The High Holy Days - 5771
BJS High Holy Day Services are offered as part of a full commitment to membership and participation in the ongoing worship and life of our congregation. Please contact us regarding your interest in becoming part of our Temple family.
Eve of Rosh Hashanah ~ Wednesday September 8
Rosh Hashanah Morning ~ Thursday September 9
Kol Nidre - Eve of Yom Kippur ~ Friday September 17
Yom Kippur ~ Saturday September 18
The 2nd Annual Joint Emmanuel/BJS Potluck Lunch and "House Cleaning" at Emmanuel Church
Sunday, September 19 – 12:00 pm to 3:00pm
The Festival of Sukkot - Sukkah Decorating and Service
Wednesday September 22 - 5:00 PM
Emmanuel Center "Choral Festival of Psalms"
Sunday October 17 - 3:00 PM
Emmanuel Center will be doing a two-part series in the 2010-2011 season called Psalms of Praise. We have 3 wonderful choruses, Zamir, Orpheus, and Spectrum Singers, who will be performing an amazing concert of Psalms from across the ages. Our first program will be on October 17th at 3:00 pm in the Sanctuary.
We need one BJS volunteer to partner with an Emmanuel volunteer on each of a handful of tasks. This shouldn't be too time-consuming, will be fun, will give you a chance to get to know an Emmanuelite, and will give you a chance to share your special skills and talents. The task areas are:
- Green Room Coordination (working with the choruses the day of the program to ensure smooth flow of people from rehearsal room to sanctuary)
- Day of program logistics – (ensuring proper set up of reception area, entryway, working with sextons, identifying and coordinating ushers)
- Reception coordination (planning and day of program)
- Marketing – ads, PR, social media,
- Logistics (pre-program)
If you are interested in volunteering for any of these great opportunities please contact us at president@bostonjewishspirit.org.
CHANUKAH FESTIVAL SERVICE CANTATA :
"A LIGHT THROUGH THE AGES"
Sunday December 5 - 4:00 PM
2010
Friday, August 13 – 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship, "Tales of a Traveler"
Rabbi Berman will share some impressions of his recent visit to Paris, and encounters with landmarks and sites of Jewish, Christian and general cultural significance in the "City of Light."
Please note: The August Service presents a great opportunity to introduce BJS to those friends who may be seeking a place to celebrate the High Holy Days and become part of a spiritual community. Please reach out to anyone you feel might be interested!
Our Oneg Shabbat Social Hour will follow the Service.
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Sabbath Eve Service
Friday, July 9, 2010 - 6:30 PM
Rabbi Berman will speak: "The Spiritual Possibilities of Summer"
With the season for relaxation and vacations well underway, we will consider some of the many creative ways we can experience summer travel and leisure as opportunities for spiritual growth and Jewish learning.
Our Oneg Shabbat Social Hour will follow the Service.
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Wednesday, June 9 - 7:30 PM
Annual Pride Vigil at the New England
Holocaust Memorial
Click to view larger image
BJS is the co-sponsor of this annual gathering during Pride Week to
commemorate all those of the GLBT community who have suffered persecution through the ages, including extermination during the Holocaust. Rabbi Berman, Rev. Pam Werntz of Emmanuel and Rev. Kim K. Crawford Harvie of Arlington Street Church co-officiate at this ceremony. All BJS members are invited to share in this moving highlight of Pride Week.
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Friday, June 11 - 6:30 PM
Monthly Sabbath Eve Worship
Rabbi Berman will reflect on the recent tragic events in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and offer some thoughts on our responses as American Jews.
Our Oneg Shabbt Social Hour will follow this Service.
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Saturday, June 12 - 10:00 AM
Annual Interfaith Pride Worship Service
Old South Church, Copley Square
BJS is a co-sponsor, and Rabbi Berman is a participant in this annual gathering of Boston's faith communities to launch the city's Pride Parade with a spiritual affirmation of freedom and equality.
