Temple Emanuel

Game Night: Mah Jongg, Canasta, and Rummikub
2026-05-19 18:45 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Adelson Community Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Come and enjoy an evening of playing mah jongg, canasta and/or rummikub. Meet up with old friends and make new friends. All playing levels are welcome.
Open to the community. Please spread the word!
Participants must be able to play independently.
If playing rummikub, please bring your own set. Mah jongg sets and canasta cards and trays will be provided.
$5 cover charge. Light refreshments will be served.
Register→
Questions? Contact Jane Lenson
Co-sponsored by Sisterhood Temple Emanuel and Hadassah Boston

Seudah Shlishit
2026-05-16 16:00 - 17:15 | Brezniak Terrace, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Sponsored by Brotherhood
Seudah Shlishit, the third meal of Shabbat, is a light meal featuring:
• Study with Rabbi Elie Lehmann, Director of Boston Hadar
• Singing Shabbat songs
• Socializing
All are welcome!
Register→
About the Discussion Leader
Rabbi Elie Lehmann is Director of Hadar Boston. Elie loves learning Torah with people of all backgrounds. He served as Campus Rabbi at Boston University Hillel and was the Inaugural Director of Kulanu’s Global Teaching Fellows, with whom he taught and built curricula for Jewish communities in Kenya, Ghana, India and beyond.

Adeena Sussman in Conversation with Ruhama Shitrit and Cooking Demonstration
2026-05-11 18:30 - 22:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Mark your calendars for the evening of Monday, May 11, when we welcome back Adeena Sussman, who will be in conversation with Ruhama Shitrit!
Adeena will do a cooking demonstration and introduce her new cookbook, Zariz: 100 Easy, Breezy, Tel Aviv-y Recipes.
A dessert reception will follow, with Adeena available to personalize cookbooks sold for the event.
Doors open at 6:30pm; program begins at 7:00pm.
Due to and overwhelming response the event is now closed.
Purchase additional cookbooks HERE.

Temple Emanuel 90th Celebration
2026-05-03 18:00 - 21:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a festive evening as we honor Temple Emanuel’s 90th anniversary and celebrate the future we are building together. The evening itself is going to be a wonderful celebration that you won’t want to miss! A festive dinner, dessert, music, dancing, and a compelling program that reflects the love of our congregation.
We are especially excited to welcome comedian Noah Gardenswartz, whose warmth and distinctly Jewish humor will bring even more laughter to the celebration. Click HERE for a sneak peek of Noah’s innate ability to bring joy to those around him!
6:00 PM | Dinner (Open seating)
7:30 PM | Program
8:30 PM | Hora & Dancing
Meat dinner provided by Gourmet Catering by Andrew.
Cost: $118 per person
Tickets included for all sponsors! For more information on event sponsorship, please click HERE.
Become a Sponsor→
Register→
About Noah Gardenswartz
Noah Gardenswartz is an award-winning writer and nationally touring comedian. Gardenswartz was a writer on Amazon’s Emmy and Golden Globe winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” as well as TruTv’s popular panel show, “Comedy Knockout”. He has performed stand-up on Conan, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and has his own Comedy Central special. Additionally, he was a semi-finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” and has released four chart-topping comedy albums. Noah currently lives in Las Vegas with his wife and two children
View our 90th Celebration events HERE!

First Friday @ Shabbat Alive! S'mores N Stuff
2026-05-01 18:30 - 20:30 | Leventhal-Sidman Community Court, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for s’mores and other desserts at oneg after Shabbat Alive. All are invited!
What is First Friday? Start with an inspiring musical Shabbat Alive! Service in the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 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.
View the First Friday 2025-26 Calendar HERE→

