Main Shabbat Morning ServiceWith Guest Speaker Rabbi Jamie Kotler
2025-08-23 09:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a special Shabbat morning service with guest speaker, Rabbi Jamie Kotler.
Sermon Topic: Inheritance – A Personal Journey of Discovery and Choice.
We have no control over what we are bequeathed. Or do we?

About Rabbi Jamie Kotler
Rabbi Jamie Kotler teaches Torah and Jewish texts at synagogue communities in the Boston area and beyond. She has served as chaplain at Fireman House (Hebrew Senior Life), and has served on the Boards of The Rashi School, and Mayyim Hayyim, and on the building committee for Newbridge on the Charles at Hebrew Senior Life.
Rabbi Kotler grew up in Brazil and Mexico, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, with little religious practice or knowledge. She began studying Torah as a young mother of three. Her desire to steep herself in the texts and traditions she had missed as a child led her to enter rabbinical school at the age of 54 and was ordained by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in June 2016. Before entering the rabbinate, she was a computer programmer (EDS, TX and Hewlett-Packard, CA), a financial analyst (Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, CA), and a consultant to small businesses.
Rabbi Kotler holds a BA in Biology from Brown University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She is married to Harold Kotler, and together they have five grown children and four grandchildren.

Ruach Shabbat Services: Grades K-6
2025-08-23 10:45 - 12:00, 2025-08-30 10:45 - 12:00, 2025-09-06 10:45 - 12:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
For Grades K-6. Join Jon Tatelman on Shabbat morning in Room 22 at Temple Emanuel for a fun children’s service!

Tot Shabbat
2025-08-23 11:00 - 11:45, 2025-08-30 11:00 - 11:45 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a fabulous Tot Shabbat service geared towards children from birth to age 5! We will sing our favorite songs, create beautiful crafts, and have challah and grape juice. After the service, we’ll all go up onto the bimah for a special treat!
August Tot Shabbat leaders:

August 2nd: Rabbi Aliza and Lena
August 9th: Maya Robinson
August 16th: Rabbi Aliza and Lena
August 23rd: Maya Robinson
August 30th: David Rosemberg

Music and Movement with Little Beats
2025-08-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for an epic dance class perfect for little ones ages 0-5! It’s a good work out for parents too and a sweet opportunity to get out and play with your child(ren) and friends!
Register Today!
Generously Sponsored by the Cindy and Dan Levinson Fund for Parenting Education

Sundaes on Sundays
2025-08-24 18:45 - 19:30, 2025-08-31 18:45 - 19:30 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
After a long hiatus, Sundaes on Sundays is back! Please join us Sunday evenings at 6:45pm prior to evening minyan for ice cream and toppings. Looking forward to renewing this iconic tradition!

Drop-In Play
2025-08-27 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-09-03 15:30 - 17:30 | Housman Activity Center, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for Drop-In Play to help your little one burn off excess energy in our Housman Activity Center!
Register Today!
This program is generously sponsored by the Cindy and Dan Levinson Fund for Parenting Education

Kesher Meet and Greet
2025-08-27 17:30 - 18:30 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Come meet your Kesher teachers and see our beautiful space before the school year starts. This is a great way for new students to get familiar with Kesher!

Summer Shul
2025-08-30 08:30 - 09:30 | Slater Conference Room, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
‘Summer Shul’, now in our 14th year, is a lay-led Torah Study prior to Shabbat morning services .We meet weekly, beginning June 21 through August 30, from 8:30-9:30am in the Slater Conference Room and via Zoom. All are welcome to join and add your voice to these thought-provoking discussions – or simply come and listen to your fellow congregants as we journey through the parasha together.
Can’t attend in person? Join us on Zoom by clicking HERE→
Zoom Password: [REDACTED]
For further details please contact Martin Paley.
Darshan Schedule Below:

June 21: Shlach – Frank Aronson
June 28: Korach – Velda Shaby
July 5: Chukat – David Diamond
July 12: Balak – Marty Paley
July 19: Pinchas – Steve Bookbinder
July 26: Matot-Masei – Avi Seidmann
August 2: Devarim – David Rozenson
August 9: Vaetchanan – Cliff Corenblith
August 16: Ekev – Sharlene Finkel
August 23: Reeh – Howard Zilber
August 30: Shoftim – Joel Sherman

Yisod 20's & 30's Boozy Bonfire
2025-09-04 19:00 - 21:30 | Ward Street Gazebo, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Come enjoy an evening around the fire with Yisod! Savor refreshing beverages, make delicious s’mores, and play classic lawn games. Free to attend, so sign up now and enjoy all the marshmallows you can eat!
This event is for adults in their 20s and 30s.
Register here→

