...the only interdenominational, synagogue-based organization of its kind in all of North America.
With over 120 dues paying member congregations, the Synagogue Council -- a joint venture of the Union for Reform Judaism (Northeast Council), United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (New England Region), Orthodox, and Reconstructionist congregations in Massachusetts -- is a successful 25-year experiment in community-building.
Please take a look around and contact us directly for further information.
"Synagogue-of-the-Month"
Our Featured Member synagogue for May 2008 is Congregation Agudat Achim, a Conservative congregation in Leominster. We are pleased to recognize the synagogue in celebration of its 85th anniversary, and in honor of Rabbi Alan Alpert's 10th anniversary with the shul.
In 1923, twenty-eight families founded Congregation Agudat Achim (literally, an assembly of brothers and sisters) and committed to building a synagogue in Leominster and engaging a fulltime Rabbi. This month, Agudat Achim marks its 85th anniversary as well as the tenth year of leadership by Rabbi Alan M. Alpert with a gala celebration.
Rabbi Alpert is an accepting and down-to-earth spiritual leader, a hard worker and dedicated teacher, a warm and caring person, and a friend, who quotes Hillel: "Al Tifrosh min ha-tzibur: Do not separate yourself from the community." Rabbi Alpert leads this diverse community by teaching. Our ideals are based on tradition and change, understanding that Jewish tradition holds within itself the seeds for growth and renewal. He and wife Meryl Alpert, Director of the Rosenshine Nursery School at Temple Reyim in Newton, are very much a part of our community, and help congregants of all backgrounds to feel at home here.
Agudat Achim is a welcoming, egalitarian and participatory Conservative congregation, drawing members from north Worcester and Middlesex Counties and southern New Hampshire. We're proud of our fair-share dues policy and tuition-free Hebrew School. We enjoy dancing with Mashke on Simchat Torah, we kvell at Tot Shabbat, and we look forward to socializing at the Passover Wine and Chocolate Tasting. But it's not only about enjoying each other's company: Agudat Achim is a sacred community, a congregation by virtue of our commitment to follow God's will in making ourselves better people and the world a better place. We do that by teaching our children that when our friends are working, we ask how we can help. We do that by welcoming old friends and new, by sharing our table and our family with them at times of simcha and times of mourning. We do it by learning and praying together. Judaism celebrates all of life, and Congregation Agudat Achim is where and how we celebrate.
For more information about Congregation Agudat Achim or the May 18th gala, email shalom@agudat-achim.org or find us at www.agudat-achim.org, Better still, call our delightful office manager Debbie at 978-534-6121.
268 Washington Street
Leominster, MA 01453
Clergy: Rabbi Alan M. Alpert
Annual Meeting Honors Children of Morton & Sylvia Grossman and Dr. Sidney Kadish
You are cordially invited to attend SCM's Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at Temple Emanuel of Newton (change of venue). The evening -- which includes a dinner and dessert buffet, silent auction, and a musical performance in honor of Israel’s 60th -- will be a wonderful gathering that supports the ground-breaking work of the Synagogue Council and recognizes the accomplishments of some outstanding individuals.
We are delighted to announce that the CHILDREN OF MORTON & SYLVIA GROSSMAN AND THEIR SPOUSES (Patti & Louis Grossman, Amy & Rick Sands, Linda & Ken Polivy, and Rachel & Bryan Koplow) will be honored with the Synagogue Council’s K’lal Yisrael Award. This honor acknowledges the magnificent contributions of the Grossman family to support Jewish education, camping, the synagogue and many other significant causes in Jewish life. As an organization that promotes an appreciation for religious diversity and pluralism within the Jewish community, this award uniquely recognizes the Grossman, Sands, Polivy and Koplow families who -- through their involvement in area congregations -- are a reflection of that diversity.
Also that evening will be a presentation of the Community Service Award to DR. SIDNEY P. KADISH. The Community Service Award recognizes outstanding leadership in strengthening our Jewish community, supporting Jewish education, and enhancing relations across the spectrum of Jewish belief and practice. In addition to his many contributions to the synagogue and the Jewish community, Dr. Kadish is being honored for his six years of inspired leadership as Chair of the Jewish Chaplaincy Council of Massachusetts.
Click here to sign up for the event or to take out an ad or greeting in our Tribute Book.
SCM's nationally recognized Unity Mission, now in its 21st year, was held on Sunday and Monday, November 4th & 5th in New York. This program brings together leaders of Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Orthodox congregations from throughout Massachusetts for a one-of-a-kind learning experience. This year's group of 35 synagogue leaders met face to face -- not only with prominent national and international Jewish leaders, such as Rabbi Irwin Kula, President of CLAL and eminent rabbis from Yeshiva University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Hebrew Union College -- but also with rabbinical students from each of the seminaries. Highlights of the Mission included an overnight stay in Borough Park, davening at a Chasidic shul, and observing the sacred spaces, treasured archives, and artifacts preserved and housed at each of the Unity Mission's itinerary sites.
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Weekly Daf Yomi - Talmud Study Spring Class Continues 5/2
Our weekly Daf Yomi class continues to meet each Erev Shabbat morning at our Council office in Newton. It is led by our recent past-President, Dr. Jesse Hefter of Brookline. The class, led in English, is open to women and men of all backgrounds and follows the world-wide cycle of daily Talmud study. We meet from 7:30-8:30 AM. The Daf Yomi cycle is currently in Tractate Nazir (dealing with oaths and commitments).