You, Too, Can Cantillate: Chanting the Festival Megilot
2026-04-27 18:15 - 19:30, 2026-04-20 18:15 - 19:30, 2026-04-13 18:15 - 19:30 | Slater Conference Room, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Learn how to chant the special festival megillot in this edition of You, Too, Can Cantillate! The character of each of the Haggim (Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot) is reflected in an additional liturgical reading that is chanted during these holidays. Learn how to chant Shir HaShirim, Kohelet, and Ruth with Ritual Director/Hazzan Sheini Dan Nesson.
A reading knowledge of Hebrew and some knowledge of trope is recommended.
Class Dates: April 13, 20, 27
Register→

Brotherhood Wellness Series: Holistic Health, Nutritional Supplements & Functional Medicine
2026-04-27 18:00 - 19:30 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
This workshop will focus on holistic approaches to medical care and overall wellbeing including: Mindbody techniques, nutritional supplements, and the evolving role of alternative health practitioners in care. This session will review the rationale and science behind these approaches and how they can support overall personal wellness.
Schedule:
6:00 pm – Light Dinner
6:30 pm – Lecture and Q&A
About the Speaker
Stewart Levy is Vice President of Population Health for Wellworks and serves as a board member of the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts. He is also a wellness consultant for Merrimack College and has published studies with the American Heart Association.
Register→

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.

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!

DIY Texas Hold 'Em Tournament
2026-04-23 19:30 - 21:30 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Please join us on Thursday, April 23rd for a DIY Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.

We will begin promptly at 7:30 pm and finish by 9:30 pm.
We will send detailed instructions and rules in advance.
We are running this ourselves for lower costs and better prizes

Cost: $18 – includes dessert and drinks
All are welcome!
Register Here→
We are looking for 2 or 3 experienced poker players to be table captains to help maintain the flow of the game. Please email Adam Steinberg if interested in being a table captain.

Israel Friends - Boston
2026-04-21 20:00 - 21:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join Israel Friends’ Development Director, Alex Levite, and IDF Reservist Eli Wininger, known to many as “Batman for the Bibas Boys”, for a timely and powerful conversation with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz on Israel’s evolving domestic security landscape and the profound mental health toll of the ongoing conflict.
As Israel continues to navigate the aftermath of October 7 and sustained regional threats, communities across the country face unprecedented challenges, both on the front lines and at home. This intimate discussion will offer firsthand insight into the realities reservists and civilians are confronting, the psychological impact of prolonged instability, and how Israel Friends is strengthening resilience through critical mental health and security initiatives.
Come hear the stories, understand the needs, and discover how you can stand with Israel in this pivotal moment.
Register→

RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) Women's Self Defense Class
2026-04-19 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-12 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-29 13:00 - 17:00 | In Person – Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Temple Emanuel, in conjunction with the Newton Police Department, is offering a complimentary three part program that no woman should miss!
You will learn both physically how to protect yourself and the importance of awareness in the world. You will walk away feeling empowered and equipped in many situations including those that were never even on your radar!
This is a three part program. Classes will take place on Sundays from 1-5 pm at Temple Emanuel.
March 29th – Benjamin Vestry
April 12th – Room 24/25
April 19th – Reisman Hall
Due to an overwhelmingly positive response, the class is now full. If you would like to add your name to the list for future classes, please contact Joanne Kazarian.

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.

Torah Fund Brunch
2026-04-12 10:00 - 12:00 | Adelson Community Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Please join us for a celebratory brunch as we near the end of this year’s 2025-2026 Torah Fund campaign, Oseh Shalom. The Torah Fund campaign supports scholarships and programming at Conservative/Masorti Institutes of higher learning worldwide which educate our future clergy, cantors and Jewish educators.
We are thrilled to honor Jordana Alford and Kim Creem as this year’s Women of Distinction for their dedicated service to Temple Emanuel and the community. We also welcome this year’s speaker Dr. Dalia Hochman, Head of School at Gann Academy. The musical program will feature Cantor Elias Rosemberg.
Don’t miss this opportunity to support Jewish education and future leaders.
Everyone is welcome!
Register→
Please RSVP by April 6th. Questions? Please contact Sheryl Kalis or Joanne Cudkowicz.
Donations of $180 or more will receive this year’s Torah Fund Pin.

