Temple Emanuel

Psalms with Sid
2024-11-02 12:45 - 14:00, 2024-11-09 12:45 - 14:00, 2024-11-16 12:45 - 14:00, 2024-11-23 12:45 - 14:00, 2024-11-30 12:45 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Slater Conference Room, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us in Slater after Kiddush for a series of educational discussions on psalms. Sessions will be led by Sid Kadish. Stop by once, or come for all six!
Session Dates: November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Join us on ZOOM!

Learn to Read Torah: You Too Can Cantillate!
2024-11-04 18:15 - 19:15, 2024-11-18 18:15 - 19:15 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Anyone can read Torah. These sessions will focus on practical skills, in addition to learning the history behind the mystery!
Class Dates: 9/16, 9/23, 10/7,10/21, 10/28, 11/4, 11/18, 11/25
Register Here→

Navigating Healthcare in Boston
2025-01-14 18:30 - 19:15 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Despite the extraordinarily robust healthcare ecosystem in Boston navigating the system as a patient requires understanding the complexities of the local healthcare companies, insurance coverage limitations, identifying and retaining primary care and the best ways of communicating with clinical providers. Dr. Howard Heller will share his perspective of the most critical issues gained from 33 years of experience caring for patients in Boston/Cambridge as a primary care doctor, as a specialist and also as a patient.

The Choreography of Davening Explained
2025-01-18 12:30 - 14:00 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Minyan Ma’or warmly welcomes all to join as Yair Listokin explains some Shabbat davening practices during lunch this Shabbat. For example, why do some stand during kaddish? What’s the three steps back and forth all about at the beginning and end of an Amidah? LOTS more will be explained!
We look forward to this educational session!

You, Too, Can Cantillate: High Holy Day Edition
2025-03-03 18:00 - 19:15, 2025-03-10 18:00 - 19:15, 2025-03-17 18:00 - 19:15 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
There is a rich history to Torah Cantillation melody spanning the globe. One of the variations is the way in which we chant on the High Holy Days. This class is for those that already have a working knowledge of trope. To join the class, register here (link here) We look forward to finding a reading for you on Rosh HaShana or Yom Kippur in 5786!
Register Here→

Meet Today’s Technion Students...Tomorrow’s Israeli Innovators and Entrepreneurs
2025-03-05 19:30 - 21:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Who will create the scientific and technological breakthroughs that will shape Israel and our world in the years to come? Who else but Technion students? Meet Yaniv Slor Futterman, an undergraduate student of electrical and computer engineering who is working to leverage computational systems to improve the treatment of cancer. He will be joined by fellow undergraduate Nikol Seleznev, whose studies combine her passion for engineering with a desire to improve lives through innovative healthcare solutions. You’ll be inspired by their soaring aspirations and personal journeys. Join Temple Emanuel’s Israel Action Committee, in partnership with Boston’s Technion Speaker Series, for a conversation with these talented Technion students, the Berger Visiting Fellows. There will be light kosher refreshments served.
Register→

The Synagogues of Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan
2025-03-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us to learn the history of the many synagogues that have existed in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan throughout the last 150 years.
Dorchester and Roxbury native Jeffrey Calish will discuss the Jewish population and migration trends that drove the boom and bust of these local congregations, and how the buildings they inhabited continue to serve their communities to this day.

Minyan Ma’or Lunch & Learn with Passover Scholar-in-Residence-Rabbi Mishael Zion
2025-04-05 12:30 - 14:00 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Rabbi Mishael Zion will lead an interactive discussion on Wicked: 20th Century Lessons from the Art of the Wicked Child at Minyan Ma’or’s Lunch & Learn in Reisman Hall following Ma’or’s service, which starts at 9:30 a.m.
Wicked: 20th Century Lessons from the Art of the Wicked Child
Forget the food, family and texts – Passover night is the night of Jewish Art, with the generations of artistic renditions of the Four Children and illuminated Haggadot serving a central role in the Passover experience. Taking an in-depth look at the Art of the four children, and specifically on the wicked child in 20th century art, provides a powerful re-telling of modern Jewish stories, ideas and politics in an accessible and surprising way.
About Rabbi Mishael Zion
Rabbi Mishael Zion comes from a Haggadah-filled home: he is co-author of A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices (2007) and The Israeli Haggadah (2024), together with his father Noam Zion, who is the author of A Different Night: The Family Participation Haggadah (Hartman, 1997). Mishael was ordained by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York, has served as co-Director and rabbi of the Bro nfman Fellowships, and founded the Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture for Israeli Arts, Culture and Media leaders. He is also leader of the Klausner Minyan in Talpiot, Jerusalem, the neighborhood he was born in and in where his wife Elana, and their four daughters, live.

