30 year member, part of this dynamic caring and learning community, many "gates" to membership, you…read morewill find all sorts of ways to be Jewish here. Brilliant clergy who relate our ancient traditions to today's world, both for individuals and groups.

Bad idea to come here to connect to god, the Jewish community, or for spiritual guidance. God would…read more not approve of what is going on inside these holy walls. Unless you donate large sums of money, the rabbis won't give you the time of day even in your greatest time of need. When my husband died, the main rabbi, Gardenshwartz refused to officiate the funeral because I couldn't afford his fee. I have been a loyal member for more then ten years and always gave generously until I fell on hard times. The congregants are mainly a bunch of old sheep to the rabbis flock, and everyone but his most inner circle are treated by him like children or outsiders. The sermons are braggadocious, cliche and a soapbox promoting the rabbis enormous ego. The female rabbi is a puppet to the overseers board and the main rabbi and is given the second class members to counsel. She is distracted and barely pretends to be paying attention. You will never find parking, friends or joy coming here. I am filled with sadness how I was treated.

Reyim helped my family to successfully navigate a very difficult situation with my father over a…read morelong period of time. They helped us in many different ways and for that, we are forever grateful.

A beautiful, loving congregation who supports one another through good times and bad. A learned…read moreRabbi who gives wonderful classes for congregants. A wonderful Limmud program with many wonderful programs. An active social action committee who support many important causes. An important B'Nai Mitzvah program with parents and children involved. The school uses experiential learning to enhance learning.

Beautiful synagogue. Attended a cousin's bar mitzvah here. Very nice ceremony. The rabbi was…read morewonderful. Then the huge party across the hall. Must have been 150 people there and the food, service, and of course the DJ and music were all great and fun.

My fiancée and I looked into joining this temple and having our wedding there. I grew up in Newton…read moreand wanted to have our wedding at a temple in that area. After speaking the Rabbi Perlman who during the entire interview tried persistently to convince us that this congregation is not for us since we (30 years old) are too young and could not make use of what they have to offer. Yes they have many child oriented activities and at the moment my fiancée and I are childless, but this will probably not be for ever, but should that be the primary reason for letting people join a congregation? I believe that if you are jewish you should be welcomed to join in to any community not ostracized for not fitting into their particular demographic. Well low and behold, the rabbi calls us back flat out refusing our request to join their congregation because THEY don't believe that we would be a "good fit" aka don't have kids and are probably not very wealthy in order to be able to contribute monetarily to paying their fat paychecks, as if the exorbitant membership fee wasn't enough, to add to it they mask themselves under a flag of community and jewish prosperity, but in reality are a bunch of elitists, who just want to belong to an exclusive club. If you're an exclusive club.. then dont' call yourself a synagogue because then you're sending out a false symbol to those around you thinking that you're warm and welcoming.

A warm, welcoming synagogue. It's very small and it's easy to meet people. The synagogue is…read moretraditionally Orthodox and so are most of the members, however there is a large minority of less religious members who join for various reasons (it was their childhood synagogue, location, finances-it's very inexpensive), etc. Some of the less religious members have leadership positions, so it's not 'discriminatory' in that respect. Women also have board positions, though be aware that there is separate seating (women sit in a balcony; the Torah is supposed to be and usually is brought up at the appropriate time). At various points in term the synagogue has hired a part-time rabbi; otherwise the synagogue is lay-led. Sometimes rabbis or cantors are hired for High Holiday or other special services. There is no religious school (or wasn't when we were members a few years ago) as most of the children attend Jewish day school. It may be possible though for one of the members to help find an alternative (private instruction, etc) if the day school option does not work for you. The synagogue sponsors a number of educational and social events; most are open to non-members and they are usually very good. Physically, the synagogue, which I believe is on the National Register of Historic Places, is lovely. The building is fairly small and older but is very well kept up. It exudes an informal, welcoming atmosphere. Parking is not a problem and no one is going to condemn you if you drive rather than walk. I would definitely attend services here if you live in the area and are looking for a synagogue, or even if you already belong to another synagogue and just want to see what it is like. It is really a special place and worth attending a few services to see a type of synagogue that is pretty rare today,

From the owner: The Adams Street Shul is an independent, historic Orthodox synagogue that serves a diverse…read morecongregation and the broader community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Shul hosts a welcoming volunteer community, now entering its 100th year of service, where everyone can contribute and be active in the life of the congregation.