Click to view larger image
Sunday, June 13 - 5:00 PM
Boston Jewish Spirit Annual Meeting of the Congregation
All BJS members are urged to join us for our year-end review of the very busy and successful season we have shared together, as we look forward to major highlights in the coming months. Our meeting will be followed by a pot luck supper. Please bring a light entree, side dish or dessert for 12 people.
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Friday, May 7 – 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Service – Rabbi Berman will speak:
“Beyond the Scandal: A Jewish Perspective on the Emergence of an American Catholic Church.”
The clergy sex abuse scandal is fueling a revolutionary development in American religion unfolding before our eyes – the birth pangs of a truly American Catholic Church- as opposed to the 2000 year old Roman Catholic Church. We will consider the pluralistic, democratic influences in American history and culture that have shaped Judaism and the Protestant Churches., which are now transforming Catholicism.
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Sunday, May 16, 3:00 pm
Emmanuel Center “Spirituality and the Arts”
Speakeasy Stage Production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical"
The Hilarious Off-Broadway Musical Hit
Music and lyrics by David Nehls
Book by Betsy Kelso
Directed by Paul Daigneault
Music Direction by Nick Connell
Choreography by David Connolly
Run time: 95 minutes, no intermission
Boston-Area Premiere! Leigh Barrett, Mary Callanan, Kerry A. Dowling and David Benoit star in this delightful new musical about agoraphobia, adultery, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, kleptomania, flan and disco. When Pippi, a stripper on the run, comes between Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her toll-collector husband, neighbors Betty, Lin and Pickles team up to save their friend's marriage.
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Our Emmanuel Center “Talk Back” will follow the performance, with the Rev. Pam Werntz and Fred Weber of Emmanuel Church, and BJS President Jill Silverstein.
Saturday, May 22 – 10:00
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service - The Festival of Shavuot
BJS will celebrate this important holy day in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, with a special Service of worship and study. Rabbi Devon Lerner will be with us to lead the Service and our study of the text of the Ten Commandments from the Book of Exodus. Our own Eve Lyons will also share poetry selections on the theme of Torah, from a variety of writers.
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Saturday April 24 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
We will continue our study of the Prayer Book, as we move along in the order, history and personal meanings of our Jewish worship Service. Our topic for this session will be the Sanctification, the Kedusha Prayer, taken from the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of the “heavenly host” praising God, proclaiming “Holy, Holy Holy”…a core text in Christian worship as well.
Our regular bagel brunch will be served.
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Sunday, April 11
BJS Open Board Meeting
Sunday April 11th - 10 am
Greater Boston Holocaust Remembrance Day
Yom HaShoah Observance in Faneuil Hall
BJS is a sponsoring Congregation of Boston’s official Holocaust educational and tribute programs in our community. Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah event is a crucial part of that effort. This observance honors the Survivors and pays homage to the millions who perished.
We hope that you will join with JCRC, New England Holocaust Memorial, American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston, Synagogues, Schools, Associations and Organizations in our community by sharing in the Greater Boston Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah event at Faneuil Hall.
Let us stand together in the Great Hall, Survivors, Generations After, educators, students, religious leaders, civic leaders and the Greater Boston community to pay tribute to the Survivors who live in our community, to recite Kaddish for lives destroyed by hatred and to sing and pray for justice and peace.
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Sunday, April 18 – 1:00 pm
Saturday, April 24 -11:30 am
The City on the Hill: The Spirituality of Boston Architecture
As an extension of BJS's popular annual walking tour of Boston's central neighborhoods, Emmanuel Center is pleased to present this special Event to members of Boston Jewish Spirit and Emmanuel Church. Rabbi Berman will lead a personal guided tour of historic Boston buildings, focusing on the religious dimensions of our city's landmarks, particularly the Jewish and Episcopalian influences in Boston’s history.
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Friday, April 16 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Service - "Ask the Rabbi"
In place of a sermon this evening, we will have an open “Pulpit-Pew” dialogue session, with the opportunity to ask Rabbi Berman questions on any aspect of Jewish belief, observance or history. Give some thought beforehand to that pesky little thing (or that big cosmic dilemma) you've always wondered about, but have not had an opportunity to ask... final word on the matter is not guaranteed, but helpful insights will be gladly offered...and as always, there is no such thing as a "silly question..."
