Temple Emanuel

Shabbat Morning Service with Guest Speaker Adrian Gonzalez: 30 Years to “I am Jewish”
2026-02-07 09:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | 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.

Talmud Class with Our Clergy
2026-02-14 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-02-21 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-02-28 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-03-07 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-03-14 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-03-21 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-03-28 08:30 - 09:20, 2026-04-04 08:30 - 09:20 and 3 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

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.

Brotherhood Shabbat
2026-02-28 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Please join us as Brotherhood leads a special Shabbat morning service that honors many of the men who help keep our community vibrant and strong. Be there as we celebrate passing our traditions from generation to generation (l’dor v’dor) with a diverse lineup of participants.
It is also Shabbat Zachor, which brings attention to the antisemitism we have faced in the past and today. Our speakers will explore the meaning of this special Shabbat.
Special aliyot will honor our past presidents, current leadership, and members who have made major contributions to our success. Services will be led by Steve Ebstein and Danny Mandeau. Torah readers include Jonathan Delatizky, Ben Mintz, Ralph Isberg, Howard Breslau, Mitch Breslau, Max Breslau, Michael Goldman and Robert Finkel. Our Haftorah reader is David Rozenson.
Celebrate with us at our festive kiddush following the service.
Join us, along with members of Minyan Ma’or and the Walnut Street Minyan, in the sanctuary at 12:45 for a post-kiddush talk from our guest speaker, Rabbi Elan Babchuck.
About the Speakers
Rabbi Elan Babchuck
Our guest speaker, Rabbi Elan Babchuck serves as the Executive Vice President at Clal (National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership) and the Founding Executive Director of Glean Network, which partners with Columbia Business School. He has published in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Washington Post, and Religion News Service, writes a column for The Wisdom Daily, contributed to Meaning Making – 8 Values That Drive America’s Newest Generations (2020, St. Mary’s Press) and is the co-author of Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership After Empire (2023, Fortress Press). His newest book about Shabbat, Sacred Time, is coming out in 2027.
He also serves as a Founding Partner of Starts With Us, a movement to counteract toxic polarization in America, and is a founding Research Advisory Board Member of Springtide Research Institute.
Arnie Zar-Kessler
The d’var torah will be presented by Arnie Zar-Kessler. Arnie has served as Head of School at Jewish Day Schools in Boston (Schechter) and Las Vegas (Adelson), reflecting close to thirty years in Jewish education. In addition, he has helped train school leaders in underserved communities as Executive Director of Inspiring Educators, working with Public and Charter Schools nationally, including rising leaders at Teach For America.
Currently, he serves on the Board of the Christa McAuliffe Charter School and is part of the team at Hummingbird Books in Chestnut Hill.

Family Megillah Reading
2026-03-02 18:15 - 19:15 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Get ready to seal the Golden Honmoon this Purim! You are invited to our annual Family Megillah Reading, featuring Teen Megillah readers and performances by our Teen Band, all set to this year’s Purim theme: K-Pop Haman Hunters. Show us your best HUNTR/X or Saja Boys costume while singing along to Purim-themed versions of “Golden,” “Soda Pop,” and more from the hit animated film, K-Pop Demon Hunters.
All teens are invited to join us in the Solomon Youth Lounge directly following the Family Megillah reading for an ice cream social!
No fee or registration required.
Not able to join in-person? View the livestream HERE.
During the Family Megillah Reading, we’ll have noise-canceling headphones available, as well as a Quiet Room in Room 22 for any children who may need a little break from the noise and excitement. The room will offer calming activities to help everyone relax and recharge. We kindly ask that parents stay with their children for the entire time they are using the Quiet Room. We hope everyone has a wonderful time!

Full Megillah Reading
2026-03-02 19:00 - 21:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Please join us for Mincha, Ma’ariv, and a full Megillah reading, organized by Minyan Ma’or. All are welcome!
Mincha at 5:50 PM in the Gann Chapel, followed by Ma’ariv and Megillah reading in Adelson Community Hall at 7:00pm.
Click HERE to watch on Livestream.