Temple Beth Elohim Wellesley…read more This unusually special building was just built in 2009. While it is an active Reform Jewish Temple, it is open to all to individually visit, meditate and reflect (and/or to join in a service.) The photos on the web site will give you a very good idea of its uniqueness and the welcoming community it houses.The building, which is situated in a wooded area, is designed to seamlessly fit into the landscape; light woods and stone and large window expanses achieve that goal beautifully. And every season is 'the best season' to see it. We spent most of our time in the glorious sanctuary, sitting and taking in all the design details and outside views, and in the courtyard garden which serves as a lovely transition space to welcome you into the main building. The communal spaces in the atrium lobby's two floors- have a number of worthwhile displays and sculptures, and further opportunities to appreciate the wealth of architectural details, and think about the wise choices that were made in creating them. Pay special attention to the color palette and the woods, stones and textiles used to all complement each other and to bring the outside in. The Boston architects of William Rawns have received numerous awards for the Temple: 2013 AIA New England Honor Award; 2012 Faith & Form, Religious Architecture; 2012 Chicago Athenaeum, American Architecture Award; 2011 BSA Honor Award http://www.rawnarch.com/temple_beth_elohim The Temple is located only 5 minutes off Rt. 95/128. Wellesley has many architectural treasures further west in the town- including the Romanesque Town Hall, and the charming melange of the Wellesley College campus. Leisure exploring in Wellesley will take you down some of MA's prettiest country roads, past 18th and 19th c. clapboard houses and woodlands.

I attended a wedding (I'm not Jewish). I can't speak to the religious subtleties, but I was very…read moreimpressed at the building - it's clearly been well-maintained, and it has a much better airiness and feel than European cathedrals that I've visited. I was also impressed at the education level of the Rabbi, the Cantor's enthusiasm was obvious (even if I didn't understand the words), and everyone clearly had a strong sense of what I would call a joyous sense of community. Something that Christian churches rarely have, unfortunately. People were really happy to be there, and to see and help each other. An inspiration.

This is a wonderful Jewish synagogue in the heart of Brookline, MA. A beautiful, large building,…read morewith a gorgeous main sanctuary, function hall, large daily minyan, and Hebrew School. They are open to interfaith couples who choose to raise their children Jewishly; they are open to gay and lesbian Jews; Jews of any ethnic background; Jews by birth and Jews-by-choice (halakhic conversions to Judaism); they are open to Jews who range from the very observant to not-so-observant. Their all-night Tikkun for the holiday of Shavuot is something to be experienced; the best that I have ever gone to. Make no mistake about it, this is a Conservative Jewish synagogue, in the broadest and most traditional sense of the term "conservative Judaism". Conservative Judaism, as it was intended by those who developed it, is trans-denominational, or if you prefer, non-denominational Judaism. They do not hew to a strictly rigid and narrow set of beliefs (theology) and practices (halakha), like so much of the Orthodox. Nor do they jettison all beliefs and practices, as did most of the Reform. As Reform Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut admitted, "there is no such thing as a [Reform] Jewish theological principle, policy, or doctrine", robbing people of the very thing people seek when they become part of a community, or religion. Instead, this synagogue follows the classical rabbinic Jewish path of acknowledging there are Jewish principles of faith, but recognizes that no one code of them ever developed canonical status, thus encouraging members to study many Jewish texts on the subject, and approach them intellectually; the same is true for halakhah (Jewish law and custom); Jewish law is considered to be normative (what one is supposed to do, as opposed to a mere suggestion), yet at the same time following the classical rabbinic Jewish path in which more than one interpretation of the law may be considered valid. This worldview is the basis of classical rabbinic Judaism in the Talmud, and of Conservative Judaism itself, whether or not a synagogue is formally a member of the Conservative movement. By the way, this definition also includes most of the Chavurah movement, the Union for Traditional Judaism, and the more liberal Partnership minyans which are nominally Modern Orthodox :-)

This is the first synagogue I've been to in years* so I don't have as much recent experience to…read morecompare it to, but I was pleasantly surprised by this warm and bright building, and the community it houses. In particular, I was happy to see how personable and welcoming and human Rabbi Keith was. I was attending my little cousin's bat mitzvah, and not only did he clearly know her intimately (the wonderful little person she is, and what makes her so special), but he also seems to have fostered a lovely community where folks of all ages interact and enjoy each other's company. (My little cousin has been active in the theater productions, and she absolutely loves it.) My experience with this temple is as an outsider, but the bat mitzvah was an excellent testament to the way in which this community operates. I know my older cousin (the bat mitzvah girl's mom) to have excellent taste, and I'm not surprised she chose Temple Beth Avodah for her family. ______________ *Yes, I am not the best Jew.

This is my favorite Synagogue that I've ever attended. It's Reform and Rabbi Keith Stern is…read moreintellectual and cool. Besides services and holidays, there are activities for families, older people, younger people, book clubs, Torah study, all kinds of special programming ranging from speakers from Israel to movie and baseball nights. One of my friends invited me to join and when I first moved to Newton, but it took me seeing another friend who kept posting fun pictures on Facebook to get me to get over there. My husband and I joined almost immediately. We really enjoy the programming and all the nice people we've met there.

A beautiful large building with a big parking lot and well spoken rabbis and a great cantor. There…read moreis a guitar player if you are into that. The service was mostly in English with some Hebrew.

A wonderful, welcoming, participatory congregation. An excellent K-4 school and b'nai mitzvah…read moreprograms. Adult learning opportunities from engaging with each other on the chighly charged political challenges of the day to baking classes. Come join us - we're small but mighty!

I was thinking of returning to Judaism, but I had questions. For instance, can atheists be Jews?…read more Eitz's website said "Atheists Welcome" right up front. The site also said "Casual Dress." Now I show up every Friday.