"Synagogue-of-the-Month"Our Featured Member Synagogue for February 2006 is Temple Tifereth Israel of Malden (Reform) that is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. Seventy-five years ago, a group of Jewish residents from all over Malden, from the Maplewood and Forestdale sections, to Suffolk Square and the West End, formed a progressive congregation, which they named Congregation Tifereth Israel of Malden. Starting out as an Orthodox shul, then aligning with the Conservative movement, TTI made a conscious decision about 50 years go, to affiliate with the Reform movement's Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC - today, know as the Union for Reform Judiasm, or the URJ). As a Reform congregation in the 50s we became the first, in a city that at one time, hosted more than 7 or 8 shuls, to allow full equality of worship and leadership of women and men. We were and are proud of being a congregation whose Rabbi was a national leader of the Civil Rights Movement; and a congregation that sent cadres of children going neighborhood to neighborhood, collecting nickels, dimes and quarters in the early '70's to support Israel. Today, we are a congregation of about 170 families from at least 2 dozen cities from Boston to Amesbury, that also celebrates its 50th year in its current building. With a new Mission Statement and resolution of inclusion adopted over the past few years, our community continues to embrace change in order to continue to build and foster Jewish life north of Boston. We have have graduated more rabbis and Jewish professionals than shuls of many more times the size. TTI is proud of its commitment to education and has been awarded and/or pledged 4 grants by CJP, this year alone - for Family Education, Full Time Educator, Youth-grouping and the 2-year intensive Me'ah adult learning program - a total of $24,000! We have begun our journey of becoming the area leader in Lifelong Jewish Learning. And, we are doing this in partnerships with our sister and brother congregations across the denominational Jewish spectrum. It is a blessing and honor that we are consistently recognized and supported by the funders "across the river" in this fashion. Al shlosha d'varim, the world is sustained on 3 things, al haTorah, the study of Torah, v'al ha'avodah, service and worship, v'al g'milut chasadim, and making the world a better place. TTI has expanded its mission to al chamesh d'varim, we are sustained by 5 things, which includes v'al kehillah, our heimesha community, v'al k'lal yisrael, the broader Jewish community and Israel. Then and now, TTI continues to be a beacon of progressive Jewish learning, praying, and doing. To learn more about us, visit our website. ).
Temple Tifereth Israel Clergy: Interim Rabbi Herman J. Blumberg |