This is just the beginning. May you find inspiration, information, and your special place in the Congregation Shaarei Tefillah community and in the Greater Boston Jewish community.

• Want to know what's happening, and where?
Many Jewish community resources are listed on these websites.

• Jewish Boston Online at http://www.boston-online.com/Ethnic/Jewish/

• www.jewishboston.org has the lowdown on all things Jewish in the Greater Boston area, from synagogue listings, to kosher dining, to a calendar of community events.

• http://shamash.org/trb/jewish_boston.html offers information and links to Jewish Resources in Brookline, Cambridge, Boston, and Newton. The site lists kosher restaurants, schools, synagogue and much more.

• Want to learn? If Shaarei's offerings aren't enough for you, Boston has much to offer.
• If you're into the Arts, Boston's Jewish Community offers some of the best.
• And if fitness is your thing, Jewish Boston has facilities to help.
• We hope these resources, listed alphabetically by organization name, will be helpful to you.
• A shtickel Jewish Boston History follows.

Aish Boston
100 Hano Street, Allston, MA 02134
617-254-1546
www.aish.com/branches/boston_ma/
Offering monthly SpeedDating, an emailed Crash Course on Jewish History, and guides to holiday celebration, Aish's website offers much information. For information about what is happening on Aish on Campus, give them a call.

Alef Cable Network
Bureau of Jewish Education
333 Nahanton Street, Newton
617-965-7350
www.bje.org/ (under construction)
The Alef Cable Network presents Jewish public affairs programming, with both local and international content. Call for a listing of channels in the Boston area.

American Jewish Historical Society Museum
Two Thornton Road, Waltham, MA accessible only through Brandeis University
781- 891-8110
http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/nejs/
The museum's holdings include 15 million archival documents and tens of thousands of paintings, photos, artifacts, and museum objects, the largest in the world relating to the Jewish experience in America. Although its library and many of its collections have now moved to the new Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, its two small exhibition galleries are must-sees. A permanent exhibition showcases portraits, miniatures, objects, and documents of early American Jewry. There are also a number of changing temporary exhibitions. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9- 4:30. Call in advance for special Sunday programs. No admission is charged.

The Boston Jewish Film Festival
1001 Watertown Street, Newton, MA 02465
617-244-9899
www.bjff.org/
Founded by filmmaker Michal Goldman in 1989, The Boston Jewish Film Festival has grown from 10 screenings to more than 40 in Boston and Brookline venues and additional screenings throughout the Greater Boston area. The Festival showcases the best contemporary films from around the world on Jewish themes. They bring visiting artists from around the world to introduce their films, answer audience questions, and participate in panel discussions. The 17th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival will take place November 2 - 13, 2005. The Full Schedule and Tickets will be available here starting October.

Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
617-536-5400
www.bpl.org/
In the John Singer Sargent Gallery, the wall painting, The Synagogue, once attracted controversy; many found its depiction of the synagogue as a haggard old woman to be anti-Semitic. The painting is dark and in need of restoration. Perhaps of greater interest today is Sargent's Frieze of the Prophets, depicting Moses with the tablets and prophets, their names labeled in Hebrew. Shaarei member Roni Pick works to further the goals of The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center (NBL Map Center). The Center was created to promote the use of maps as an important educational tool to understand human history, civilization and the world today. The NBL Map Center seeks to preserve, catalog, study, and exhibit the Boston Public Library’s historically significant collection of 350,000 (World, European and United States) maps, that will be integrated with the latest technological advances of Global Information Systems (GIS).

Boston University - Mugar Memorial Library
771 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
617-353-3704
www.bu.edu/library/
Of special interest is The Samuel Weisberg Memorial Collection of Jewish Ritual Silver which contains menorahs, Torah ornaments, seder plates, besamim, and other ritual objects, and is located on the first floor of the Mugar Memorial Library. Library hours: Monday- Thursday, 8am-midnight; Friday-Saturday, 8-11; Sunday, 10ammidnight. Call for summer hours.

Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)
126 High Street, Boston, MA 02110
617-457-8500
www.cjp.org/
Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the country's oldest Federated Jewish philanthropy, takes pride in their tradition of communal responsibility and generosity. CJP's history shows the growth of the Boston Jewish community and the many ways in which we have come together over generations to take care of people in need, both here in Boston and around the world. Led by Shaarei member Barry Shrage, throughout its history, CJP has found strength and inspiration in its tradition of compassion and justice. CJP works strives to care for people in need, to preserve Jewish learning and to enrich Jewish culture worldwide. Bringing people in every generation, in every circumstance, to care for others, to give our children an education steeped in Torah, to rescue Jews around the world, to bring dignity and opportunities where none existed before is the organization's mission.