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Tuesday, March 30 - 6:30 pm
BJS FAMILY PASSOVER SEDER - Second Night of Passover
We are looking forward to our BJS annual second night Seder on Tuesday March 30 at 6:30 pm. Our participatory Haggadah ceremony with singing, discussion and full catered dinner has become a beloved holiday tradition.
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Sunday, March 28 - 3:00 PM
"Spirituality and the Arts" Series at Speakeasy Stage "Adding Machine: A Musical"
Join Emmanuel Center's series of "talk back" discussion forums for this season's productions of Boston's famed Speakeasy Stage Company. This event will follow the second Sunday afternoon performance of the play and will feature commentary by Rabbi Howard Berman, Rev. Pamela Werntz, and the cast and directors of the performances. The discussions will focus on spiritual, ethical and social issues raised by the plots and themes of each of these varied performances.
"Adding Machine: A Musical" Original music by Joshua Schmidt Libretto by Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt Based on the play The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice Directed by Paul Melone Starring Brendan McNab
“Brave and bold!” –Variety
A musical adaptation of Elmer Rice’s incendiary 1923 play, Adding Machine tells the story of Mr. Zero, who after 25 years of service to his company is replaced by a mechanical adding machine. An eclectic score gives passionate and memorable voice to this stylish and stylized show.
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Sunday, March 21 - 2:00 pm
The Wellesley Players - "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF" at Babson College
Rabbi Berman has been the Consultant for this production, which is always a favorite. If you have never seen Fiddler performed live, it's a very special experience, and, of course, a deeply emotional encounter with Jewish history.
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Saturday, March 20 - 10:00 AM
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
"Seder Brush Up" - As we approach Passover, we will review the major themes and texts of the Haggadah. Since the holiday is ten days away, we can still enjoy our bagel brunch!
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Wednesday, March 17 - 6:30 PM
BJS EVENING AT THE MFA- Part II
This second in our series of visits to the Museum of Fine Arts will have a broader focus than January's specific study of Jewish subjects. With our friends from Emmanuel Church joining us, Rabbi Berman will discuss universal spiritual themes reflected in the art of various cultures- exploring the many ways that humanity's religious quest for meaning finds expression in painting and sculpture.
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Sunday, March 14 - 4:00 pm
Chorus Pro Musica Performance of
Ernst Bloch's "Sacred Service"
John Hancock Hall- 180 Berkeley Street
This magnificent symphonic setting of our Reform Union Prayer Book Sabbath Service, composed in 1934, is rarely performed in Boston. It is the most important orchestral setting of Jewish liturgy, for orchestra and chorus. All BJS members are urged to attend this concert, for a unique experience of the broader musical traditions of Jewish worship! For more information, click here.
We will have an opportunity to discuss the Concert at the Monthly BJS Board Meeting, which will follow the program (around the corner from Emmanuel).
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Friday, March 12 - 6:30 PM
Sabbath Eve Service - "Ask the Rabbi"
In place of a sermon this evening, we will have an open dialogue session, with the opportunity to ask questions on any aspect of Jewish belief, observance or history. Give some thought beforehand to that pesky little thing (or that big cosmic dilemma) you've always wondered about, but have not had an opportunity to ask... final word on the matter is not guaranteed, but helpful insights will be gladly offered...and as always, there is no such thing as a "silly question..."
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Sunday, March 7 - 3:00 pm
Institution of The Reverend Pamela Louise Werntz
We hope you can join us in celebrating with our friends at Emmanuel Church. This is a special service celebrating the Institution of The Reverend Pamela Werntz as the twelfth Rector of the Emmanuel Church Parish.
The Wardens, Vestry and People of
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Invite you to
a Celebration of New Ministry
and Service of Institution of
The Reverend Pamela Louise Werntz
as the Twelfth Rector of the Parish
The Right Reverend M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE
Bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts
presiding and preaching at
EMMANUEL CHURCH
15 Newbury Street
Boston Massachusetts
Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 3:00 in the afternoon
Your prayers and presence are requested
Reception following
If you are planning to attend please respond to
Barbara Kroft
617-536-3355
rsvp.emmanuel@gmail.com
Saturday, February 27 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
The Festival of Purim- Reading of the Megillah
Purim begins this evening, and we will celebrate with our study of the Megillah Story of Queen Esther. In place of our regular Shabbat bagels, we'll enjoy Hamantaschen!