Mishael Zion's Seder Survival Kit: How to turn your Passover table into a Night to Remember
2025-04-06 09:30 - 10:45 | Adelson Community Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
A Seder workshop from the home that brought you “A Different Night” and “A Night to Remember”, for parents, grandparents, Seder hosts and participants. We’ll delve into the educational goals the rabbis set for this special night, and see how the structure of the seder helps unlock the creativity of the night. Loads of ideas, suggestions and creative options for any Seder. Walk-ins welcome!
Join us in-person or via livestream!
Register→
Rabbi Mishael Zion comes from a Haggadah-filled home: he is co-author of A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices (2007) and The Israeli Haggadah (2024), together with his father Noam Zion, who is the author of A Different Night: The Family Participation Haggadah (Hartman, 1997). Mishael was ordained by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York, has served as co-Director and rabbi of the Bronfman Fellowships, and founded the Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture for Israeli Arts, Culture and Media leaders. He is also leader of the Klausner Minyan in Talpiot, Jerusalem, the neighborhood he was born in and in where his wife Elana, and their four daughters, live.

Yom HaShoah Annual Commemoration
2025-04-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Please join us for our annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration. In addition to our yearly rituals, we are privileged to welcome Sabine von Mering for a special talk titled “Pastors, Spies, Assassins: Is this a “Bonhoeffer Moment”?. In this talk, Professor von Mering will tell the story of her grandfather, who in 1934 became a member of the “Confessing Church”, an organization of Protestant pastors co-founded by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In that context she will discuss the controversy around the recent film “Bonhoeffer. Pastor, Spy, Assassin” (2024), produced and heavily promoted by Christian Nationalists, and consider the lessons to be drawn for the present moment.
We will also be blessed with a special video from our beloved Rabbi Michelle and Hazzan Elias direct from Poland as they are leading our members on a March of the Living journey. We are with them in spirit on this most solemn and inspirational day and wish them safe travels.
About The Speaker
Sabine von Mering is Professor of German and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Director of the Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University. She holds a Ph.D. in German Studies from the University of California, Davis. Together with Monika Hübscher, she co-edited Antisemitism on Social Media (Routledge, 2022). The updated German translation, Antisemitismus in den Sozialen Medien was published with Verlag Barbara Budrich in May 2024). Previous co-edited volumes include Right-Wing Radicalism Today: Perspectives from Europe and the US (2013) and Russian-Jewish Emigrants After the Cold War: Perspectives from Germany, Israel, Canada, and the United States (2006). She also co-edited The Routledge Handbook of Grassroots Climate Activism (2025) and is currently working on the connection between climate denial and right-wing extremism. Since the beginning of the pandemic she has been hosting the popular CGES Online Webinar series.

Micah Goodman: Global Chaos - The Forces Undermining the World Order
2025-05-05 20:00 - 21:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Our Temple Emanuel Hartman Learning Initiative continues with Dr. Micah Goodman, who will join us in person from Israel.
We all get, every day, that we are living in no ordinary time. That we are living in historically tumultuous times. In America. The world. The financial markets. Universities. Alliances that are upturned. America’s role in the international order since World War II upturned. In Israel. Its government under a cloud of investigations and mistrust. The moral and reputational challenges to its war with Hamas that will not end, with Hamas damaged but not gone, and with our hostages still held captive.
But why?
Why is there this world-wide international tumult? What are its origins? What, if anything, can we do to ameliorate it? Most of us work on creating a counterworld of decency and dignity in our own dalet amot, the four cubits of our local existence. But can any of us make the problem of this global chaos better at its roots? Or not?
On Monday night, May 5, from 8:00 to 9:00 pm, in the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, we will wrap up our year of in person Hartman learning at Temple Emanuel with a visit from our friend and teacher, thought leader and public intellectual Micah Goodman who will be here from Israel to speak about the chaos now afflicting the lands we love and the world in which we live.
Watch a Recording Here→
Upcoming Hartman Learning Programs:
June 25 – July 2, 2025 – TE-Hartman 2025 Trip to Israel. Let us know here you’d like to learn more!
June 24 – July 1, 2026 – TE-Hartman 2026 Trip to Israel. Let us know here you’d like to learn more!
Look for recordings of all our online sessions and selected lectures of Hartman scholars at Temple Emanuel here.
Watch for updated details on this program and all Hartman learning opportunities in our weekly Friday midday Hartman @ Home email.