Immigration Justice with JALSA
2026-03-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
JALSA, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, will be joining us for a conversation as we discuss how immigration and the support of refugees is grounded in Jewish texts and Jewish values. We will discuss the Jewish history of immigration, historical and current American immigration trends and policies, and the realities for immigrants on the ground in the US and specifically here in Massachusetts.
Register→

Friday Evening: Shabbat Alive! 18th Anniversary
2026-03-13 18:30 - 19:30 | Hybrid (In Person and Virtual Options), 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Save the date! On Friday, November 9th, 2007, Cantor Elias Rosemberg and Rabbi Michelle Robinson, together with visionary lay-leaders, launched a joy-filled Friday night service filled with music and song. In the 18 years since, we’ve blended ancient words with new melodies and grown into a beautiful community of old friends and new. Each week we enter the sanctuary holding the heaviness of the week. Each week we are transported and transformed by a service that lifts our spirits higher.
Join us to celebrate 18 years of Shabbat Alive! We’ll be bringing home many wonderful voices who have joined us over the years to create a celebration you won’t want to miss.
View our 90th Celebration events HERE!

Bob Dylan's Jewish Roots with Instructor John Clark
2026-03-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Bob Dylan is arguably the single-most important figure in American popular music in the second half of the 20th century, a point made emphatically when he received the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. Though scholars had approached his work as serious poetry for decades, few had considered the matter of how Dylan’s Jewish heritage and upbringing affected his creative output. With help from all the critical and analytical writing about Dylan’s Jewishness, we will explore selected works of this enigmatic singer/songwriter through the lens of midrash, of the prophetic tradition, Yiddish humor and the past 100 years of Jewish-American songwriting. This presentation will include music and video clips and Dylan’s own words to tell the story. Featured songs: “When the Ship Comes In”, “Forever Young”, “Father of Night”, “I Pity the Poor Immigrant”, “One More Cup of Coffee”, “Neighborhood Bully”, and “Hava Nagila”.
Please Note: This program is for Temple Emanuel members only
Register→
About John Clark
Born and raised in Ohio, John taught adult education for twenty years for Emory University and Mercer University in Atlanta, creating classes on Fifties, Sixties and American Roots music and a series called Lyrics as Literature. From 2008-2014 he was also a high school history and English teacher. Since moving to Boston in 2014, he has taught adult and community education for five different programs, including Brandeis, Tufts and Cambridge. In 2025 he presented 380 American Music history lectures for senior living communities and Councils on Aging in the Boston area. John boasts a combined record and CD collection of over 8,000 recordings.

Chamber Music Concerts
2026-03-29 15:00 - 16:30 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
The second concert in our free 2026 Chamber Music Concert series will feature piano soloist, Constantine Finehouse.
Join us in-person or on livestream!
The Chamber Series is sponsored by Saul B. and Naomi R. Cohen Foundation

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.

Siyyum HaB’Chorim/ Morning Minyan
2026-04-01 06:45 - 08:00 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
BREAKING THE FAST OF THE FIRSTBORN at Daily Morning Minyan
In recognition that God spared the first born Israelites, traditionally the first born fast on the day leading up to the Seder.
A festive meal accompanies learning a segment of Talmud, exempting one from fasting. This is known as a “Siyyum.” Everyone is invited to participate in prayer, study and feasting on Wednesday April 1st, Erev Pesach, beginning at 6:45 am.

Ma'ariv/ Erev Pesach
2026-04-01 18:00 - 18:45 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us in person in the Gann Chapel or Livestream!