Teen Shabbat Dinner(Grades 9-12)
2025-09-05 18:30 - 20:30 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Grades 9-12
Join your friends and celebrate Shabbat with us for our monthly Shabbat dinner. We will join together for Shabbat Alive! services and then eat dinner in two locations. Shabbat Shalom!
Cost: $18 per person
Register Here→

Teen Shabbat Dinner(Grades 6-8)
2025-09-05 18:30 - 20:30 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Grades 6-8
Join your friends and celebrate Shabbat with us for our monthly Shabbat dinner. We will join together for Shabbat Alive! services and then eat dinner in two locations. Shabbat Shalom!
Cost: $18 per person
Register Here→

First Friday @ Shabbat Alive!: Back to Shul
2025-09-05 18:30 - 20:30 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us as we come back together again from far and wide for an extra special First Friday as we kick off our 18th season of Shabbat Alive! Come home, come back to shul.
What is First Friday? Start with an inspiring musical Shabbat Alive! Service in the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary or Minyan Ma’or led Kabbalat Shabbat in the Gann Chapel, then stay for a beautiful post-service Oneg filled with delicious food and fellowship.
Who is First Friday for? First Fridays are for everyone, age 0 on up!
Why come to First Friday? To lift your spirit. To be inspired by ancient words animated with new melodies. To connect with a community of friends – old and new. To stand generation to generation, together.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Rabbi Michelle Robinson and Cantor Elias Rosemberg
View the First Friday 2025-26 Calendar HERE→

Talmud Class with Our Clergy
2025-09-06 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

Tot Shabbat with Rebecca and David
2025-09-06 11:00 - 11:45 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a fabulous Tot Shabbat service geared towards children from birth to age 5! We will sing our favorite songs, create beautiful crafts, and have challah and grape juice. After the service, we’ll all go up onto the bimah for a special treat!

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

Baby Brunch
2025-09-07 09:30 - 10:30 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a brunch in the Rabbi Marshall R. Lifson Library Foyer hosted by Yaffa Tilles, Co-Founder of Boston Birth Village! This is a great opportunity to meet other parents with infants, share stories, and enjoy a delicious FREE breakfast together.
Register Today!
Generously Sponsored by the Cindy Levinson Fund for Parenting Education

Holiday Magic
2025-09-07 11:00 - 12:00 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
We’re excited to introduce a new program which is designed to provide parents and children ages 0-5 with age-appropriate activities, songs, stories, and teachings that will infuse each upcoming holiday with meaning!
Register→
Generously Sponsored by the Cindy Levinson Fund for Parenting Education

Religious School Meet and Greet
2025-09-07 16:00 - 16:30 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Come and meet your Religious School teacher for the upcoming year, and join us immediately after for the Community BBQ!

Touch a Truck at the Community BBQ
2025-09-07 16:00 - 18:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us at our Annual Community BBQ for a special Touch a Truck event with the Newton Fire and Police Departments for our little ones! This is the perfect chance to see fire engines and police trucks up close and to meet some local heroes.
Register Here→

TE Community BBQ
2025-09-07 16:00 - 18:30 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join the Temple Emanuel Community for our annual BBQ, as we celebrate the beginning of the year with a great afternoon of food, friends and fun for all ages! Activities will include an obstacle course, Touch-A-Truck with the Newton Fire Department, cotton candy, and kids arts and crafts.
Rain or shine!
Register→
We are looking for volunteers! Interested? Sign up here!
Blanket and Towel Drive Sponsored by Sisterhood and Brotherhood
Join us by donating clean, new or like-new blankets and towels with no rips or stains. Drop off items at the Welcome Home bins located at the Ashford and Ward Street Entrances anytime between September 2nd – 21st. Don’t have items to donate? Shop for Welcome Home online!

Brotherhood Meeting Night
2025-09-08 18:30 - 20:30 | Solomon Youth Lounge, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Celebrate the start of summer with us at our Brotherhood Meeting Night!
Enjoy a deli dinner as we:

Learn about upcoming Brotherhood events and initiatives and discover meaningful ways to get involved.
Share your feedback and help shape the future of Brotherhood programming.

