Temple Emanuel

Sukkot Day I Service with Guest Speaker Dr. Mark Poznansky
2025-10-07 09:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Sermon topic – Building a Sukkah of Hope One Fellow at a Time
On October 7, 2023, the world changed both in Israel and here in the United States for us as Jews. Antisemitism has become mainstream, most visibly in academia. Join us on the first day of Sukkot, October 7th, as Dr. Mark Poznansky shares stories from the trenches of academic medicine where he and his colleagues are making a difference and charting a path for us to make a difference too.
About Dr. Mark Poznansky
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. The translational medical research center, the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, that Dr. Poznansky founded and directs sits 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 the Harvard Medical School chapter of Kalaniyot which sets as its mission to foster academic relations between Israeli academic medical centers and HMS here in Boston. He is also the co-founder of the Jewish Employee Resource Group at Mass General Brigham that helps support the community of Jewish and Jewish affiliated healthcare workers in this large Massachusetts based healthcare system. Dr. Poznansky also serves on the Board of the newly formed American Jewish Medical Association.

Talmud Class with Our Clergy
2025-10-11 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-10-18 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-10-25 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-11-01 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-11-29 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-12-06 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-12-13 08:30 - 09:20, 2025-12-20 08:30 - 09:20 and 8 more dates | 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

Hartman Shabbat Scholar-in-Residence Micah Goodman in the Main Service
2025-11-15 09:30 - 13:30 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
We will kick off our shul year of Hartman learning at Temple Emanuel on November 15, 2025 when we will welcome our friend and teacher, Dr. Micah Goodman.
Micah will join us in person on Shabbat morning, teaching us in the Talmud Class at 8:30am, delivering the sermon during Shabbat morning services beginning at 9:30am, and teaching us again post-Kiddush.
Talmud Class before services – The Artificial Intelligence Revolution vs. The Vision of Theodor Herzl
Sermon – What Was the Message of Abraham Our Father?
Post-Kiddush Talk – The Crisis of the West – Is Israel the Problem or the Solution?
Upcoming Hartman Learning Programs:
Shabbat, November 15 – Micah Goodman Shabbat Scholar in Residence
Sunday, November 16, 2025 @ 10:00 am– TE-Hartman Trip 2026 Information Session. Register here!
Monday December 8, 2025 @ 8:00 pm – Hartman learning in person – Pathways to Hope: Ronit Heyd in Conversation with Hartman Hazon Participants from Israel
Wednesday February 25, 2026 @ 8:00 pm – Hartman learning in person with Elana Stein Hain – details to be announced.
June 24 – June 30, 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.

Rabbi Samuel Chiel Kallah: Talmud Study
2025-11-22 08:30 - 09:20 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Is Anybody Listening?
What are the chances our prayers are answered? Should you pray if you don’t believe? What is prayer really about? Join Rabbi Dr. Pamela Barmash in conversation with the Temple Emanuel Clergy on a journey through Jewish legal and spiritual perspectives on the power of your personal prayer.

Rabbi Samuel Chiel Kallah: Shabbat Morning Service
2025-11-22 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Sermon Topic: Campus Chaos – A View from Inside Academia Today
Antisemitism, Activism, AI, Administrative Upheaval, Anticipations undermined…Rabbi Dr. Pamela Barmash has been a professor for two decades at Washington University in St. Louis. In the past two years, so much has changed. Yet her department, Jewish Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, has managed to be an oasis of respectful conversation. Could this be a model for life beyond the University? What can we learn from her experience on campus?

Evening Minyan
2025-12-24 19:00 - 19:30 | Live Stream Gann Chapel

Friday Night Service
2025-12-26 18:30 - 19:30 | Hybrid (In Person and Virtual Options), 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
On Friday evening, December 26th, we are excited to offer a traditional Kabbalat Shabbat service at 6:30pm in the Gann Chapel in lieu of Shabbat Alive. Come join us in spirited davening, followed by an oneg Shabbat!
At 4:00pm, the Minyan Ma’or-led service will also meet in the Gann Chapel in lively prayer.