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Friday, February 12 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship
Rabbi Berman will speak: "A Rabbi Goes to Catholic School"
Observations and impressions from my recent experiences teaching Judaism to Middle and High School students at Boston College High School.
An Oneg Shabbat social hour will follow our Service.
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Sunday, January 31 - 3:30 PM
Spirituality and the Arts Series at Speakeasy Stage
"[title of show]" and Talk Back Session
Emmanuel Center "Spirituality and the Arts" Series
As part of the programs of the newly established Emmanuel Center, the interfaith partnership between Boston Jewish Spirit and Emmanuel Church, our two congregations co-sponsor a series of "talk back" discussion forums for each of the season's productions of Boston's famed Speakeasy Stage Co. These in-theater events follow specified Sunday afternoon performances of each play, and feature commentary by the Rev. Pamela Werntz and Rabbi Howard Berman. The discussions focus on spiritual, ethical and social issues raised by the plots and themes of each of these varied productions.
January 31's production, "[title of show]" is a love letter to musical theatre and to the joy of collaboration. This charming new musical is about two struggling young writers writing a new musical about two struggling young writers writing a new musical. In the span of 90 minutes, the pair, along with the help of two friends, write and perform their show-within-a-show at a musical theatre festival, and along the way learn lessons about themselves as people, friends and artists.
All performances are at the Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street in the South End. Special discounted tickets ($35) will be available by calling Jim Torres at Speakeasy (617) 482-3279. Callers should identify themselves as members of Emmanuel Church or BJS, and can pick up tickets and pay at the door the day of the performances.
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Saturday, January 23 – 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study
We will continue our study and discussion of the structure, history and meaning of our Jewish worship Service. All are invited to join us for our Service and our popular and lively conversations – every session is self-contained, and requires interest and imagination rather than academic background! A Bagel Brunch will accompany Torah Study.
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Wednesday, January 13 - 6:30 PM
An Evening at the MFA
As part of our temple's Fifth Anniversary, we will be presenting this "Special Edition" of our annual tour of the Museum. Rabbi Berman will lead a personal guided study of major spiritual themes reflected in selected highlights of the Museum's collection, including the MFA's newly acquired 18th century German Chanukah Menorah. This program is being coordinated by our own BJS member Katie Getchell of the Museum's Executive Staff. Following the tour, we will be hosted at an elegant buffet reception in the Museum's signature restaurant, BRAVO...
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Friday, January 15 – 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Service
Rabbi Berman will speak on "The Exodus Story as a Universal Model for Liberation." As we observe Martin Luther King Day, coinciding with the beginning of weekly Torah Readings from Exodus, the second book of the Torah, we will reflect on how our ancient story of freedom from slavery has been an inspiration to many oppressed people through the ages.
An Oneg Shabbat Social Hour will follow the Service.
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2009
Saturday - December 19 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
Rabbi Berman will lead a discussion of "The Christmas Story: A Jewish Perspective", reflecting on the profound influence of Jewish tradition and symbolism in the Gospel narrative of the Nativity Story. Come and learn about many of these fascinating parallels...did you know that according to ancient Jewish legend, there were a Star and Wise Men present at the birth of....Moses?
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Friday December 11- 6:30 pm
The First Night of Chanukah
Sabbath Eve Service and Holiday Celebration
In place of our regular Service, we will welcome in our beloved Festival of Lights with the presentation of Rabbi Berman's original cantata of story and song recounting the celebration of Chanukah throughout our history. This sermon was a long-time favorite at our rabbi's previous pulpits in New York and Chicago, where it was broadcast on radio each year, attracting thousands of listeners and winning broad recognition.
The Service will culminate with our own BJS tradition of the kindling of all of our Menorahs together - please be sure to bring your own, with two candles (Shammas and First Night candle).