Hebrew College
160 Herrick Road, Newton, MA 02459
617-559-8600
http://www.hebrewcollege.edu/html/hconline.htm
Through the study of Jewish religion, culture, civilization and Hebrew language, Hebrew College is committed to educating students of all ages and backgrounds to become knowledgeable, creative participants, educators and leaders in the Jewish community and the larger world. Welcoming students of all backgrounds, Hebrew College offers many entry points, from beginner's Ulpan to advanced Talmud study, through its Academic Division, Rabbinical School, Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education, Jewish Music Institute, Center for Adult Jewish Learning, Prozdor community high school and Camp Yavneh.

The Jewish Advocate
15 School Street, Boston, MA 02108
617-367-9100
www.thejewishadvocate.com
The Jewish Advocate, founded in 1902, is the oldest continually-circulated Jewish newspaper in the United States. The award-winning Advocate covers local, national and international events and serves a broad range of organizations and individuals with its lively mix of news, features and opinions.

Jewish Chamber Orchestra
Leventhal-Sidman JCC
333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459
617-965-5226
The orchestra performs twice a year, and features notable musicians as well as undiscovered geniuses of the Jewish music world. Call for dates of performances.

Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston
333 Nahanton Street, Newton MA 02459
617-965-7410
www.jccgb.org/
The JCC's mission is the advance the aspirations of families and individuals to enrich their lives, bodies and spirits, by providing the best in contemporary programs and experiences, informed by Jewish values for today's Jews and the people in their lives. Their branches and program services offered at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC,and the Striar JCC, include Special Needs, Kaleidoscope Creative Arts and Science camp, JCC Camp Kingswood, JCC Grossman Camp, Jewish InterAction, GesherCity Boston, and TeenJCC.

Leventhal-Sidman JCC
333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459
617-558- 6522
www.lsjcc.org.
The Newton location includes fitness facilities, pool, and theater. Beautifully restored 19th century structures share the campus with modern facilities, and hint at the area's history, originally as a Jesuit seminary, and later as an orphanage.

Striar JCC
445 Central Street, Stoughton, MA
781-341-2016
www.striarjcc.org/
The full-service facility offers fitness and amenities for out-of-town members seeking reciprocal privileges. A central courtyard is worth a visit - its walls are built from Jerusalem stone.

Jewish Friendship Trail
Boston Walks
50 Grove Street, Belmont, MA 02478
617-489-5020
www.gis.net/bostonwalks/
Native Bostonian Michael Ross regales participants with tales of Boston's Jewish past, as he points out synagogues, historic businesses, and other points of interest in the West End, North End, South End, and Cambridge. Many of the city's most intriguing sites are well-hidden. Ross offers walks as well as bicycle tours. Scheduled tours are more frequent in warm weather, generally on Sunday afternoons. But given enough notice, he will arrange private tours as well. The tours typically last from one to 2˝ hours and cost $20 or less.

The Jewish Theatre of New England
Leventhal-Sidman JCC
333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459
617-965-5226
Its season runs from October to May, and features contemporary and classical performances within the context of the Jewish experience - everything from Klezmer concerts to Jewish soloists to theatrical works, as well as some children's programs. Box office hours: Tuesday- Thursday, noon-5.

Kollel of Greater Boston
Rabbi Naftoli Bier or Rabbi Zalman Leff
74 Corey Road, Brighton, MA 02135
617-731-8107
Bostkollel@cs.com.
The Kollel offers more than sixty classes and programs ranging from beginners Judaism to advanced Talmud study are offered at no cost. Men and women, affiliated and non-affiliated, can avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in Jewish learning both at our center, business locations, private homes and local synagogues. The Kollel will try to provide an appropriate teacher for the creation of learning groups with specific interests and needs. Besides classes, we offer Shabbos hospitality programs, referral services, speaker’s bureau and study programs. The staff consists of two deans and ten resident scholars, all ordained rabbis.

Maayan Torah Studies for Women
1853 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 9, Brighton, MA 02135
617-787-9800
www.maayan.org
Ma’ayan is the Hebrew word for wellspring, recalling the lyrical metaphor of Torah as the spring from which knowledge flows. Ma’ayan is also the Hebrew acronym for Machon Iyun le-Nashim, a Torah Studies Initiative for Women. Ma’ayan nourishes both the spirit and the intellect in a supportive and inclusive atmosphere, where women of all ages and from a wide range of backgrounds are welcomed as they come to further their Jewish learning. Weekday, evening, and Sunday classes in Tanakh, Mishna, Talmud, Jewish thought, and liturgy are offered at varied levels. In addition, Ma’ayan sponsors seminars and Yom Iyun and Leil Iyun programs (Days and Evenings of Learning), which are open to men and women.

The New England Holocaust Memorial
Carmen Park on Congress Street near Faneuil Hall and Freedom Trail
617-457- 0755
www.nehm.org
At night the six glass towers pick up the lights of the city and cast a greenish glow, reminding passersby of a menorah - or death camp chimneys. The towers are etched with six million numbers in memory of the Jews who died in the Holocaust. Blending into the heart of Boston, near the Freedom Trail and Faneuil Hall, the solemn monument provokes reflection on freedom and human rights. Visitors often leave stones and flowers on the surfaces of the memorial.

