catered to with the appropriate attention.
Whatever department you are involved with, the trademark feeling of warmth and creative spiritual excitement flows through every program. We provide everyone with a taste of joyful Judaism according to their own specific interests, while at the same time being part of the larger community through its dynamic unifying energy of love, acceptance and commitment to non judgmental spiritual growth.
rabbi and wife.jpgAbout Rabbi Zev and Rivka
Rabbi Zev Wineberg was born in Vancouver. From the age of twelve, he started Yeshiva, traveling within Canada, USA, South Africa, Israel and Budapest.
Rivka was born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and from a young age began volunteering in Jewish day camps throughout the US, and Ukraine. She studied in Israel and upon completion began teaching within the Chabad community.
Both knew they wanted to work within the framework of Jewish Community Service.
In 2006, with the guidance of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, Rabbi Zev & Rivka Winberg were given the opportunity to expand the work of Lubavitch in West Queens, by beginning to serve the spiritual needs of the Jewish population in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Long Island City. It is a fast growing suburb – attracting many Jews. There was a need to reach out to an overwhelming population which was uncommitted and under affiliated.
Zev and Rivka came with an agenda of Ahavat Yisrael, unconditional love for every Jew, to assist, help and infuse the community with the exciting programming and Jewish experience that have become synonymous with this vital organization. Through innovative programming such as public Menorah lightings, Passover Seders, lectures and cultural events, holiday workshops for children, The JCC – Chabad LIC quickly became a household name, reshaping the landscape of the Jewish experience in West Queens.
About The LIC Synagogue
Imagine worshipping in an atmosphere of total inclusion and acceptance, where you are welcome and encouraged to ask questions, where you are implored to be as non-judgmental of your neighbors as they are of you. This is the atmosphere that has been created in this Shul which we call home. Friday night services are lively Carlebach style and followed by L'Chaim and Kugel. Shabbat services are traditional and include a Dvar Torah – contemporary Torah thought from Rabbi Zev. The weekly Kiddush is focused on celebrating milestones in the community and our families.
All Jews are welcome regardless of background, knowledge, or level.
בבית חב"ד תמצא, מרכז לגיל הרך, מועדון ילדים , תוכניות בת/ר מצווה, מודעות החג, הרצאות קהילתיות , בדיקת תפילין ומזוזה.
לימוד אחד על אחד, הוראה דתית, הוראה דתית לתלמידי PS, ביקור בבית חולים, ביקור בכלא, ביקור קשישים, שירותי לוויה.
בנוסף שבת / חג אירוח, ארגון חתונות.
Minyan Times:
Shacharis Sun: 8:15 AM
Shacharis Mon/Thu: 7:15 AM
Shacharis T/W/F: 7:15 AM
Shacharis Rosh Chodesh: 15 minutes earlier than normal
Mincha: 10 minutes before Shkia
Maariv: Follows Mincha Friday
Mincha: Between 10-15 minutes before shkiah
Shabbos Shacharis: 9:00 AM in winter 9:15 in summer Shabbos
Mincha: candle lighting time Motsei Shabbos
Maariv: aproximately 50 minutes after shkiah
Daf Yomi
Monday through Friday at 6:30 am
Edit Shiur
Daf Yomi
Shabbos
(45 min. before Mincha)
Boyaner Rebbe Shlit"a Speaking at Tish commemorating the Yohrtziet of his Alter Zeide The Pachad Yitzchock of Boyan Zatza"l at Mannhatan Day School on the Upper West Side, Feb 20th 2011. Hosted by the Boyaner Shtiebel of the West Side.
We are a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in beautiful Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in the greater Boston area.
Our small, energetic shul aspires to provide an inclusive, friendly, and participatory atmosphere conducive to personal growth through tefillah, tzedakah, Torah study, serious religious expression, and building a supportive community of values and meaning.
As our Sages taught us so long ago: The world stands on three things: Torah, Avodah, Ug'milut Chasadim. At Shaarei, we too stand on — and just as importantly, we stand for — these three foundational pillars.
In January of 2014, the Orthodox Union recognized our synagogue as a Hineinu Synagogue, an exemplary national model of communal inclusivity. Our Shul’s inclusivity statement follows:
We are excited to partner with the Hineinu initiative of the Orthodox Union. At Shaarei Tefillah, we pride ourselves on our warm, welcoming Modern Orthodox community. However, we have learned over the years that creating an inclusive environment requires more than good will. A sincere call for inclusivity must be conveyed not only with greetings and invitations, but must be expressed through architecture and access, signage, wordage and programs. The strength of kehillah (community) should be measured not only in membership units and the length of weekly announcements, but also by our manifest inclusivity and our capacity as a halakhic community to learn and improve, to outreach and in-reach, to grow together through full encounter of Torah uMitzvot. When we built our new Shul building just a couple of years ago, a vision of inclusivity drove our process. We designed our Shul to communicate through structure and form that our Beit Kenesset, our home of spiritual ingathering, invites and values the participation of men and women, adults and children, abled and disabled, empty nesters and young families, frum-from-birth and newly religious seekers. We work hard to concretize this message through our programming and publicity as well. Joining the Hineinu initiative is our way of continuing to respond to this Divine call and charge of hakhel, of inclusivity. We sincerely hope that by stepping up to say “Here We Are,” we will inspire other Shuls to do likewise and invite those who have previously felt without community to join us with their own “Hineini — Here I am.”
History
SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY OF GREATER BOSTON
The Sephardim, the first Jewish community to reach America in 1492 together with Christopher Columbus, have been living in Boston for over 350 years. They arrived around the same time as the city of Boston was incorporated in the year 1630. Spanish Portuguese Jews escaping the inquisition and persecution, settled throughout the English Colonies, regaining their freedom of religion, and building their homes and businesses. The first documented Jew in Boston was Solomon Franco, a Sephardic Jew from Holland, who arrived in 1649.
