Committees & Social Groups

Committees are the heart of our synagogue. We are exceptionally proud of the work done by all of our Committees. Committee membership is a wonderful way to become involved.

We encourage you to contact committee chairs to learn more. If you’d like information on which committees currently need volunteers, please contact

Danny Mandeau at mandeau@comcast.net or 617-965-8665 or
Lisa Hills at lisahills@hirschhills.com or 617-630-9862

        updated 4/23/2013

Programming includes guest speakers, multi-part courses taught by outside scholars, classes taught by our Rabbis, and in-depth learning such as Me’ah and Ikkarim.

Encourages financial support for the many programs and services offered at our Shul.

Reviews the Congregation’s financial statements, books, records and accounting systems, and reports its findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors.

Engages in the full process of preparing children for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, beginning with the scheduling of dates through to the service (and everything in between).

Responsible for the community Barbeque we enjoy every fall, this year on Sunday 9/11/2011.

Provides practical and emotional support to mourners in all aspects of the shiva observance, from house-sitting during the funeral to leading minyanim in the home, offering assistance before and during shiva week, and during the first month after the death. Training for volunteers is provided.

Please click for more information about the bereavement commitee, its important work and helpful resources.

Make new friends, bond at some of our monthly activities, volunteer at synagogue events
and/or participate in social action causes. Whether your interests are Prayer or Pool, Tefillin or Touch Football, Study or Scotch, TE Brotherhood members are there. All men are welcome to join us on the first Monday evening of each month, for Minyan, Meeting and our popular Meeting After The Meeting.

Investigates and recommends to the Directors ways to maintain our facilities and programs so they are open and available to all who wish to participate, without regard to any physical, emotional or mental disabilities or limitations.

In a series of meetings January through May, meets with department heads, clergy and committees to compile and reconcile a budget for the synagogue each year.

Recommends changes and additions to the syngagoue's By-laws to the Board of Directors.

Maintains Temple Emanuel’s Cemetery in Randolph and oversees the maintenance contracts and sales of the hundreds of available lots.

A lay-led Shabbat service with full participation in all aspects of the service, including lehning, chanting haftarah, giving a drash, or just davening with the group. Generally we meet twice a month. Check the website and Bulletin for schedule of dates.

Encourages our ability to support each other through the cycles of life by fostering relationships between Temple Emanuel members, including visits, calls, notes, rides to synagogue, and other activities that connect our community.

Provides creative input, lay support and feedback for our Shabbat morning children's services, including our weekly Tot Shabbat and Ruach Shabbat including a monthly, lay-led Family Service, as we work to enhance the Shabbat experience for our children and young families.

A full participatory, lay-led service that meets daily in the Gann Chapel, morning and evening.

Provides programming, community activities and support for parents of young children.

Oversees the annual allocation of the Temple Emanuel Endowment and monitors its investments.

This sub-committee of Hillel’s Call to Action works to green the synagogue in the areas of recycling, energy and water conservation, non-toxic products and to raise consciousness of Shomrei Adamah, guardianship of the earth.

Responsible for oversight and direction of day-to-day syngagogue operations, including policy implementation, personnel and financial matters, and the expenditure of funds in accordance with the Budget. Empowered to act on behalf of Board of Directors between meetings.

Working with the Family Educator, the Committee assists in providing a wide array of educational options for families.

Coordinates with donors who wish to establish named funds and endowments at our synagogue and oversees the management and operation of existing funds.

Volunteers greet people attending Shabbat services and make visitors feel welcome.
Join us by serving as greeter for a service.

Sets up and supports Havurot, groups of five to eight families, couples or individuals who get together to celebrate Jewish holidays and life cycle events and ordinary social activities.

Organizes and produces the community’s annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day event. This year's program is scheduled for April 23, 2012.

Responsible for the repair and maintenance of the physical plant of the Shul, including everything from cleaning to landscaping to HVAC.

Supports Israel through educational programs and co-sponsors the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program for special needs children at Haifa's Congregation Moriah. Each fall, in association with other Newton synagogues, the Combined Israel Education subcommittee presents a series of 3 lectures to the community at-large. Additional speakers are invited to the Temple during the year.

Recruits greeters to host the Sunday morning Java Gate Café, answering questions and chatting with Temple members over complementary gourmet coffee and pastries.

Plans and organizes the annual Rabbi Samuel Chiel Kallah, a stimulating weekend of prayer, study, and good fellowship, named in 1978 as a tribute to the values taught by our beloved Rabbi Samuel Chiel.

Serves in an oversight and advisory capacity to insure interfaith families are welcomed and included in our Congregation, and addresses issues that may arise around life cycle events and holidays in interfaith families. Learn how Temple Emanuel strives to be a welcoming environment for interfaith families.

Provides Judaica items for purchase, including those from Israel, to raise funds for Sisterhood special projects. Lang Judaica Shop phone 617-558-8106.

Invites seniors on Tuesday afternoons to share a variety of programs such as music, bingo, health, nutrition, Israel, books, and trips. Refreshments are served. New members, especially from Temple families, are welcome.

Operates the Rabbi Marshall R. Lifson Library, insuring our community has access to the world of Jewish literature and learning through books, music and movies. Activities include publicity, circulation, processing and maintaining the physical collections throughout the Temple.