Material Witness Holocaust Exhibit
2026-04-12 - 2026-04-15 | Leventhal-Sidman Community Court, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Through Nancy Marks’ art and poetry, Material Witness confronts the chilling parallels between her mother’s hiding in France in the 1940s and the realities faced by immigrants today. The echoes between the 1940s and our contemporary world are undeniable and demand witness. This mixed-media installation, which premiered in Boston in 2025, features twenty-five drypoint prints and original poems. The images invite viewers to see them through a dual lens: ‘then’ and ‘now.’ What befell Jews, Roma, leftists, and so many others targeted in that era resonates starkly with the experiences of immigrants navigating hostile systems and rhetoric today. Material Witness presents interwoven histories, holding the pain of the past alongside the urgencies of the present.
About Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks is a Boston-based artist and social justice advocate who uses her practice to address critical societal issues. She is the co-founder of The Opioid Project: Changing Perceptions Through Art and Storytelling, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness and combating the stigma surrounding the opioid crisis. In 2024, her work was recognized with a First-Place award from the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH) for Arts Advancing Social Justice.
Marks’s current traveling exhibition, Material Witness, weaves together her mother’s experience as a Holocaust survivor with the contemporary struggles of immigrants. The project is also featured in the anthology America’s Slide Towards Authoritarianism (IHRAM Press).
Beyond her advocacy work, Marks explores the “aesthetic and social paradoxes” of the city through her Urban Abstraction series—an interest in the power of place rooted in her New York upbringing. Her Dialogue/Interpretation series further explores her connection to nature and the abstract emotional world, reflecting an enduring respect for the human spirit’s capacity for profound healing.

First Friday @ Shabbat Alive!: Sweet Freedom
2026-04-03 18:30 - 20:30 | Leventhal-Sidman Community Court, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for Passover desserts at oneg after Shabbat Alive. All are invited!
What is First Friday? Start with an inspiring musical Shabbat Alive! Service in the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 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.
View the First Friday 2025-26 Calendar HERE→

Let My People Sing: A Community Passover Seder
2026-04-02 18:30 - 21:00 | Adelson Community Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a joyous Community Passover Seder with Rabbi Michelle Robinson and Cantor Elias Rosemberg together with a group of wonderful musicians and singers.
Cost: Adults – $80 (TE members) or $100 (non-TE members)
Children under 13 – $36
Children under 3 – Free
Open Seating. Tables will be reserved for groups of 6 or more. Buffet style dinner by Gourmet Catering by Andrew!
Registration is now closed. Please contact LauraSue with any questions.

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.

Minyan Ma’or Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Michelle Robinson
2026-03-28 12:45 - 14:00 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Rabbi Michelle Robinson will lead an interactive discussion on Rabbi Math at Minyan Ma’or’s Lunch & Learn in Reisman Hall following Ma’or’s service, which starts at 9:30 a.m.
Rabbi Math
The Seder has been going for quite some time…you’ve sung, you’ve shared, you’ve even dipped for all 10 plagues, and suddenly the Haggadah launches into a math competition with three rabbis arguing about how many plagues there actually were. Stomachs are starting to grumble. Do you read it? Skip it? What is this odd numerical argument all about? Join us as we explore together why this rabbinic math lesson is not just for math enthusiasts, but for all of us, with deep meaning to offer, especially this year.