The Synagogue Council
1320 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02459
617-244-6506
www.synagoguecouncil.org/
The Synagogue Council of Massachusetts represents 120 Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and independent member organizations. The Synagogue Council is a central organization that addresses a broad spectrum of religious Jewish needs and ideologies.

Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage, Inc.
14-18 Phillips Street, near north slope of Boston's Beacon Hill and Freedom Trail
617- 523-2324
www.vilnashul.com/
This National Historic Landmark is a museum and cultural center in the making. The structure served as the Vilna Shul from 1920 - when many of the Lithuanian immigrant congregants pitched in to build it - until the early 1980s. The modest structure, typical of a small, working-class shul, is a rare find - it's the only immigrant-era synagogue that survives in Boston. Currently, the center is open irregularly and visitors should call ahead for hours or to schedule a tour. In the works are plans for special events, concerts, lectures, and permanent and visiting exhibits.

The Zamir Chorale of Boston
1320 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02459
617-244-6333
www.zamir.org
This world-renowned Jewish chorus, led by Shaarei member Prof. Joshua Jacobson, is an educational and musical institution that awakens audiences to the breadth and beauty of Jewish culture. Zamir educates, inspires, and entertains through performances, symposia, recordings, publications, and the commissioning of new musical works. The Chorale is in residence at Hebrew College.

A shtickel history . . .
Follow Boston's famed Freedom Trail, and you'll walk in the shadows of some of the most vibrant Jewish immigrant neighborhoods in the Northeast - but you won't know it.

Sadly, little remains to mark the time when Eastern European Jews swelled North End neighborhoods between 1880 and 1920, creating something as close to a "Lower East Side" as Boston ever experienced. Other immigrant-era conclaves existed in the West End as well as sections of the South End - but most of the synagogues, schools, homes, and sights of significance were razed or rebuilt in urban renewal efforts. What few sights remain, however, are outstanding and do a lot to bring the history of Jews in Boston to life.

The city's founding fathers may have considered themselves "Christian Israelites," but they offered a less-than-friendly welcome to Jews during the Puritan beginnings. The stern New Englanders turned to their Old Testament for guidance and taught Hebrew at Harvard from its earliest days. But they remained wary of the few Jewish merchants and peddlers in the 1600s and through the Revolutionary period. Public records indicate a concern that Jewish newcomers might become public charges. A handful of Jews played important roles during the Revolution. But the slow stream of shopkeepers and peddlers didn't build to a significant population until the late 1840s. At that time, the first congregation, Ohabei Shalom, was organized.

By the mid-1850s, a German Jewish community was firmly rooted in the South End, and grew as the Civil War brought an industrial boom to New England. But it wasn't until the wave of immigration from Eastern Europe (1870-1920) swept the East Coast that Boston's Jewish numbers spiked. The population flooded the North End, then the West End.

Today, nearly 214,000 Jews live in Greater Boston, most of the population concentrated in suburbs of Brookline, Brighton, and Newton. Despite the loss of many historical structures that testified to Boston's historic Jewish presence, fascinating examples remain. Additionally, a rich academic legacy leaves wonderful archives, museums, and collections of Jewish interest. Galleries, monuments, and even architectural attractions round out a healthy sightseeing agenda.

It may take some effort to track down the sights. - Boston's confusing street patterns (or lack thereof) pose challenges to getting around. Guided tours are recommended (some resources are mentioned), and additional detail has been given when possible along with addresses. It is always advisable to call specific sights ahead to verify hours and get directions. Some are listed above in our resource section.

Paul Revere House, 19 North Square, 617-523-2338. No, Paul Revere wasn't Jewish. But this stop on the Freedom Trail does have some Jewish connection. A tour of the two homes, the Paul Revere House and the Pierce/Hichborn House next door, incudes commentary about the ethnic populations that once lived in the North End. And evidence indicates that around the turn of the century, a Jewish-owned grocery store operated from the Paul Revere House. Hours: Daily, mid-April through October 31, 9:30-5:15; November 1-April 14, 9:30-4:15. Admission: $2.50; $2 seniors and students; $1 children ages five-17.

In the West End at Otis Place stand the homes once occupied by two prominent Boston Jews - Justice Louis D. Brandeis, the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, and Edward A. Filene, department store patriarch and one of the founders of the credit union movement. The homes are privately owned and not open for touring, but worthwhile to see from the outside. A memorial plaque honoring Filene can be found at the corner of Boylston St. and Carver near the entrance to Boston Common.

Plenty of tour companies offer historic walks through Boston proper, and some will point out plaques, buildings, or other attractions connected to Boston's Jewish legacy. Specifically, Boston Walks, Jewish Friendship Trail spotlights Jewish sites that may go unnoticed - tucked at the end of an alley, buried by new construction, unmarked by plaque or marker.