Hebrew for Travelers
2025-05-11 20:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-08 20:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-12 20:00 - 21:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Essential Phrases for Your Israel Journey
Led by Sigalit Davis
Location: Temple Emanuel, Room 24/25
Duration: 1 hour per session
Free, No Prerequisites Required!
Planning a trip to Israel? Whether you’re joining a mission or traveling independently, this practical and engaging three-session course will equip you with essential Hebrew phrases to navigate your journey with confidence.
You’ll learn everyday expressions to use at:
– Airport security and flight check-in
– Ben Gurion Airport arrivals
– Hotels and accommodations
– Touring and getting around
– Common slang and useful phrases
Session Dates:
Sunday, May 11 | 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Sunday, June 8 | 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Thursday, June 12 | 8:00 – 9:00 PM
No prior Hebrew knowledge is needed—just bring your enthusiasm and get ready to immerse yourself in the language of travel!
Register→

What Does It Mean To Be Pro-Israel in 2025? Conversation with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz and Adina Vogel-Ayalon, J Street Chief Of Staff
2025-05-12 20:00 - 21:30 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Adina Vogel Ayalon – an Israeli citizen who has lived and raised a family in Israel and worked for decades toward building peaceful relations between Israelis and Palestinians – and Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz are uniquely positioned to unpack some of the difficult questions facing our communities today, including:

How can American Jews most effectively advocate to bring about the return of the hostages, sideline Hamas and promote a peaceful and safe future for Israeli and Palestinian families alike?
What constitutes anti-semitism on campus and how can we best combat it?
How should our community encourage the US government to address Iran’s nuclear ambitions and support of terrorism throughout the region?
How would the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel affect Israel’s security?

Registration has graciously been provided by J Street.
Register→

Antisemitism in US Healthcare: Is History Repeating Itself?
2025-05-22 18:30 - 19:30 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Dr. Poznansky and Dr. Park are founders and co-chairs of the newly formed Jewish Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Mass General Brigham. They took the initiative to organize the ERG in response to the growing antisemitism in the healthcare profession and recognized the need for Jewish doctors, staff and faculty to be supported. They are dedicated to fostering community, culture, and support for the Jewish and Jewish affiliated community in healthcare in the face of growing antisemitism in healthcare and in the US in general. They will explain the challenges in healthcare today, why there is a need for an employee resource group, how they created one and what you can do as a patient, carer in a hospital or center of healthcare or in your workplace.
Register→
About the Speakers
Mark C Poznansky, MD, PhD, is a Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician in infectious diseases medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at MGH. He holds a doctoral degree Cambridge University and a medical degree from University of Edinburgh. His clinical subspecialization includes the treatment of infection in immune-compromised patients. The Poznansky laboratory works at the interface between scientific discovery and medical product development, discovering novel immune processes, defining their molecular mechanisms and exploring their relevance to the development of vaccines and immunotherapies for cancer, infectious diseases and type I diabetes. Dr. Poznansky is also the co-founder of Harvard Medical School – Kalaniyot which sets as its mission to foster academic relations between Israeli academic medical centers and HMS here in Boston. He also serves on the Board of the newly formed American Jewish Medical Association.
Elyse R Park, PhD, MPH is a Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at MGH/Harvard Medical School and Director of Health Promotion and Resiliency Intervention Research (HPRIR) Center. She is a clinical health psychologist and health services researcher who designs interventions to improve health-related behaviors among cancer survivors and populations at risk for cancer and chronic disease. Her research focuses on developing and implementing behavioral interventions to enhance resiliency, decrease tobacco use, and improve access to healthcare. Her work is funded by the National Institute of Health and several foundations. Clinically, she treats cancer survivors. She founded the MGH Division of Clinical Research’s Qualitative Mixed Methods Research Unit and directs behavioral research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.
Moderated by Michelle S. Robinson, Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Michelle Robinson was ordained in 1999 as part of the first graduating class of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Since then, she has been blessed to call Temple Emanuel home. She loves community building, sharing the joy of traditional text study, and facilitating personal connections to the beauty of prayer. Rabbi Robinson has also spent three years and many summers learning and traveling in Israel, where she was blessed to meet her husband, Mike. Together they are the proud parents of four children who remind them of God’s blessings every day.