Shabbat Morning Service: From Vision to Reality - the New Holocaust Museum in Boston
2026-01-03 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Why does Boston need a new Holocaust museum now? Jody Kipnis, Co-Founder and President & CEO of the Holocaust Legacy Foundation, will share the ways the museum (opening in late 2026 across from Boston’s historic Freedom Trail) urgently confronts the rise in antisemitism today, and how its exhibits teach about democracy, choice, and moral courage.
Join us on Shabbat morning, January 3rd, to gain a behind-the-scenes look at the transformational vision behind this landmark project.

Youth Shabbat Morning Service
2026-01-10 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for an incredible Shabbat morning as our teens dazzle us with gorgeous davenning, beautiful Torah reading, and insightful divrei Torah. Led start to finish by Temple Emanuel teens, this service will fill your heart with joy and hope for the future.

Shabbat Morning Service with Guest Speaker Robert Leikind
2026-01-24 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a special Shabbat Service with guest speaker Robert Leikind, Regional Director of AJC New England.
Sermon Topic: Clarity, Courage, and Commitment: Confronting Antisemitism Now
The surge of antisemitism has left many of us unsettled, confused, and struggling to understand what type of Jewish future is possible in the Diaspora. In fact, we can have a large hand in shaping our future, but to do this we first need to better understand the challenge before us.
About Robert Leikind
Rob Leikind has been director of AJC New England since 2008. A child of parents who survived Hitler’s Europe, he grew up with a deeply rooted regard for the opportunity that American democracy affords Jews and other vulnerable minorities. Throughout his career, Rob has been a passionate defender of civil rights, an ardent advocate in the fight against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry, and a vocal proponent of a just and secure future for Israel and its neighbors.
Rob began his career working with Holocaust survivors in Brooklyn, New York. A lawyer by training, he served as an Assistant District Attorney before going on to be Director of the ADL’s Connecticut and Boston offices and Senior Vice President of Hebrew College.
Rob has been a contributor to various media on topics ranging from Israel and anti-Semitism to intergroup relations and civil rights. He received his bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, an M.S. from Columbia University and his J.D. from the Boston College Law School.

Shabbat Shira
2026-01-31 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us this Shabbat morning for an extraordinary musical celebration of Shabbat Shira, the Shabbat of Song. This special Shabbat, which features the reading of Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea, and Shirat Devorah, Devorah the Prophet’s poetic praise, is always a highlight! This year we’ll be celebrating the amazing musical compostions of our fabulous artist-in-residence, Jeremiah Klarman. Come lift your voices together with our clergy and our wonderful Temple Emanuel choirs: Kol Emanuel, Zamira, and the Children’s Chorus. Come for service, stay for a delightfully delicious kiddush!

A Night of Music and Shmoozing with Minyan Ma'or
2026-01-31 19:00 - 21:30 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join Minyan Ma’or for a fun and entertaining evening filled with lively music and good times! Experience inspiring performances by our talented members, let your voice shine in spirited sing-alongs, and enjoy great conversation along with casual refreshments as you mingle with fellow community members.
The event is open to all, including families with teens and older kids.
NOTE: There will be no babysitting provided
Register→

Shabbat Morning Service with Guest Speaker Adrian Gonzalez: 30 Years to “I am Jewish”
2026-02-07 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Over the last 30 years, Adrian Gonzalez met and married his beloved, Leslie, joined Temple Emanuel, raised four wonderful children, and celebrated their bnei mitzvah right here on the Rabbi Samuel Chiel bimah. For all of this time, Adrian has been on his own spiritual journey. This year, he made the decision to officially join the Jewish people. Join us this Shabbat in the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary or virtually via livestream as Adrian shares about his journey and about the love that brought him into the covenant.