Among the famous patriots living in Boston, was Moses Michael Hays, a Portuguese Sephardi. He and his family left Newport for Boston ahead of the British attack in 1776, at a time that Boston was devastated by the physical and financial effects of the American Revolution. For the next three decades, Moses Hays and his family would play key roles in establishing the financial and cultural institutions that would define post-Revolutionary and 19th-century Boston.
He opened a shipping office in Boston and was among the first merchants there to underwrite shipbuilding, trade and insurance to newly opened Far Eastern markets. In 1784, Hays become a founder and the first depositor of the Massachusetts Bank still doing business today as part of the Bank of America. He was an honorary member of the Boston Marine Society, and a founder of the Mass Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Mass Marine Insurance Company.
Moses Hays was also active in a variety of civic projects. He donated to subscriptions to beautifying the Boston Common, to building bridges and turnpikes, and to Harvard College.
His son, Judah Hays, and his nephews, Abraham and Judah Touro (after whom Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI, the oldest synagogue in America is named) continued in his tradition. They helped establish Mass General Hospital (Abraham Touro’s portrait is on the wall, in the main lobby), the Boston Athenaeum and the Bunker Hill Monument (The base of the Bunker Hill Monument bears an inscription honoring Judah Touro).
Besides socializing with Paul Revere and Harrison Gray Otis, these Sephardic families were sincere to their Jewish roots. Their businesses were closed on Shabbat, kosher meat was being delivered from Newport, regular prayer services were being held at their homes, and their household library contained dozens of Hebrew books.
However, with all prosperity, the early Boston Sephardic Jews were considered alien-residents. No Jewish houses of worship were allowed in Boston. Furthermore, the Hayes, Touro, Lopez and many other Boston Sephardic families had to bury their deceased in Newport, since there were no Jewish cemeteries allowed at that time. Hence, they were all tied to New York and Newport’s Spanish Portuguese congregations, where they donated regularly and were members. Not until the Massachusetts Constitutional Amendments of 1821, were the Jews granted full rights of citizenship, shortly before a group of Sephardic Algerian Jews arrived in Boston in 1830.
In 1840, the Sephardic Jews in Boston were joined by the Ashkenazim, who had just arrived from Germany, settling at first in the old South End, just South of Boston Common. German immigrants began immediately to establish the traditional institutions that characterized Jewish communities around the world, now that they were permitted in Boston. In 1842, the first Jewish congregation in Boston, calling itself Ohabei Shalom (Lovers of Peace) was formed. Their first synagogue dedicated in 1852 was strictly orthodox. It housed a Mikveh (ritual bath) and a Talmud Torah for children. Two years later, Ohabei Shalom established the first Jewish cemetery in the city. Finally, after two centuries, Boston Jews no longer had to be buried in Newport or New York City. Judah Touro included in his will a large donation to Ohabei Shalom before his death in 1854.
As Ohabei Shalom and it’s break-away, Adath Israel (today Temple Israel), eventually both became Reform Temples, the Sephardic Jews, keeping strictly to their traditional lifestyles, joined and identified with the more religious congregations, and prayed in their synagogues.
In the 1870’s through the turn of the century, there was a group of primarily North African Sephardim, who held Sephardic services in Zion’s Holy Prophets of Israel (The Alfred A. Marcus Orthodox Synagogue) in Boston’s South End. They were using a Torah Scroll dedicated by the famous Sephardic philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore. As the Jewish community started to migrate to the suburbs of Roxbury, Dorchester & Mattapan, so did the Sephardim. They continued praying in the synagogues on Blue Hill Ave.
Mattapan is where the history of our Sephardic Community in Brighton began. Many Sephardic Jews were fleeing Egypt, after the rise of President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956, who subsequently expelled all the Jews and confiscated all their property. After the transition from Egypt, usually through France, where they waited a few years to receive their visas, they arrived in the USA. Approximately sixty families settled in Boston, by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
Hacham Elie Setton, born in Aleppo, Syria, was a Torah scholar and merchant in Alexandria, Egypt. He arrived in Boston in1963, and organized the first prayer services on Yom Kippur of that year. Together with his father-in-law, R’ Eliyahu Hamaoui, and his brother-in-law, the noted Hazzan of the Great Synagogue of Cairo, Shaoul (Charles) Hamaoui and his brother-in-law, Mr. Albert Habif (later elected treasurer of SCGB), they acquired space from Rabbi Moshe Gurkow, in his newly formed Shaloh House Hebrew Day School in Mattapan, and conducted the Yom Kippur services.
That year, in attendance, there were only three families with just nine men/boys that could be counted for the minyan. They invited an Ashkenazi friend to complete the minyan. The next year, as many more families arrived in Boston, they had dozens of people at the High Holiday services. Eventually, other Sephardim living in Boston from other countries of origin, (such as the Cohen families from Greece) found their home with this Syrian-Egyptian group. Hacham Setton became the spiritual leader of the entire Sephardic community, and together with the Hazzan, Shaoul Hamaoui, they lead the services, and began a new chapter in the lives of Boston’s Sephardic Jews.
In 1965, due to the deteriorating Jewish situation in Mattapan, the Sephardic community needed to move again. Many of them settled in Brookline, around Coolidge Corner. The High Holiday Sephardic services were conducted in the Social Hall of the Southern House, on Beacon Street.
The community kept on growing in Brookline, as still many more Egyptian families were arriving, and many other local Sephardim, by now, had heard of the Sephardic services, and hundreds came to join. Eventually, the High Holiday services were moved to the Chateau Garod Wedding Hall on Beacon St. Year after year, following the High Holiday services, the community yearned that one day they should merit to have a synagogue of their own.
In 1977, under the leadership of Dr. Charles Sasson, the Sephardic Community of Greater Boston filed the legal papers, becoming incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Mass.