Talmud Class with Our Clergy
2025-09-06 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-09-13 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-09-20 08:30 - 09:20 | Hybrid (In Person and Virtual Options), 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Start Shabbat each week with a special hour of learning and discussion on a variety of Jewish issues with Wes, Michelle, Elias, Aliza and Dan as our clergy team connects the lessons of our sacred texts with the realities of our lives. The clergy team will close with a song that leads into Shabbat morning services at 9:30.
Join us on livestream in the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary

Yoga Minyan
2025-09-07 09:00 - 10:00 | Virtual
With Michelle Silberman Hubbard, Yoga Instructor
Sundays mornings | 9 – 10 am
Our rabbis taught us that the soul is joined intimately to the body. The two move together and each can be used in the service of God. In this innovative morning minyan we will be using our bodies to pray, our voices to chant, and movement to connect with holiness in a Jewish way. Awaken your senses as you awaken your soul. Expect an uplifting morning service and a great sweat. No previous Yoga or davening experience necessary. Dress for comfort. Bring a yoga mat or towel, a small towel, and water. Time to get up and stretch your body! Grab your mat or towel and join in via Zoom. New participants always welcome!
Zoom link will be provided upon registration.
Register Here→
Sponsored by Sisterhood Temple Emanuel

Commission on Combating Antisemitism
2025-09-09 19:30 - 20:30 | Virtual
Join a state-wide gathering to hear about the important work of the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism.
The program is free and everyone is welcome.
Featuring: Senator Cynthia Creem, State Representative Simon Cataldo (Commission Co-Chair), State Senator John Velis (Commission Co-Chair), and moderated by NBC10 News Anchor Jeff Saperstone.
Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
Register→
For more information, please contact Sharon Wyner at (978) 565-4450 or email swyner@lappinfoundation.org.
Program Co-Sponsors
ADL New England
AJC New England
Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)
Hadassah Northeast
Holocaust Legacy Foundation
Israeli American Council (IAC) New England
Jewish Community Center of the North Shore
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston
Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts
Jewish Federation of the Berkshires
Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts
Massachusetts Antisemitism Synagogue Task Force
New England Friends of March of the Living
North Suburban Jewish Community Center

Reimagining Retirement: Decoding the New Medicare Landscape
2025-09-11 18:00 - 19:15 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
What you need to know now with Don Freedman, Esq.
Open enrollment for Medicare begins Oct 15. And whether you’re turning 65 or have had Medicare for years, here’s your chance to learn what’s new for 2026, the decisions you’ll need to make, and how to navigate this shifting senior health insurance landscape. Don Freedman will share his expertise and answer your questions on subjects ranging from why this period is so critical, program options, avoiding late penalties, and the hype around Medicare Advantage plans.
All are welcome!
Reserve your spot for this free program by contacting Lisa Litant
About Reimagining Retirement
This TE members-only group considers the retirement mindset … common issues, and ways to turn this time into opportunities and second chances to build your best future. Monthly speakers help us navigate the practical, mental, and spiritual sides of retirement—along with how to achieve what you want in this new part of your life.

Adult Child Support Group
2025-09-11 18:30 | Virtual
Thursday evenings | 6:30 – 7:30 pm on Zoom
Are you caring for an aging parent? Are you looking for local resources and support?
Join us for monthly discussions on all topics about managing the care of our parents and maintaining our own expectations. We will have guest speakers set up by the team at Adelaide, a Benchmark community.
Register Here→
For the best experience, participants are encouraged to attend regularly. There is no cost to attend- but registration is required. Questions? Please contact Tracy Schneider.
This series is sponsored by Adelaide and co-presented by TE senior fund.