Following the Service, we will share in a special Pot-Luck Holiday Oneg Shabbat! Please bring a dessert, cheese or fruit plate for 10 people. Anyone who brings their own homemade potato latkes will be awarded a special prize!
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Annual Back Bay Community Thanksgiving Service
Tuesday, November 24 - 6:00 pm
Lindsey Chapel
BJS and Emmanuel Church are this year's hosts of our interfaith Service, now an established tradition in our community. Members of all local area congregations will form our Choir, under the direction of Nancy Granert. Rev. Stephen Murray, Pastor of the First Baptist Church on Commonwealth Avenue will be this year's preacher.
BJS has been part of this annual holiday event from its inception, and it is always a popular Service with our temple members... come and join us to usher in our beloved annual celebration of America's shared spiritual heritage!
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Saturday November 21 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
Paula Dickerman will lead our Service, and Eve Lyons will lead a discussion of selected poetry on Jewish spiritual themes by the prominent contemporary writer Marge Piercy.
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Friday November 13 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Service
Rabbi Berman will discuss the current film "A Serious Man", a contemporary interpretation of the Biblical Book of Job - exploring the timeless question of "why bad things happen to good people..."
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Friday, October 23 – 6:30 PM
BJS Fifth Anniversary Service of Celebration
Our entire Temple Family is urged to share in this celebration of our congregation’s milestone birthday. Through prayer, special music (and musical guests), and reflections by our rabbi, members and invited guests, we will look back on our journey together so far, and envision our future hopes.
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Sunday, October 18 – 4:00 PM
Julie Silver in Concert!
We are thrilled to welcome back Julie Silver, one of the most beloved performers of contemporary Jewish and secular music today, as we celebrate Boston Jewish Spirit's fifth anniversary. We look forward to every BJS member participating in this major kick-off to our temple's Fifth Anniversary.
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Saturday, October 10 – 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study- Festival of Simchat Torah
As we conclude the High Holy Day season with the annual renewal of the Reading of the Torah, we will reflect on the enduring meaning and messages of the final...and beginning words of the Torah.
Following our Torah Study Service, we will all join together in dismantling our Sukkah. Our first Sukkah has made a tremendous impact on the community, with hundreds of passersby stopping to see it and learn about the holiday symbols and traditions! Please come prepared to lend a hand!
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Sunday, October 4 - 3:00 pm
The Savannah Disputation - New England Premiere!
Emmanuel Center "Spirituality and the Arts" Theatre Event
A Pentecostal missionary gets more than she bargained when she pays a visit to two Catholic spinsters and sparks a crisis of faith. To fight back, the sisters enlist the help of their unsuspecting parish priest, setting the stage for a comic showdown of biblical proportions. Nancy E. Carroll and Paula Plum star in this touching and funny new play.
Following the performance, Rabbi Berman and Rev Werntz will lead a “talk back” discussion on the many religious, ethical and social issues raised in this play. Please join us!
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Saturday, October 3 - 9:30 AM
BJS Sukkot Celebration
This year, as part of our temple’s “coming of age” on our Fifth Anniversary, we will mark yet another milestone in BJS’s development – the building of our first Sukkah!
Sukkot, the ancient Biblical harvest festival, is observed the week following Yom Kippur. As ordained in the Torah, our people have always built the Sukkah, the “booth” or “tabernacle,” as a sign of God’s sheltering love and care, and as a symbol of the ingathering of the harvest. The wooden arbor frame is decorated with branches, fruits and flowers of the season, proclaiming the bounty of Creation. Sukkot has become Judaism’s “Environmental Festival”, celebrating our commitment to the preservation of the earth and its natural resources, as we seek harmony in our place in the universe of living things. It is also regarded as the Biblical model that inspired the Pilgrims in celebrating their first Thanksgiving at Plymouth in 1621.
BJS Celebrates Sukkot!
(L-R) Jim Hood from Old South Church, who contributed cornstalks, with David Silverstein
BJS President Jill Silverstein, and Rabbi Howard Berman, James Robinson on ladder...