In 1979, under the leadership of Dr. Charles Naggar & Dr. Martin Hanopole, together with Rabbi Ezra Labaton & Dr. Baruch Mazor, the High Holiday services were extended to Shabbat services too, meeting every week in the Beit Midrash of Young Israel of Brookline.
In 1983, under the leadership of Mr. Clement (Rahmin) Kodsi, the community accepted our beloved Rabbi Aaron Hamaoui, who eventually succeeded his uncle and father, as Rabbi and Hazzan of the community. Rabbi Hamaoui instituted the daily minyan and many Torah classes, which continue till this day. Over the years, the Rabbi has reached out and has made a major impact on hundreds of Jewish families and international college students studying in Boston.
On Yom Kippur 1988, under the leadership of Mr. Moshe Rahmani & Mr. Edmond Shamsi, a successful campaign was launched to finally build our own synagogue. Major contributions were received from the Shamsi and Zafarani families, and also from the Cochab, Elmaleh, Feuerstein, Gabbay, Kodsi, Naggar & Sitt families. Also, among those who donated generously were the Aghion, Ariel, Bauer, Foonberg, Habif, Hassan, Lester, Mayo, Mosseri, Sabetfard, Sanieoff & Schinazi families.
In 1989, the community inaugurated their first synagogue building, Kol Sasson Bnei Shaoul, at our present location, on Corey Road in Brighton. Hence, after three and a half centuries, the Sephardim finally had their first Sephardic synagogue building in the city of Boston.
For over a quarter of a century, this synagogue building has not only served the needs of the Sephardic community, it has also homed and been instrumental in founding many other important institutions of Jewish Boston, such as the Kollel of Greater Boston, Bais Yaakov Girls High School, Ohr Yisrael Yeshiva High School, and others.
In 2008, shortly after a major renovation and completion of the Abraham Picciotto Beit Midrash, several dynamic young professionals reached out to form the New Ashkenaz Minyan (NAM). This Minyan, which is integral to the Sephardic Congregation of Greater Boston, started in October 2008 and has ever since attracting many young adults, families and students. It is a very popular destination for newcomers to Boston.
Our Rich History
Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived to the city of Boston in large numbers beginning in the 1880s. With little or no income, they looked to rebuild their old communities anew in the United States. Many Jews decided to settle in crowded, undesirable tenement neighborhoods like the North and West Ends of Boston where cheaper housing was available. There Jews often formed a landsmanschaft – an organization of re-settled people originally from the same area in Europe.
This was the case for a group of Jewish immigrants from Vilna Guberniya – the county outside of present-day Vilnius, Lithuania – who formed a landsmanschaft in 1893 on the north slope of Beacon Hill in Boston's West End. They prayed together, gathering a minyan – ten men needed to hold a complete Jewish prayer service – in the homes of their members. As their membership increased and they formed a traditional Jewish congregation, they needed a permanent synagogue. They called themselves Anshei Vilner or “the People of Vilnius" and sought a new home for their group.
As the number of immigrants moving to Beacon Hill increased and landowners built tenements to house them, the 150 year-old African American community living there began to move away. Buildings emerged on the market and in 1909, Anshei Vilner purchased the former 12th Baptist Church (est. 1848) at 45 Phillips Street and turned it into their synagogue. After ten years of worship at 45 Phillips Street, the city of Boston purchased the synagogue from Anshei Vilner for $20,000 and demolished the building to make way for the expansion of the Wendell Phillips School.
On December 11, 1919, Anshei Vilner laid the cornerstone for its new building at 18 Phillips Street. The congregation employed the only Jewish architect in the city, Max Kalman, and young men in the community helped with the construction. Vilner congregants painted the walls and ceiling of their new synagogue with decorative murals, a long-standing tradition of Eastern European Jews. Three distinct sets of murals covered the walls of the Vilna Shul, although these paintings were later covered over with beige paint. Today they are some of the only examples of pre-war Jewish mural art in the United States.
For 65 years, the congregation prayed at 18 Phillips Street, but in 1950 life rapidly changed in the West End. The city destroyed the West End in an urban renew project, leaving places like the Vilna as one of the only synagogues in the area. As most of the Jewish community had long since left Beacon Hill for more desirable neighborhoods and open space, the Vilner became a synagogue for those "left" on the Hill. The last remaining member of Anshei Vilner, Mendel Miller, held a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) service in the synagogue for the last time in 1985.
Today the Shul is a little different. We are a cultural center, a place where the history of Boston's Jews can be shared and enjoyed by everyone and where Boston Jewish life thrives once again.
RABBI DANIEL SHERMAN
Rabbi Daniel Sherman joined West Side Institutional Synagogue in 2013. He studied at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem and then earned a BA from Yeshiva College, where he won the award for Talmudic Excellence. He earned his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he was a Maybaum Scholar as well. Prior to recieving his semicha, he interned at Congregation BIAV in Overland Park, Kansas. Rabbi Sherman is also the Co-Director of TorahLetzion, an organization that assists motivated high school students afford a gap-year in Israel. He also spent many summers at Camp Nesher serving as the Head of Staff Beit Medrash Program, chinuch Rebbi, and Assistant Athletic Director.
CANTOR ZEV MULLER
Cantor Zev Müller, our very own "Chazzan Zevi", was raised in a house of Rabbis and Chazzanim. His father, Rabbi Aron Müller, is the Rabbi of the Jewish community in Baden, Switzerland, and his uncle is the famous Cantor Benjamin Müller of Antwerp, Belgium. Chazzan Zevi studied in the renowned Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, and in Beth Medrash Gavoha of Lakewood, New Jersey. Zevi received his BA in Cell Biology & Neuroscience summa cum laude from Rutgers University, and his MA in Biological Sciences from Columbia University. He is currently a graduate student at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University.