This sub-committee of Social Action is sponsored by the JCRC’s Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy in conjunction with Boston Partners in Education. Temple members work on a one-to-one basis with students at the Ohrenberger School in West Roxbury. Training for volunteers is provided.

Welcomes grant proposals for innovative projects that will enhance synagogue life and promote the values of the Seven Gates that require funding outside of the operating budget. Application forms can be obtained from the chairs or on the website.

Welcomes new members to the Shul. Organizes outreach to prospective members and
others interested in the extraordinary range of experiences available to our members.

Develops, plans and implements a broad range of musical programs, both religious and secular in partnership with Cantor Rosemberg.

Provides opportunities for professionals at many career stages to meet and exchange ideas, resources and contacts through a range of activities and communications tools, in groups or one-on-one. Generally meets the second Wednesday of every month. Join our listerv by sending a blank email to TempleEmanuelNetworking-subscribe@googlegroups.com and join the Temple Emanuel Networking Group on LinkedIn.

Nominates candidates for officers, directors and trustees, develops and implements leadership training programs, including LEAD, the program of leadership education and development for lay and professional leadership, and identifies governance issues.

A social group with activities of interest to members, singles and couples, with older teenage and young adult children ("empty nesters"), helping them make new connections to the synagogue community.

Comprised of religious school families of Temple Emanuel, the PTA provides financial support for religious school activities and arranges for volunteers for events.

Plans and provides a variety of events that help strengthen the community of our Nursery School families and enrich the Nursery School experiences of the children.

The Myra and Robert Kraft Passport to Israel program is a unique savings plan to help parents send their children on a life-changing teen Israel experience. The program is designed so that the community, through the synagogue and CJP, helps families make possible a trip to Israel during the high school years. The synagogue's participation in this program is made possible by the generous support of our members Isabelle and Scott Black. Click for more information.

Addresses issues relating to Temple Emanuel employees. Makes recommendations to the President, the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors, as appropriate.

We are congregants dedicated to photographically capturing key moments of temple events throughout the year. Click for more information.

Acts as a sounding board for the Rabbi and other officials on policies pertaining to ritual practice and helps formulate policies on these matters. Keeps abreast of changes in the Conservative Movement and brings them to the attention of the Congregation. Helps out with services as called upon.

This subcommittee of the Funds and Endowment (Misc. Funds) Committee identifies financial need among families who have expressed interest in sending children to either Jewish summer camp or to Israel. Determines and taps funding sources.

Oversees the operation of the Religious School, subject to Board of Directors’ approval.

This sub-committee of Hillel’s Call to Action, addresses issues of interest to those providing care to, planning for, or in later life, including the Seminars for Later Life series each spring.

Assists in locating and coordinating housing for guests who need housing within walking distance of the Shul. Welcomes new volunteers who live close to the Shul and can provide housing and/or a Shabbat meal. Can also assist in pairing guests with those interested in hosting others for Shabbat or holiday celebrations.

Organizes yearly Shabbat dinners at which members host other members with the goal of making new friends at our synagogue while celebrating Shabbat together.

Maintains and preserves Jewish heritage by connecting Jewish women of all ages to one another, the synagogue, and a Jewish way of life. Creates and funds programs and events for the Temple Emanuel community while fostering awareness and activism for the Jewish community at-large.

Develops and supports programs that embody the Jewish concept of social justice and create a greater sense of community based on Jewish values. Conceives, plans, and implements specific projects to improve lives and build bridges to the Greater Boston community, including Literacy Volunteer Tutors, Family Table, Sunday’s Bread and Annual Coat Drive.

Acts both within our own Temple Emanuel community and beyond, addressing systems that affect the lives of seniors and their caregivers as well as recycling and other environmental issues.Initiatives include: Chesed - Caring Community and Environment subcommittees and participation in the GBIO, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.

Assists Jewish adults with developmental and other disabilities strengthen religious and social connections with the Jewish community. Welcomes new members, especially from Temple Emanuel families, and also new volunteers to help with monthly meetings.

USY provides a safe and fun environment for 7^th through 12^th graders to engage in religious, social and community-oriented activities as well as access to participate in regional and national USY programs. Activities include Limo Scavenger Hunt, Turkey Dance, Shabbat dinners and overnight retreats.

Ushers play a central role in the Shul’s services by greeting congregants, passing out aliyot and honors, and generally helping to create a smooth flow to the service and a haimish environment for worship, enhancing the Shul’s spiritual life.

Maintains and enhances the synagogue's website to facilitate the promotion of Temple Emanuel services, programs, events, organizations and advertisers. Web masters also manage public e-mail groups and advise on Temple Emanuel technology-related issues.

A community of young adult members - including singles and couples without children - who get together once a month to celebrate Shabbat, holidays, and social events in order to form connections with each other and the broader Temple Emanuel community as they build the foundation (Yisod) of their future Jewish lives.

Supports and advocates for the Harry Kraft Youth Department. Provides guidance to the Youth Department staff and helps set goals and plan activities for the informal Jewish education of our children in grades 3 through 12. Our youth groups are: Chalutzim for 3rd and 4th graders, Kadima for 5th and 6th graders, Jr. USY for 7th and 8th graders, and Sr. USY for 9th through 12th graders.