Our temple celebrated the Bibilcal Harvest Festival of Sukkot with the building of the first public Sukkah in the history of Back Bay! This outreach effort, sharing our Jewish tradition with the broader community, was a huge success! Many hundreds of people stopped by to see, learn, pray and enjoy the spirit of this Festival. There were many meaningful and moving encounters with passersby, tourists and even school groups who deeply appreciated this opportunity to experience this ancient tradition. One conversation with a group of visitors from Japan was particularly memorable... the tour guide asked me if this was a "quaint old New England custom," and I answered that it was even older than New England itself! A photo of the Sukkah was featured on the front page of the Boston Courant, and we have received many messages of appreciation for making this holiday observance available to all our neighbors!
Howard
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Friday, September 18
Service for the Eve of Rosh Hashanah
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Saturday, September 19
Rosh Hashanah Morning Service
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Sunday, September 27
Kol Nidre Evening Service
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Monday, September 28
Yom Kippur Morning Service
Afternoon Study/Discussion Forum
Yizkor Memorial Service followed by Concluding Service
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Sunday, September 13 – 11:30 AM
Annual “Fall Clean Up” of our shared home with Emmanuel Church members, as we spruce up, polish and get the Sanctuary and Chapel ready for the new season of our worship.
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Friday, September 11- 6:30 PM
Sabbath Eve Worship
As we prepare for the coming High Holy Days, our prayers and music will help us begin to capture the mood of this sacred season. Rabbi Berman will speak on the prophetic legacy of Senator Ted Kennedy, and his long and very close relationship to the Jewish community.
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Friday, January 16 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Worship Service followed by an Oneg Shabbat Social
Please note that our Sabbath Eve Service this coming Friday, January 16, at 6:30 PM will be a Service of Thanksgiving and Blessing in Honor of the Inauguration of Barak Obama as President of the United States. Boston Jewish Spirit has been invited to participate in a special Inauguration project by the Library of Congress, which will be collecting videotaped Services from various Houses of Worship throughout the country this weekend, as a permanent archive of the commemoration of this historic event by America's religious communities. Our Service this Friday will be taped as part of this program...come join us and be part of history!
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Wednesday, January 14 - 7:00 pm
Living Conversations: Torah/ Bible Study Group
A new Adult Education program, under the joint sponsorship of BJS and Emmanuel Church, through the Emmanuel Center. Living Conversations, will meet on a biweekly basis in the Mezzanine Library at 15 Newbury Street. Conversations will focus on the Book of Genesis/ Be'reshit while using Bill Moyers best-selling book: "Genesis: A Living Conversation" as our guide. This group will study the timeless spiritual and ethical issues raised in the Torah's Creation epic and stories of the Mothers and Fathers of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions. Participants are asked to bring copies of the book for each session.
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Saturday, January 31 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
Our new series of Shabbat study Services has been very successful, with great enthusiasm and participation by a large group of our BJS family! Come join us for prayer, song and Torah study- and, of course, bagels and coffee!
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February 11 and 25 - 7:00 PM
Living Conversations: Torah/ Bible Study Group
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Sunday, February 8 - 3:00 pm
Emmanuel Center "Spirituality and the Arts" Theatre Event
The New Century Four short comic plays by Paul Rudnick. A Jewish matron with three gay children, a flamboyant TV host, and a Midwestern scrapbook/cake decorating enthusiast each tell their stories and then meet, in this outrageous look at contemporary society in the new millennium. All performances at the Calderwood Pavilion of the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in the South End.
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Friday, February 13 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship followed by Oneg Shabbat Social Hour
Rabbi Berman will speak "On Being a Religious Reform Jew".
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Saturday, February 28 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
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Sunday, March 8 - 12:15 pm
Songs of the Spirit: The Psalms in Jewish and Christian Tradition
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March 11 and 25 - 7:00 pm
Living Conversations: Torah/Bible Study Group
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Friday, March 13 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship, followed by Oneg Shabbat Social Hour
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Saturday, March 28 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
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Sunday, March 29 - 3:00 pm
The Wrestling Patient
Performance at the Calderwood Pavilion of the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in the South End.