Cantor Müller has studied Chazzanut and voice for many years with acclaimed cantors and opera singers, and has been leading high holiday services since the age of 18. He is a Spinto Tenor with a full range and with variations of color and dynamics. Despite his young age, Cantor Müller is well regarded in the cantorial world and is often invited to perform at concerts, officiate Chuppot and daven as a guest Chazzan around the world. In 2010, Cantor Müller recited the Kel Moleh Rachamim prayer at the UN General Assembly in commemoration of the Holocaust.
Cantor Müller has been the cantor at WSIS since 2007 and has become an integral part of the shul and the community. Though well-versed in traditional Chazzanut, Chazzan Zevi has integrated more contemporary-styled music, which encourages participatory davening and singing. Chazzan Zevi has inspired many with his warm heartfelt services and attracts many locals and visitors to the synagogue.
Besides his role as Cantor, Zevi also lectures and gives shiurim on Gemara, Jewish and Halachic topics for members of the shul and the broader community. He also finds time to teach Chazzanut, Nusach and voice to adults and children. Zevi and his wife, Chaya, live on the Upper West Side.
His love for his fellow man was genuine – you felt it and reciprocated in kind. Every word of Torah was precious. He would sit and think at length about any given passage. If a difficult question was posed to him, it could set off a thought process that could last hours until he responded with an answer that was breathtaking in its precision and clarity. He enjoyed people – especially young people with fresh ideas. When he reflected on his life history, you were transported back in time. You were taken to Vilna, Pinsk, Siberia, Lodz, and of course to Boston and Bnei Brak. His love for Eretz Yisrael was not based on politics or government, but was the essence of a dream to come and walk the same land tread upon by our forefathers. In fact, he was a minister without portfolio – constantly encouraging others to make Aliya. He gave respect to others, regardless of their age. In Bnei Brak, he would not move without the direction given by the illustrious Rav, Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita.Looking back, Rebbetzin Chava Margolis a”h, was half his life. The mutual admiration was something unique to our struggling generation. It was because of this mutual respect that they were able to build and maintain and accomplish all they did.
We here in Boston were privileged to have him with us for a large part of his life. Our vibrant shul is the result of his life's work. The Mesivta of Greater Boston is named for him and his Rebbetzin, because the donor, Mr. Yitzchak Selib a”h, was befriended and educated by him. Mr. Selib also was a major donor to the Kollel, enabling them to stand on firm financial ground. For years, Rav Margolis nurtured donors for New England Hebrew Academy. He was a strong advocate for the Bais Yaakov for many years. He and his children were instrumental in the founding of Torah Academy. He founded the N'shei Agudas Yisrael which functioned successfully for many years. Agudas Yisrael of Boston, under his leadership, was the address for many great leaders of Klal Yisrael. A fruitful and productive time in Boston was followed by his move to Eretz Yisrael. It was an act of Divine Providence that he found himself in the presence of one of the great personalities of the Jewish world – Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein Shlita, son-in-law of Rav Elyashiv Ztz”l, and one of the foremost Poskim in the world. Although much younger than Rav Margolis, their mutual respect was something to behold. He referred to Rav Margolis as “Pe’er HaShchuna” the crown of the neighborhood. Rav Margolis began to give lectures in Mussar. The Sefer of the Alter of Navordok – Madreigas HaOdom – became well known in Ramat Elchonon. He acquired many friends and students – most of them many years younger than him.
Towards the end of his life he suffered a few strokes, but always displayed signs of mussar and yiras shamayim.
On the 14 of Shevat, the light of this magnificent neshama was darkened, and we are left with the memories. He was a bridge to the past, and left us with a path to the future.
To you all, I wish a happy and healthy year.
The Queens Jewish Center, also known as Queens Jewish Center and Talmud Torah or QJC, is a synagogue in Forest Hills, Queens, New York known for its significant contributions to the Jewish community. The synagogue was established by a dozen families in 1943 to serve the growing central Queens Jewish community.The current spiritual leader is Rabbi Simcha Hopkovitz.
The Queens Jewish Center building won honorable mention in the 1955 Queens Chamber of Commerce, Annual Building Awards. The architect was David Moed of Manhattan and the Builder was the LeFrak Organization.
The structure actually consists of two separate buildings. On October 3, 1946 an option was taken on the vacant plot where both Synagogue buildings now stand. Ground was first broken for the first building (also referred to as the Talmud Torah building or Bais Hamedrash building) during an elaborate ceremony on June 5, 1949, by Judge Paul Balsam and Center President Herman A. Levine. The ground-breaking for the Main Synagogue building took place on June 21, 1953 and was made possible by generous benefactor, Mr. Harry
Neighborhood
· Forest Hills was once the home of the US Open tennis tournament, played at the West Side Tennis Club before it moved to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park. When the Open was played at the tennis stadium, the tournament was commonly referred to merely as Forest Hills just as the British Open was referred to as Wimbledon.
· The neighborhood boasts a beautiful aura of old English infrastructure.
· The feeling of the neighborhood is a safe one. Conclusive for a healthy lifestyle , in mind body and spirit.
· It’s pretty picturesque scenery make it perfect surrounding for simply, better living.
· Only minutes away from the Mile long Austin street Shopping strip. As well as the large array of shopping opportunities of Queens Blvd and the boutique style antique shops of Metropolitan Ave. Truly a garden , to live in.
The Kehilla – A Brief Historical Review
K'hal Adath Jeshurun ("KAJ") was the name of the famed Kehilla in Frankfurt-am-Main, in pre-war Germany. It was established by Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch who was brought to Frankfurt in 1851 to lead the small remnant of the Orthodox community which had been decimated by the Reform. Disassociating ("Austritt" – Independent Orthodoxy) from the Reform and under the banner of his "Torah im Derech Eretz" approach, Rav Hirsch founded a school (the "Realschule") and rebuilt the Orthodox Frankfurt Kehilla to great success.