The International Cycle of Daf Yomi (a page of talmud studied each day) was initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of the Lubliner Yeshiva on September 11, 1923. The 2,711 pages of the talmud requires about 7 and a half years to complete on a page-a-day pace. The same page of Talmud is learned around the world by thousands of Jews in dozens of languages, in synagogues, homes, buses, cars, trains, and offices and studied via classes, audio and video tapes, iPod and Palm downloads, and over the Internet. Come join us anytime to try the class out and use our online online registration.
MAKE YOUR SYNAGOGUE GREEN!
The Synagogue Council is proud to support the Boston chapter of COEJL, The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, in a statewide initiative to “pledge” to "green" synagogues in Massachusetts.This initiative involves three parts:
- The Pledge is a nonbinding statement of a synagogue’s interest in becoming more environmentally-friendly.
- The Green Guide for Massachusetts Synagogues, which will contain Massachusetts-specific information for synagogues on how to reduce environmental impact (such as where to buy earth-friendly, healthier products at great prices, and how to lower energy bills, obtain state energy company rebates & cut down on both waste and exposure to toxic chemicals).
- On-site consultations with synagogues by Boston COEJL members.
Synagogue Management Symposium Creates Strategic Partnerships
David Trietsch of CJP's Leadership Development Institute of CJP was this year's featured speaker at SCM's Management Symposium on March 5th at Temple Aliyah in Needham. ?Addressing the important topic of "Creating Strategic Partnerships Between Volunteer and Professional Leadership," Trietsch emphasized that the relationship between the leaders from both the professional and non-professional arenas needs to be an effective partnership focused on common goals and objectives.More than 60 synagogue lay leaders, rabbis and administrators who attended were provided strategies for building relationships, including listening, dealing with conflict, and exploring some practices for ensuring that agreements are implemented. ?Participants were also able to consider the barriers that impede creating these strategic partnerships and how to remove or minimize those obstacles. The Symposium ended with a sharing of ideas for creating these relationships before the gavel is passed or the installation service is over.
Attendees were able to leave the Symposium with new skills, insights and materials that included: "Key Challenges/Obstacles in Creating a Strategic Partnership"; "Tools and Techniques for Overcoming Obstacles"; "Understanding Conflict as a Natural Component of Strategic Partnerships"; and "A List of Best Practices for Developing Strategic Partnerships."
Our 2008 Synagogue Directory is available!
This publication is one of the most depended upon resources in the Jewish community as it contains essential information about every congregation, Jewish agency and educational institution in Massachusetts. Please contact us to purchase a copy ($18 each). Also included are advertisements of businesses that provide goods and services that we all depend upon. Click here to view a list of our 2008 advertisers.The synagogue-portion of the Directory is available free-of-charge online. Please click here for access! You can now search for synagogues within a proximity of any city or town in the state.
Join Us at our 11th Annual Unity Shabbaton!
Announcing the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts' Eleventh Annual Unity Shabbaton: An Adult Weekend of Study & Prayer to be held Friday, July 25 - Sunday, July 27, 2008 at the Holiday Inn, Peabody, MA. This rich and unique Shabbat experience, which brings together Jews from various streams of Judaism in an atmosphere of respect and understanding, will feature a diverse faculty of noted rabbis for high-level Judaic study, inspirational services (with mechitza and egalitarian davening options), delicious Kosher, ruach-filled meals from Provender Kosher Catering, and entertainment, as well as outstanding accomodations and air-conditioned facilities.
This year our esteemed faculty includes Rabbis Fred Hyman, Shira Joseph and David Paskin. Plan now to join in this extraordinary opportunity for learning and growth! Contact the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts at 617-244-6506, ext. 10 to request a brochure or get it here. We also offer online registration.
2008 Annual President's Council Meeting - Congregational Inclusivity
The annual President's Council meeting of the Synagogue Council brought together close to 40 synagogue presidents from across the geographic and ideological spectrum on January 27, 2008 for a morning of sharing and learning. The highlight of the program was a presentation entitled, Creating Inclusive Congregations: How Open are Our Doors? featuring Dr. Harvey Lowell (Jewish Big Brother-Big Sister), Shalom Lowell (resident of CHAI at Avalon), Mindee Meltzer (JFS Metrowest) and Sherry Grossman (BJE), flanked here by SCM leaders Alan Teperow (far left) and Anita Redner (far right).
ONE COMMUNITY, MANY BRANCHES: An Historical overview of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts
In recent years, many of us have created family genealogies or attended family reunions in an effort to learn more about who we are and where we came from. In a similar manner, this extensive and caring effort by Alan Teperow to recount the origins and history of SCM provides us with a gratifying opportunity to discover our roots and better understand how we have grown and developed as a multilayered Jewish community. Ultimately, what we can learn from the history which has shaped us should serve as a guide to how we can wisely fashion our future.
We hope you will enjoy reading the book while learning more about this unique organization. Click here to download a PDF file of the book, or contact our office for a printed copy.
Minyan MeYOUchad
Minyan MeYOUchad: a Shabbat morning service for individuals with special needs and their familes meets in the Rabb Chapel under the leadership of KI Rabbinic resident Jim Morgan from 10:30-11:45 am on Shabbat mornings April 12, and May 17. Minyan MeYOUchad, co-sponsored by the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Synagogue Council, is open to the entire Jewish community. Services are followed by a community Kiddush. Please come join us for Minyan MeYOUchad, and help us spread the word about this unique service. Feel free to contact Jim Morgan or Alan Teperow with any questions about the program.
Parsha Commentaries
Do you know of other Unity/K'lal Yisrael initiatives in your area? Please tell us about them!