Your voice matters — come connect, contribute, and celebrate together!
7:30 pm – Meeting After the Meeting
Stick around for a casual evening of fun and connection. Play ping pong, foosball, shoot baskets or just socialize.
Feel free to join us for either part of the evening — or both!
Food, drinks, and snacks will be served all evening.
Register→

Conversation with Avraham Infeld
2025-09-08 20:00 - 21:30 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
As one of the most compelling and visionary Jewish educators of our time, Avraham Infeld has spent decades helping Jews of all backgrounds grapple with questions of belonging, peoplehood, and purpose. His unique ability to weave history, humor, and heart makes him especially resonant in this moment of pain and resilience.
Avraham Infeld is former President of Hillel International, Director of Planning for Taglit Birthright Israel, Director of the Hartman Institute, and Founder of Melitz. His classic talk, “The Five-Legged Table” explains the intersection of Jewish Identity via memory, family, covenant, Israel, and Hebrew.
Register→
This program is presented in partnership with IAC New England

L’Chaim
2025-09-09 11:45 - 14:00 | Hybrid (In Person and Virtual Options), 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
All are welcome to join us on Tuesdays in Reisman Hall! Stay for exercise following our L’CHAIM programs at 2:10pm
You must RSVP for each program to Tracy Schneider at tracys120@yahoo.com

Apr 28 – Concert with Ruth Rappaport and Jonah Sidman
12:15pm luncheon generously sponsored by The Residence, at Boylston Place, Chestnut Hill, an LCB senior living community and supported by Gourmet Catering By Andrew
1pm program
Guitarist and pianist Ruth Rappaport and fiddler Jonah Sidman will perform an exciting show influenced by klezmer, Yiddish, Irish fiddle, and American musical traditions.
May 19 – A Tribute to Soprano Beverly Sills
12:15pm lunch generously sponsored by a donation from a Temple Emanuel couple and supported by Gourmet Catering By Andrew.
Program at 1pm
For more than three decades, coloratura-soprano Beverly Sills captured America’s heart with her silvery voice, glorious artistry, irrepressible personality and self-deprecating humor. She demystified opera – and fine arts in general. Her life embodied an archetypal American story of humble origins, years of struggle, family tragedy and artistic triumph!
Speaker Erika Reitshamer returns to Temple Emanuel. She brings opera to life with the insight, enthusiasm, and storytelling flair of someone who has devoted her entire life to the art form. Born and educated in Germany, she has become one of the Boston area’s most engaging voices on opera, captivating audiences for decades with her deep knowledge of the repertoire and the legendary singers who shaped it.
A driving force behind the founding of the Boston Lyric Opera more than 45 years ago, Ms. Reitshamer has led opera tours across Europe, served for many years as Vice President of the Boston Wagner Society, and built a reputation as an inspiring educator. Her most recent program for Temple Emanuel was “The Great Tenors Sing Out” on October 15, 2025.
May 26 – Cantor Elias Rosemberg and Pianist Jeremiah Klarman in concert
12:15pm lunch generously sponsored by a donation from The Residence at Boylston Place, an LCB senior living community in Chestnut Hill, and supported by Gourmet Catering By Andrew. Program at 1pm. Stay for exercise following our L’CHAIM programs at 2:10pm.
Cantor Elias Rosemberg will perform along with Pianist Jeremiah Klarman in a wonderful concert of Cantorial, Yiddish, Israeli and Ladino music as well as Broadway Favorites, and Opera! Not to be missed!
Friday, June 5 – Join L’CHAIM for a Shabbat dinner together as a community of Active Older Adults!
4:30pm concert followed by dinner at 5:15pm in Reisman Hall
Special performance by Kol Emanuel led by Eugenia Gerstein with special guest performance by Cantor Elias Rosemberg.
You MUST RSVP to Tracys120@yahoo.com. 70 spots available.
Dinner sponsored by Wingate Senior Living and West River Care and suppoted by Gourmet Catering By Andrew.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES are $18 per person. Please consider making a small donation of appreciation to the L’CHAIM Group. Please mail checks of any donation to Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA 02459, ATTN: FINANCE. Please make checks payable to TEMPLE EMANUEL. In memo line please write L’CHAIM GROUP.

Total Body Workout
2025-09-09 14:10 - 15:10 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
A class for all levels. 20 minutes basic fun cardio dance, 20 minutes body sculpting/conditioning & 20 minutes stretch and balance.
NEW WINTER WORKOUT! Tuesdays 1pm:
Jan 6, 13, 27; Feb 3, 5, 10, 17
Spring 2026 dates: March 3, 10, 17, 31; April 7, 21, 28; May 19, 26; June 2, 9
led by Carole Rodenstein on March 3, 10
led by Kim Bartlett on March 17, 31, April 7, 28
Led by Jill Meyer on April 21, May 19, 26, June 9
No RSVP needed. All are welcome.
These Total Body Workout exercise classes will follow L’CHAIM programs.
We are grateful to Village Bank and the Temple Emanuel Senior Fund for supporting Total Body Workout and Adapted Seated Exercises this season.

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