In the late 1930's, driven out of Europe by Hitler and his followers, a small number of German refugees who had settled in the Washington Heights section of New York joined together to establish a Minyan of their own where they could maintain their accustomed Minhagim and cherished tradition.
When Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer arrived in New York in February 1939, he was asked to become Rav of this Minyan which, at the time, was held only on Shabbos. Upon accepting this position, Rav Breuer immediately offered his home so that there could be regular weekday services. At the suggestion of the Rav, the minyan assumed the name of the famous Frankfurt Kehilla “K'hal Adath Jeshurun”. Like the Frankfurt Kehilla, this congregation was to become a full-fledged Kehilla to serve as a bastion of Independent Orthodoxy and a bearer of the "Torah im Derech Eretz" banner.
Rav Breuer was the grandson of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch and the son of Rav Dr. Salomon Breuer, who had succeeded Rav Hirsch in his position as Rav of the Frankfurt Kehilla. Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer had served as the Rav of the "Klaus" synagogue in Frankfurt and as the Rosh HaYeshiva of the Frankfurt Yeshiva.
Rav Breuer saw the opportunity to rebuild the Frankfurt Kehilla of old, but at the same time making it a center that attracted not only people from Frankfurt and Germany at large but from many neighboring Kehillos of Europe. While in general the Kehilla continued the Minhagim of Frankfurt, some changes were introduced by Rav Breuer to accommodate members who came from other communities.
After the modest beginning, the Kehilla rented space in the Republican Club of Washington Heights. Soon the space proved too small and, in time for Pesach 1939, the hall of 90 Bennett Avenue was rented. During that year, a fire destroyed a large part of the hall and it became necessary once again to move to other quarters. The premises at 187th Street and Fort Washington Avenue were then rented until 1941, when the Kehilla purchased the building at 90 Bennett to serve as the Shul and, later, as the Yeshiva. The current Shul building at 85-93 Bennett Avenue was built in 1952 (and extensively renovated in 2001); the facility at 90 Bennett Avenue then began serving as a social hall. Originally called the Schuster Hall, it is now known at the Dr. Raphael Moller Auditorium.
In spite of great difficulties and enormous obstacles, Rav Breuer set out to establish the institutions required for an all-encompassing Kehilla. His initial effort called for the establishment and building of a Mikveh. Although he was advised by many that it was unrealistic to try to build a Mikveh at that time of war and economic uncertainty, Rav Breuer characteristically persevered and a building on 187th Street and Audubon Avenue was purchased and the Mikveh opened in 1943. The Mikveh was moved to its current location at 186 Street and Broadway in 1982 and extensively renovated in 2002.
Ever concerned with the welfare of the Kehilla, Rav Breuer asked Rav Shimon Schwab, then Rav of Congregation She’arith Israel in Baltimore, to join him in the Rabbinate in 1958. With his command of the English language, Rav Schwab was a special influence on the younger members. Under his guidance, the Yeshiva added a S’micha program. His erudition and oratorical ability gained for him and the Kehilla world-wide renown. For 22 years, Rav Breuer and Rav Schwab worked together to develop the Kehilla in all its aspects. Rav Breuer was niftar in 1980; Rav Schwab was niftar in 1995.
In 1987, the Kehilla asked Rav Zachariah Gelley to join the Rabbinate and assume the position of Morah D'Asrah and Av Bais Din. Rav Gelley had been the Rosh Yeshiva in Sunderland, England for 22 years. In 2006 the Kehilla invited Rav Yisroel Mantel of Lucerne, Switzerland, to join the Rabbinate.
"The Kehilla needs a Yeshiva" was a repeated appeal by Rav Breuer. In 1944 the Yeshiva, named Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, was established and classes were held in the Shul building at 90 Bennett Avenue. Mr. Jacob Breuer was the elementary school Principal until he retired to Eretz Yisrael in 1986. Subsequent Principals were Rabbi Baruch Lichtenstein, Rabbi Reuven Drucker and Rabbi Nosson Adler; the present Principal, Rabbi Yehudah Moller, is a grandson of long-time president of the Kehilla, Dr. Raphael Moller. For decades Rabbi Emanuel Weldler served as secular studies principal of Junior High and High Schools. The Broadway Building was rebuilt as a school building in 1958 and the High School building next to the Shul was built in 1961. The Rika Breuer Teachers Seminary was established in 1963 under the leadership of Rabbi Joseph Elias. In 1973, the Mesivta and the Beth Medrash were relocated to a new building at 220 Bennett Avenue, named Beth Medrash al shem HoRav Shlomo Breuer.
The Beth Medrash was founded in 1958 by Rav Naftoli Friedler (the senior maggid shiur in the Yeshiva since 1948), who became the first Rosh Yeshiva. He was assisted by Rabbi Eliyohu Krieger who served the Yeshiva in various roles for over five decades. Rav Friedler was succeeded by, YB”L, Rav Yaakov Perlow, who in 1976 also assumed the position of the Novominsker Rebbe. During his tenure as Rosh Yeshiva the Kollel was started. In 1981, Rav Pinchos Kahn became Rosh Yeshiva; he was succeeded in 1986 by Rav Meir Levi, who is also the current rav of K’hal Adath Jeshurun of Monsey. Since 2009, Rav Yehoshua Rubanowitz has also held the title of Rosh Yeshiva. He has re-established a post-high school beis medrash program which has grown to over 70 bachurim.
Rav Breuer also oversaw the establishment of a Kashrus network, known for its integrity, as well as the gradual development of gemilus chessed institutions such as Chevros Kaddisho for men and women.