Pesach Day I Early Morning Service
2026-04-02 07:00 - 09:30 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States

Pesach Day I Services
2026-04-02 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States

Mincha / Ma’ariv/ Erev Yom Tov Pesach
2026-04-02 18:00 - 18:45 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States

Shabbat Morning Service with Guest Speaker Amy Schectman, CEO of 2Life Communities
2026-04-04 09:30 - 12:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Please join us for a special Shabbat morning service with Amy Schectman, CEO of 2Life Communities. Amy will teach us about optimal aging and the liberation that is possible when we orient ourselves around living in and building community.
About Amy Schectman
Amy has served as the CEO of 2Life Communities for over a decade where she successfully launched an aggressive expansion campaign to fill gaps in the senior housing affordability marketplace, managed the creation of a quasi-endowment to support agency innovation, and has more than doubled the number of communities built and supported by 2Life. She brings over 30 years’ experience in housing and economic development policy, government, and nonprofit sectors.
Learn more→

Yom HaShoah Annual Commemoration
2026-04-14 19:00 - 20:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us as we come together to remember the Holocaust as we ponder its meaning for us today. Together with our clergy and families of survivors, we will observe this solemn evening through reflection, prayer, and music performed by our choir and members of our congregation.
Our guest speaker will be Rachel Tesler, daughter of our member Michael and director of the film, The Last Holocaust Survivors: Never Again is Now, of which a portion will be shown during the service.
Congregants are invited to the Gann Chapel at 8:00pm for an extended viewing of the film and a Q&A session with Rachel.
About The Speaker
Rachel Tesler is an award-winning writer and producer with 10+ years working in film and television. She has developed her craft as a multimedia storyteller producing the top news stories of the day and longform documentary series on topics ranging from crime to human interest. As an undergraduate at Boston University, her screenplay Little Lost Puppy won the First Place Award in the Fleder-Rosenberg Screenwriting contest, as part of the Redstone Film Festival. At Boston University, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Bachelor of Science in Film and Television. Rachel has lived and worked in politics and media all over the world including Boston, Washington, D.C., Jerusalem, London, and New York City. In 2017, she graduated from Columbia University with her Master of Arts in English Education. She published her first book UNBLOSSOMING, a series of poetry in 2023. She started Tattletales Productions in 2024, a boutique production house focused on documentary film and development. She lives in New York City.

Honor our Members Through the Decades Shabbat Morning Service: Celebrating 90 Years!
2026-04-25 09:30 - 12:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
We began the celebration of our members Through the Decades at Temple Emanuel in 2023 by honoring our members who joined our community from the 1940s through the 2020s. In 2024, we went on to celebrate Travelers with our community, B’nei Mitzvah from the 1950s to 1990s and Adult B’nei Mitzvah from the 1970s through the 2000s. In 2025, we honored all of our B’nei Mitzvah who had their Bar or Bat Mitzvah during Covid – from March 14, 2020 through May 29, 2021 – and celebrated the 59 B’nei Mitzvah and their families with our entire community. We also welcomed our shul year’s 100 New Members. And, the celebration continues this year!
Join us on April 25, 2026 as we continue to honor our members Through the Decades as part of our Celebration of Temple Emanuel’s 90th! We will celebrate all of our members who joined our community in 1990, honor all of our members who are in their 90s, and welcome all of our New Members who joined our community this shul year as we celebrate Temple Emanuel’s 90th!
If that includes you, look for your invitation to celebrate with us at Through the Decades Shabbat on April 25 and plan to be with us so we can honor you!
If it does not include you, join us on this special Shabbat to celebrate our community.
Festive kiddush to follow!
Contact us with any questions at ThroughTheDecades@templeemanuel.com
Temple Emanuel is all about community and our community is all about you.
Marcie Abramson and Amy B. Klein, Membership Committee Co-Chairs
Sandy Cohn Thau, Vice President of Membership
View our 90th Celebration events HERE!

Chamber Music Concerts
2026-04-26 15:00 - 16:30 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Featuring Opera selections by finalists in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition for the New England Region!
Join us in-person or on livestream!
The Chamber Series is sponsored by Saul B. and Naomi R. Cohen Foundation
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.