36th Annual Project Manna Concert
2026-03-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Rabbi Samuel Chiel Sanctuary, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for our 36th Annual Project Manna Concert featuring an array of choirs and singers. Proceeds benefit the Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church Food Pantry. Don’t miss out on this fantastic evening of music, while doing an important mitzvah!
This year, we will honor Choir Director Eugenia Gerstein‘s 30 years working at Temple Emanuel!
Participating Choirs Include:
• Boston Children’s Chorus• Boston Community Chorus• Boston Jazz Voices• ShenaniGanns – Gann Academy• Shir Shalom – Temple Shalom of Newton• Adult choir – Temple Beth Elohim• Kol Emanuel• Zamira• Emanuel Children’s chorus
Ticket Information:$25 Per Adult$20 Per Student/ Senior
Please Note: Online registration will close at 12:00pm EST on March 24. We will be accepting walk-up purchases with cash or card.
Register→
Proceeds benefit the Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church Food Pantry

Before We Forgot: Torah, Memory, and the Angel Lailah with Rabbi Jamie Kotler
2026-03-22 09:45 - 11:15 | Gann Chapel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Jewish tradition teaches that each soul begins its journey bathed in light, knowing the whole Torah — until an angel gently wipes our memory, and sends us into the world to figure it out all for ourselves.
In this class, we’ll explore the story of Lailah, the angel of night and birth, and what she can teach us about memory, forgetting, and wholeness. Through text study and conversation, we’ll reflect on what it means to spend a lifetime remembering what our souls once knew— and the small traces that sacred forgetting leaves behind. All texts will be in English and all are welcome!
This program is for Temple Emanuel members only.
Register→

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.

Magic with Michael G
2026-03-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Reisman Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for cocktails, heavy appetizers and dessert mingled with delightfully entertaining strolling magic and close up magic show with none other than Michael G.
We will have an hour to schmooze followed by the close up magic show and then time for more schmoozing and dessert.
Limited to 50 people.
Cost: $25 per person
Registration is now closed.

A Taste of Ballroom Dancing
2026-03-16 19:30 - 20:15 | Adelson Community Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Why watch Dancing with the Stars when you can be one?
Put on your dancing shoes! Understand the movement of dance and learn the steps from the waltz to the rhumba. Join a 4-class series taught by world-class dance instructor, Tibor Kerekes, owner of TK Dance Studio. With over 20 years of teaching ballroom and Latin dancing, multiple awards and vast certifications, students say that “his zeal inspires them to overcome their inhibitions and become better dancers”.
* No prior dance ability needed* No partners necessary, singles or couples are welcomed.
Class is scheduled for 7:30-8:15pm on:
January 26
February 9
February 23
March 16
Cost: $120 per person
Class size is limited to 26 people – register today!
Register→
If you have any questions about the class or the instructor, please contact Kathy Rogozinski.

Women's Clothing & Goods Swap
2026-03-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Benjamin Vestry, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Ladies – looking to mix up your wardrobe but also trying to not spend any money? Let’s go through our closets and swap items!
Bring in 2-3 items (clothing, purses, shoes, accessories, even small home goods) that you don’t want anymore to Temple Emanuel on Sunday, March 15 from 2-4pm. We’ll shop each other’s giveaways and take what we like. Anything that is leftover afterward, Shira and Julia, your event hosts and Professional Organizers, will take to a donation center.
Make sure to bring a bag for the items you’d like to take (you can reuse the bag that you brought items in). Email Shira at contact@set-things-straight.com with any questions!

Breakfast with the Mayor
2026-03-15 09:00 - 11:00 | Adelson Community Hall, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Join us for a breakfast with Newton Mayor Marc Laredo where we will learn the vision he sees for the city and the issues Newton is facing. This discussion will be introduced by Danny Mandeau and moderated by Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the city we love!
All are welcome!
Register→
About Mayor Marc Laredo
Marc grew up in Newton and returned here with his wife Roberta to raise their family. A Temple Emanuel member and attorney, Marc was elected Mayor in November 2025 after more than two decades of local public service, including serving as Chair of the School Committee and President of the City Council. Early in his legal career, he served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and was a co-founder and managing parter of a Boston-based law firm before becoming Mayor on January 1, 2026. As Mayor, his priorities are supporting our public schools and excellent customer service.