In 1947 Rav Breuer invited Rav Moshe Jacobovits to join him as Dayan of the Kehilla. Rav Jacobovits, a native of Lakenbach, Austria and a talmid of the Pressburg Yeshiva, assisted the Rav in the expanding Kashrus network and gave regular Shiurim. After his untimely passing in 1950, he was succeeded by Rav Eleazar Tarsis, a talmid of Rav Dr. Salomon Breuer and of Lithuanian yeshivos. In 1967, Rav Jacob Posen, a member of the Gateshead Kollel for many years, became the Dayan and in 1989 Rav Chaim Kohn became an additional Dayan of the Kehilla. Rav Eliyahu Glucksman joined the Kehilla in 1970 to serve the Rabbinate with particular involvement with the youth of the community and later became a Dayan of the Kehilla.
The burden of the administrative work of the Kehilla has been carried over the years by the Board of Trustees, headed first by Mr. Walter Joseph, followed by Dr. Raphael Moller, who served as president for 38 years. Rabbi Edwin Katzenstein succeeded Dr. Moller in 1980 and presided over the Kehilla at a crucial time after the petiros of Rav Breuer and Dr. Moller. Rabbi Katzenstein was succeeded in 1986 by Dr. Erich Erlbach, who served in that position until 2008. He was succeeded by Mr. Avram Cahn, who served for four years. Currently, Mr. Samson R. Bechhofer serves as president of the Kehilla.
Under Rav Breuer and his successors, the Rabbinate continues to adhere to the philosophy of "Independent Orthodoxy" which rejects both the legitimacy of other branches of Judaism and any dealings with organizations associated with them. KAJ also bases its approach and structure on Rav Hirsch's philosophy of "Torah im Derech Eretz", which encourages involvement in the modern world under the dominion of Torah without any compromise of loyalty to Torah and its precepts. Learning Torah is a core value of the Kehilla and there are many intensive shiurim and learning programs at various levels for men and women of all ages.
Unlike most Ashkenazic synagogues in the United States, which follow the Nusach Askhenaz ("Polish") liturgical rite, KAJ follows Minhag Ashkenaz ("German") in its liturgical text, practices, and melodies. Its first official Chazon was Mr. Abe Wertheim who was joined in 1949 by Mr. Robert R. Frankel (who officially “retired” in 1989 but continued davening at the Omud on many occasions through Shabbas Shuvah 2008 just days before he became ill and subsequently thereafter was niftar). In 1962, Mr. Frankel was joined by Rabbi David Kenner; after Chazen Frankel’s retirement, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kenner served as Chazon together with his father for a period of 10 years. In 2001, Mr. Ezra Hes and Rabbi Ezra Lasdun were appointed Chazonim. Chazan Lasdun continues to serve as the Kehilla’s official chazon. The Chazonim, Baale Tefillo and the men and boys of the choir take great pride in perpetuating the familiar Niggunim of the Kehilla.
True to the concept of a full service kehilla, KAJ comprises a synagogue offering shiurim and lectures, a yeshiva, a beth medrash and a social hall. The Kehilla also provides its members with a Mikveh, the services of a Chevra Kadisha and a renowned Kashrus supervision.
In 2013, we celebrated the 125th anniversary of the founding of the earliest of the Boston Synagogue’s predecessor shuls — Congregation Beth Jacob, founded in 1888. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the Synagogue Board formed an Archival/Historical Committee, which wrote a 260-page history book. It is the most authoritative history ever written about the synagogues of the West End. The book is available for purchase directly from the Synagogue, as well as on Amazon.com.
Much of what we have uncovered is quite fascinating and not widely known. Parts of it are funny — like the story of how some disgruntled Kosher butchers and a rejected suitor poisoned all 2,000 guests at the wedding of a rabbi’s daughter. Fortunately, no one died. We also interviewed former West End resident Leonard Nimoy, who among other things told us that the famous Vulcan salute comes from the priestly blessing that he observed as a teenager at one of our predecessor synagogue’s High Holiday services.
In some ways, the story of Boston Synagogue is the story of Boston generally: substantial growth due to immigration at the turn of the 20th century; followed by a long period of urban decline; then substantial resurgence as downtown Boston has become an increasingly attractive place for people to live. As such, we celebrate not just our synagogue, but also the entire downtown Boston community of which we are a part.
A few years ago, we established guidelines for adding artwork that complements the building’s modern design. We commissioned a new ark curtain designed by Joy Chertow, an art teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton, MA. The intricate and ornate quilting was done by Elana Schreiber, a science teacher at Schechter. The curtain was donated by Mark Schonfeld in memory of his late wife, Bobbie.
After numerous compliments about our ark curtain, we decided to commission a new wall hanging for our lobby entryway, in memory of our longstanding member Florence Wasserman. The Etz Hayim (tree of life) design with a representation of the city of Jerusalem, also designed by Joy Chertow, was chosen to represent the continuing attachment of generations of Jews worldwide to the land of Israel.
wallhangingAs part of our 125th anniversary, we created a high-resolution scan of the 1909 North Russell Street Mishna Society hand-illuminated cover page, and then created a set of enlargements from this work that now grace the sanctuary. It is a beautiful blend of the traditional and modern!
The Young Israel of Brookline is one of the largest Orthodox congregations in New England. The congregation was founded in 1953 and our earliest services were held in a small house on Fuller Street. When we quickly outgrew the space, member families purchased a larger site a few blocks away, on Green Street. In January 1994, when an electrical fire destroyed our shul building, our services and programs moved down the block, to a re-converted office building which we used while our new shul, shown above, was under construction. With great joy, the Young Israel community dedicated the new synagogue in November, 1996. The new facility hosts a main sanctuary which seats 525 congregants, beit midrash and Judaica library, banquet hall, kosher catering facilities, bridal room, classrooms, offices, keilim mikveh, and permanent sukkah structure.
Our members are a diverse group consisting of student couples, individuals, and families. Since Brookline is within walking distance of area hospitals, and a short drive to many universities and high-tech companies, it’s a popular destination. Many of our members are trained in the sciences, including the medical, software and engineering fields, and play leadership roles within their respective organizations. Also, since Boston is home to many top hospitals, we tend to see people from around the world, including many from Israel.