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Sunday, April 5 - 12:15 pm
Jewish and Christian Interpretations of the Narratives of the Death of Jesus
An Emmanuel Center Forum: "The Passions of the Passion". This Emmanuel Center program presents a panel discussion of the complex historical contexts, theological interpretations and ethical challenges surrounding the Gospel narratives of the death of Jesus of Nazareth. The panelists include the Rev. Pamela L. Werntz; Rabbi Howard Berman of Boston Jewish Spirit; and Charles Blandy, performer of the Evangelist, in Emmanuel Music’s production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, which follows the discussion.
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April 8 and 22 - 7:00 PM
Living Conversations: Torah/ Bible Study Group
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Thursday, April 9 - 6:00 pm
BJS Family Seder
Our participatory Haggadah ceremony with singing, discussion and full catered dinner has become a beloved holiday tradition. The celebration is open to BJS members and their invited guests.
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Friday, April 17, 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship followed by Oneg Shabbat Social Hour
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Saturday, April 11, 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
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Friday, May 8 – 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship
Rabbi Berman will speak on “Lindsey Chapel as a Synagogue”. While clearly designed as a Christian worship space, Emmanuel Church’s gothic architecture has also played an important role in the art and design of Synagogues through the ages. We will reflect on the Jewish dimensions of this style as well as its universal spiritual symbolism. We will also honor all Mothers in our BJS family at this Mother’s Day weekend service. Worship is followed by Oneg Shabbat Social Hour.
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Tuesday May 12 – 6:00 pm
Bishop Gene Robinson will be our guest at the Emmanuel Center, in conjunction with the screening of the film “The Bible Tells Me So”, portraying different religious understandings of GLBT rights.
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Saturday, May 16 - 10:00 am
Sabbath Morning Torah Study Service
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Sunday, May 17 - 3:00 pm
Emmanuel Center Spirituality and the Arts Theatre Series
Speakeasy Stage Presents: “Jerry Springer The Opera” – Following the performance of this highly controversial portrayal of the excesses of popular culture, Rabbi Berman and Rev Werntz will lead a “talk back” discussion on the many religious, ethical and social issues raised in this musical.
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Wednesday, June 10 - 7:30 PM
Annual Pride Vigil at the New England Holocaust Memorial (Near Fanueil Hall.)
This important part of Boston's GLBT Pride Week is hosted by our Congregation each year. Rabbi Berman will lead the brief program of tribute to gay and lesbian victims of oppression through the ages, as well as those homosexual victims of the Holocaust.
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Friday, June 12 - 6:30 PM
Monthly Sabbath Eve Worship and Oneg Shabbat
This Service will feature special musical highlights by our BJS Musicians and Guests!
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Saturday, June 13 - 10:00 AM
Annual Boston Interfaith GLBT Pride Service- Old South Church (Copley Square).
Co-Sponsored by BJS. Rabbi Berman and Paula Dickerman will be participating.
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Sunday, June 14 - 5:00 PM
BJS Annual Meeting
All Temple Members are urged to join us for this important gathering - we will elect and install new Officers of the Congregation, review the many highlights of our growth and progress over the past year, and preview our exciting plans for our upcoming Fifth Anniversary! Please bring a Pot-Luck entree or side dish for 10 people!
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Friday, June 12 - 6:30 pm
Sabbath Eve Worship followed by Oneg Shabbat Social Hour
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Friday, July 17 - 6:30 PM
Sabbath Eve Worship
Rabbi Berman will speak on “Summer Spirituality”, sharing reflections on adding special meaning to our vacations with Jewish dimensions to our travel and our poolside reading!
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Friday, August 7 - 6:30 PM
Sabbath Eve Worship
Rabbi Berman will speak on “Monthly Torah Reading Highlights" highlighting the many important themes in the current Sabbath Torah texts from the Book of Deuteronomy. This last of the Five Books of Moses is a summary of the key teachings and narrative of the previous four sections of the Bible, and include texts such as the Shema and the Ten Commandments that are the core ideals of Judaism.
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