Shabbat Morning Service: DIY Instructions for the Tabernacle? What Did Moses Receive at Sinai? with Rabbi Peretz Rodman
2026-02-21 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
The Torah offers more than one account of what was revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This week’s reading, Terumah, suggests that the Ten Commandments were not the focus of revelation. What are the implications for us of the different portrayals of Moses’ experience?
Join us as Rabbi Peretz Rodman speaks during this special Shabbat morning service.
About Rabbi Peretz Rodman
Rabbi Rodman is a Jerusalem-based writer, translator, and editor. A native Bostonian, he has studied and taught at Brandeis University, Hebrew College, and the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University.

Chamber Music Concerts
2026-02-22 15:00 - 16:30 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
The first concert in our free 2026 Chamber Music Concert series will feature performers Jan Müller-Szeraws (cello) and Randall Hodgkinson (piano).
Join us in-person or on livestream!
The Chamber Series is sponsored by Saul B. and Naomi R. Cohen Foundation
About Jan Müller-Szeraws
Cellist Jan Müller-Szeraws has a versatile career as a performer and pedagogue.
A guest at many chamber music festivals, his solo performances have included engagements with orchestras in the US, Germany, Chile and Russia with repertoire ranging from concertos from the traditional cello-repertoire such as Haydn, Dvorak, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Bloch, Shostakovich to contemporary cello-concertos by composers Chou Wen Chung, Gunther Schuller, Shirish Korde, Bernard Hoffer and John Harbison.
His recordings include “Anusvara”, a disc with music by Shirish Korde for cello, tabla and Carnatic soprano, Bernard Hoffer’s “Concerto di Camera for Cello and Ensemble” with Boston Musica Viva, Pedro Humberto Allende’s Cello Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile, as well as Sonatas by Brahms and Chopin with pianist Adam Golka for Hammond Performing Arts.
He has been guest professor at the Universidad Católica de Chile, a guest with the Israeli Chamber Project as well as guest principal cellist for projects with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and Bamberger Symphoniker in Germany and plays often as an extra player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A long time member of contemporary music ensemble Boston Musica Viva, he is currently a core member of Collage New Music.
As Artist-in-Residence at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester he directed the Performance Program and was founder and director of the Chamber Music Institute at Holy Cross. He currently teaches at the Phillips Academy Andover. Most recently he has been pairing the Bach Cello Suites with works by Shirish Korde in his project “Bach, Ragas & Jazz”.
About Randall Hodgkinson
“The finest performance I have ever heard of this very difficult piece. It was as if he was reading my mind…” Aaron Copland on hearing pianist Randall Hodgkinson performing his Piano Fantasy in Jordan Hall.
While a student at the New England Conservatory Hodgkinson became grand prizewinner of the International American Music Competition sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the Rockefeller Foundation. He has performed with orchestras in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Boston, Cleveland and abroad in Italy and Iceland, and also numerous recital programs spanning the repertoire from J.S. Bach to Donald Martino.
A frequent guest of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, he also performs the four-hand and two-piano repertoire with his wife, Leslie Amper. Festival appearances include Ravinia, Bargemusic, Chestnut Hill Concerts in Madison Connecticut, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, and Chamber Music Northwest (Portland, OR). Solo recordings on the Ongaku, New World, and Albany labels have garnered much critical acclaim.
Mr. Hodgkinson is on the faculties of the New England Conservatory of Music and Wellesley College and is a certified Feldenkrais Practitioner™.

THE SAUL B. AND NAOMI R. COHEN FOUNDATION
Founded in 1997, the Foundation supports and promotes the fine and performing arts. It awards grants to promising young artists and especially gifted performing musicians to enable them to further their artistic pursuits. The Foundation also assists in the development of the musical careers of classical artists with assistance in arranging performance engagements, counseling in career strategy, guidance in the selection of live and recorded performances and help in day-to-day living matters.
To receive email communications about the Chamber Concert series, please contact sbc87home@gmail.com.