Chabad of Fort Lee is founded on the principle that, while Jews embrace many levels of observance in their personal lives, there should be a place for all Jews no labels, no affiliations. They develop a sense of community and enhance the experience of being Jewish. They have successfully catered to hundreds of families from all backgrounds, offering Jewish educational programming in an accepting and innovative setting where all feel welcome. The goal is to create a positive Jewish experience for everyone as they strengthen their ties to the Jewish community.
Chabad of of Fort Lee is a place where every Jewish person is welcome – regardless of affiliation or level of knowledge. Our sole purpose is to create a warm welcoming environment to explore and experience our heritage in a non-judgmental and inviting atmosphere.
Chabad:
There's a palpable warmth at our synagogue services that melts away any embarrassment for those unfamiliar with, or new to, communal prayer.
Everyone feels at home. Come feel for yourself the family atmosphere that makes our services such a delightful experience.
Growth. Connection.
Two little words that symbolize what Chabad of Fort Lee stands for. Two big words that tell you what's so special about us.
Many people come to study or pray at Chabad. They come from all sorts of backgrounds, have many different religious affiliations, and function at all levels of Judaic observance.
But there is one thing they have in common: they are on a journey of growth – personal, intellectual, emotional, religious. They seek to expand their Jewish horizons, increase their knowledge in areas of Judaism, and for some, to grow in Jewish observance.
Warmly, gently, humorously, humbly, but persistently, our Rabbi, Rabbi Konikov, a world class Rabbi and scholar, urges everyone onward and upward, based on the teachings of Chassidism and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, that every Jew is precious and important because he is a Jew, and endowed with a G‑dly soul. One more Torah class. Try out a mitzvah. Explore your roots, take one step further on the path of Judaism; tomorrow maybe another. What when how much and how fast is up to you. But take a step forward. As long one lives one must keep on growing.
But a person, like a plant, needs warmth to grow. Our Chabad is legendary for its warmth, its friendliness, its caring, its hospitality. The words shul family are so often used here, that they've actually become a cliche. The Chabad has become the true center of our community.
Congregation Ohab Zedek, or OZ, as it is fondly known, is more than just a synagogue. Under the leadership of Rabbi Allen Schwartz, the Shul is known for its open doors and big heart. OZ has broad ties with the surrounding Jewish community and its Upper West Side neighborhood as a whole. A random visitor could easily encounter an up and coming scholar from Israel, or members of the local fire station. It is an informal, comfortable, inclusive community.
OZ is a modern Orthodox congregation, but any individual is welcome, regardless of background or means. It is a Shul of interlocking communities–young families who find a relaxed setting on Shabbos morning to introduce their toddlers to services; singles, who famously crowd the steps on Friday night; and seniors, many of whom have been members of OZ for decades. It is home to those tentatively exploring Judaism as well as the most learned, who are stimulated by a broad array of lecturers and classes.
Rabbi Allen Schwartz became the spiritual leader of Congregation Ohab Zedek in 1988. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva College and received his Master of Arts Degree in Bible, Rabbinics and Halacha from Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School, where he continues to work on his doctoral thesis on Rashi's methodology. Rabbi Schwartz was granted Smicha from the University's affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He currently holds the Raymond J. Greenwald Chair in Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University, where he has taught since 1983.
Rabbi Schwartz and his wife Alisa moved to the Upper West Side in 1985, where he served as rabbi at Congregation Ohav Shalom before moving to the pulpit at Ohab Zedek. Rabbi Schwartz's major focus at OZ is to foster connections within and among the many different age groups and constituencies of Jews living on the Upper West Side. Seeking to make all kinds of religious opportunities available to Ohab Zedek members, he brings information to the community regarding such subjects as Chesed, Tzedakah, Torah learning, Shatnes testing, Tefillin and Mezuzah service, and assistance with Mitzvah and Shabbos observance. Rabbi Schwartz's goal for the community is to make every OZ attendee a member of the larger community family.
Rabbi Schwartz gives weekly classes on a variety of subjects at OZ and also taught fifth through eighth grades at Manhattan Day School. He has lectured extensively for the Board of Jewish Education of New York at elementary and high schools in the New York area. Rabbi Schwartz has published curricula on Biblical themes for Jewish day schools nationally and has written Bible curricula for Yeshiva day schools and high schools. He serves on the executive board of the Rabbinical Council of America and has also served as President of the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of Manhattan's West Side. Rabbi Schwartz was the camp rabbi and educational director of Camp Morasha from 1996 to 2000 and then served as the educational director of Camp Mesora from 2002 to 2005 and continues to dedicate time during the summer months to serve its educational staff.
Rabbi Schwartz recently completed a scholarly edition of the Commentary of the Rokeach to the Book of Proverbs.
Rabbi and Alisa Schwartz have six children and eleven grandchildren.
Shacharit Mincha/Maariv
Sunday 8:30 am
Weekday 7:00 am
Friday evening sundown
Shabbos morning 9:15 am
Montefiore Orthodox Synagogue
460 Westford Street
Lowell, MA 01851
(978) 459-9400
B"H Shalom! Montefiore Synagogue (previously known as Montefiore Society Synagogue ), the oldest synagogue in Lowell, Massachusetts was established in 1896. It relocated to Westford Street in 1971, after merging with Anshe Sfard Synagogue in 1969.
Lowell, is a great place for Orthodox Jews! We have a small close-knit Jewish community dedicated to preserving and enhancing Jewish life in the Merrimack Valley region. Lowell, Massachusetts is located off the junction of Routes 3 and 495, and is conveniently located in the high-tech region of Boston Routes 128/95 and 93. Boston is just a 45-minute drive from us and New Hampshire is just 10 minutes north of us. Lowell is home to a minor league baseball team, the Spinners , and hockey team, the Lock Monsters. Lowell has quite a number of cultural and theatrical venues, the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, the Tsongas Arena, and the Merrimack Repertory Theatre to name a few.
