Wherever you are on your spiritual journey,
the focus of Central Reform Temple of Boston is to provide everyone
with a home for growth and new horizons.
We are a house of prayer for all people.
Rabbi Shire leads the procession carrying the Torah scrolls to the new Ark on Rosh Hashanah followed by Michael Scanlon and Jill Silverstein.
Photos by Jesse Kiefer
The word rabbi means "teacher" and our rabbi embodies that title in a very special way. Reading his sermons is a wonderful way to reach a deeper understanding of the ethics that support our faith tradition.
High Holy Days at Central Reform Temple of BostonSeptember 11-21, 2026
CRT is pleased to welcome friends and guests to our 2026/5787 High Holy Day services at no charge. Like synagogues everywhere around the world, pre-registration FOR GUESTS is required for both online and in-person attendance. This is a matter of both hospitality and security. In today's world, sadly we must be vigilant.
Complete the registration form below. You will receive notice that you have been are pre-registered and for those joining virtually, you will receive the Zoom links. ONLY PRE-REGISTERED GUESTS will be admitted. No walk-ins will be admitted. We hope your experience at this New Year will be inspiring and filled with meaning. Though we do not charge guests for Holy Day tickets, we will gratefully accept your donation to CRT. Shanah Tovah! |
Emmanuel Center Movie NightThursday, September 17, 7:00pm
Our next Emmanuel Center Movie Night will be on Thursday, September 17th at 7:00pm. Our film this month is East Side Sushi (2014). Our facilitators will be Ray Matsumiya, Executive Director of University of the Middle East Oleander Initiative (focused on Middle East Peace Education based upon WWII destruction of Hiroshima), and his wife Masaki Miyake, born and raised in Spanish Venezuela.
SUMMARY: This film is focused on LatinX and Japanese cultures, struggles of working-class immigrant women, and the pursuit of dreams. |
Shabbat Service In Person and MulticastFriday, September 25 at 6:30pm
Join us for our Multicast Shabbat service (in person and online), celebrating Sukkot together. We will gather for our kiddush in the Sukkah after the service. There will be a Shabbat Schmooze in the Emmanuel Room from 5:45-6:15pm, prior to the service starting. We hope you will join us as we begin the New Year together.
Keep up with everything going on at CRT, including Zoom links to multicast services, by reading "The Week Ahead," our weekly newsletter. Want to join the email list? Email info@centralreformtemple.org |
Shomrei Adamah - Guardians of the EarthSaturday, September 26 at 4:30pm
We join together in our newly painted Sukkah to explore our responsibility to care for the earth during the festival of Sukkot. The program will include:
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Central Reform Temple of Boston is a uniquely welcoming community that embraces the richness of the Jewish tradition. Our worship, conducted primarily in English, is inclusive and accessible. We offer a warm, unconditional welcome to all who seek to join us in worship, study, and service, without regard to religious background or beliefs. One need not be born Jewish, be able to read Hebrew, or convert to Judaism to be a full, participating member of Central Reform Temple. Interfaith families and people of all faiths, including the unaffiliated, are fully embraced. Members of the LGBTQ community are a vibrant part of our Temple family.
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March 13th marks our return to Multicast Shabbat services (in person and online). We will celebrate being together in person with a Shabbat Potluck supper after services. We will start with a Shabbat Schmooze with the rabbi and CRT members at 5:40 in the Emmanuel Room. Rabbi Shire will lead us in worship and we will be accompanied by our musicians.
Everyone is welcome. If you would like to be on the newsletter list at CRT, email info@centralreformtemple.org |
With a focus on adult programming and social justice, we strive to be engaged with each other both within and outside our Shabbat, Festival, and High Holy Day Services. Our one-of-a-kind covenant relationship with Emmanuel Episcopal Church with whom we share our spiritual home, integrates us both physically and ideologically within the Back Bay interfaith community.
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From the Rabbi's Study
Perhaps the single most practical thing Judaism has offered to the world, is the distinction between the working week and a day of rest. This concept of Shabbat first conceptualized in the Hebrew Bible and then spun into a myriad forms has been applied by every Civilization through the ages to provide a cessation in the unceasing drive to have, to own and to obtain more!
For as Abraham Joshua Heschel stated in his Classic work, ‘The Sabbath’, Shabbat is rather a time to be, to become, to be open to wonder...
For as Abraham Joshua Heschel stated in his Classic work, ‘The Sabbath’, Shabbat is rather a time to be, to become, to be open to wonder...
Rabbi Shire leads this contemplative service preparing us for the High Holy Days with help from Jill Silverstein, Amy Lieberman, Angelynne Hinson, Mark Cleveland, and a special guest appearance by Simon Barrad thanks to the generosity of Roots of Reform Judaism. Take time for introspection and prayer as we look forward to Erev Rosh Hashanah 5787. Visit CRTBoston.org for more information on Central Reform Temple of Boston services and events.
Rabbi Shire shares his thoughts and helps us begin our preparation for High Holy Days. Music by our accompanist John Dilworth with the beautiful baritone voice of cantorial soloist Mark Cleveland. This is Service II from the Union Prayerbook Sinai Edition 1. Find an electronic copy here: https://www.crtboston.org/service-pdf.... Subscribe to this channel. Support CRT's Media Team with your donation at https://www.crtboston.org/donations.
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Subscribe to Central Reform Temple YouTube Channel
Enjoy CRT Shabbat Services “on demand” on the temple YouTube channel. When you subscribe you will be notified by email each time a new video is uploaded. Experience CRT services for the first time, review a service you missed, or relax into prayer and meditation in the middle of the week. Enjoy!
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Central Reform Temple of Boston meets at our home in
Lindsey Chapel at Emmanuel Church,
15 Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts.
We welcome you to join us!
Guests who would like to receive our weekly email with information on service dates, activities, and more please email us at [email protected].
CRT members lighting shabbat candles on Simchat Torah at The Ark - Pinner and Northwood Liberal Synagogue in UK
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CRT members study ancient Jewish manuscripts at
The Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK
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Many photos courtesy of Jesse Kiefer.