Not to be confused with Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn, "Great House of Study of the People of Hungary", a Lower East Side congregation founded in 1883 by Hungarian Jews.
Beth Hamedrash Hagodo: בֵּית הַמִּדְרָש הַגָּדוֹל, "Great Study House "is an Orthodox Jewish congregation that for over 120 years was located in a historic building at 60–64 Norfolk Street between Grand and Broome Streets in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was the first Eastern European congregation founded in New York City and the oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in the United States.
Founded in 1852 by Rabbi Abraham Ash as Beth Hamedrash, the congregation split in 1859, with the rabbi and most of the members renaming their congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagodol. The congregation's president and a small number of the members eventually formed the nucleus of Kahal Adath Jeshurun, also known as the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Rabbi Jacob Joseph, the first and only Chief Rabbi of New York City, led the congregation from 1888 to 1902.Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, one of the few European Jewish legal decisors to survive the Holocaust, led the congregation from 1952 to 2003.
The congregation's building, a Gothic Revival structure built in 1850 as the Norfolk Street Baptist Church and purchased in 1885, was one of the largest synagogues on the Lower East Side. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In the late 20th century the congregation dwindled and was unable to maintain the building, which had been damaged by storms. Despite their obtaining funding and grants, the structure was critically endangered.
The synagogue was closed in 2007. The congregation, reduced to around 20 regularly attending members, was sharing facilities with a congregation on Henry Street The Lower East Side Conservancy was trying to raise an estimated $4.5 million for repairs of the building, with the intent of converting it to an educational center. In December the leadership of the synagogue under Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum filed a “hardship application” with the Landmarks Preservation Commission seeking permission to demolish the building to make way for a new residential development. This application was withdrawn in March 2013, but the group Friends of the Lower East Side described Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's status as "demolition by neglect"
Rabbi Ben Skydell has been the rabbi at Congregation Orach Chaim since January 2013. He follows an illustrious tradition of major American Rabbis to have served as the Congregation’s Rabbi, including Rabbis Michael D. Shmidman, Kenneth Hain and Simon Langer.
A native of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Rabbi Skydell is a graduate of Yeshiva College and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He is a long-time faculty member of the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, and the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, and taught for several years at Yeshivat Hadar. Rabbi Skydell also served on the rabbinic staff of Congregation Beth Sholom of Lawrence, New York for nine years.
Rabbi Skydell’s areas of interest include the intersection of Halacha and history, the spiritual worlds of mussar and hasidut, and the historical world of the Rabbis of the Talmud. Rabbi Skydell’s dynamic and engaging presentation has made him a sought-out speaker on college campuses throughout the United States.
Rabbi Skydell is married to Shani, a dedicated social worker and teacher. They are the proud parents of Hannah, Emmie and Zacky.
Cantor Yaakov Y. Stark has been described as possessing “a voice of great beauty, clear and true…breathtaking, radiant, as though from another world.” A child prodigy, at the mere age of seven Yaakov Yoseph Stark was already thrilling congregations with his heartrending solos on the High Holidays. His talent and ability were nurtured by the distinguished cantors in his family, and through continuously listening to the master cantors of the golden age: Rosenblatt, Hershman, Kwartin, Pinchik, Glantz and Koussevitzky. Huge crowds of people regularly attend to savor the stirring songs and timeless tefillos eloquently enhanced and warmly delivered by their beloved cantor. Cantor Stark was privileged to perform at numerous sold-out concerts with the most prestigious philharmonic orchestras and finest choirs throughout the world. His lyric tenor voice has put him in constant demand as a guest cantor in synagogues worldwide. Cantor Stark resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with his wife and children.
Rabbi Shmidman has served the Orach Chaim congregation and Upper East Side community since 1988. In addition to Rabbinic ordination, he holds a Ph.D. degree in Public Law and Government from Columbia University. He has served as Professor and Chairman of Political and Social Science at City University of New York and most recently as Dean of Undergraduate Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University. A widely recognized scholar, he is acclaimed as an outstanding teacher and inspiring preacher. An ardent Zionist, he has been honored by religious, social and cultural institutions in Israel and the United States.
SpatzShulPhoto tinyWe are an independent, historic Orthodox synagogue that serves a diverse congregation and the broader community.
Our little shul is a great place for davening (prayer), learning, and spiritual growth; and a social environment where we celebrate holidays and life-cycle events together.
We are a warm, caring, welcoming community where everyone can contribute and be active in the life of the congregation, build on the traditions of our founders, and link the Jewish past to the future.
The Adams Street Shul is an orthodox synagogue located near Boston, Massachusetts. The congregation was founded in 1911 — and the shul built in 1912 — by immigrants who had been settling there since the 1890's, mostly from Hungary and the Ukraine.
The synagogue is located in the Nonantum neighborhood of Newton, less than five miles from downtown Boston. Newton is famously safe, and extremely convenient to all the Boston attractions, colleges, high-tech employment, and world-class medical centers.
The Adams Street Synagogue is also convenient to mikvaot and day schools, enjoys having an eruv, and often partners with the three other orthodox synagogues within walking distance.
In the last decade of the 20th century, the antique synagogue was physically restored, and its small, vibrant congregation has been growing ever since.
The shul's members benefit from Newton's excellent municipal services. The shul's Nonantum neighborhood has more homes for rent, more two-family homes, and lower cost houses than can be found in Brookline, Sharon, or other parts of Newton. And there is an eruv.
Individuals and young families relocating to the Boston area for its job market or educational opportunities find the Adams Street Shul to be a place where they can become active and really make a difference in a welcoming, haimish community.
The synagogue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the congregation has been housed there continuously for over a century.
For more information, explore the synagogue's website or contact to arrange a tour or Shabbat hospitality.
Join our diverse congregation, over one hundred years old and still going strong!