There are so many ways to become involved in our kehillah kedoshah, our holy community, and to express your Jewish journey. Our many endeavors, committees and groups are outlined here, along with contact information to learn more. Koleinu, our shul newsletter, and Happenings, our weekly newsletter provide regular information about our programs, classes, volunteer opportunities and are great ways to connect with members. Join us!
Ready to give your time and talent but not sure where to start? Please contact office@tbzbrookline.org. We look forward to learning more about you and helping you find a home within our community.
We strive to ensure that our community is welcoming and accessible to our curious, thoughtful, and vibrant members who are 55 years of age and older by offering numerous classes, programs and opportunities for learning and building connections.
To learn more visit Aging in Community.
Calling all book lovers! Our TBZ Book Club meets monthly on Sunday evenings for lively discussions of books by or about Jewish people. Our selections alternate between fiction and nonfiction. This is a wonderful way to meet other book lovers and to read books you might not otherwise have heard of or thought to read. New members are welcome at any time during the year.
Please contact office@tbzbrookline.org.
The committee guides the process of maintaining and improving our beloved and aging building and its grounds. We use our expertise to make recommendations and help set priorities for capital improvements and may act as resources for contractors and service providers. We research and suggest systems enhancements to make our building greener and improve its comfort and user friendliness for our congregants and staff. The Committee, which meets on an as-needed basis, welcomes the contributions of time and work from all TBZ members who have an interest or skill in this area.
To get involved, contact office@tbzbrookline.org.
Our mission is to ensure that TBZ has the financial resources to support our spiritual and physical foundation, our vibrancy, our inclusiveness, and our ability to look to the future with optimism and excitement. Donations, along with some grants, make up 30% of our annual budget. Our committee strategizes and facilitates fundraising with creativity, and a commitment to ensuring our community can welcome all no matter their ability to pay full membership costs. Become part of TBZ’s effort to safeguard its foundation and future by contacting office@tbzbrookline.org.
TBZ is proud to be a truly intergeneration synagogue! Twice a month, children under 12 can join us for WonderMinyan, a place to engage with Shabbat services in age appropriate ways. Babysitting is offered during services on weeks when there is no WonderMinyan. We also have a weekly Jewish education program, Beit Rabban, for elementary learners. In addition, we offer programming for families with children around the holidays So, there are a lot of ways for young people and their adults to practice Jewish living.
For more information, reach out to Rav Tiferet.
As a community we have made a monthly commitment of providing soup and crackers to the largest kosher food pantry in New England. We come up with creative ways to encourage our community to bring donations and we deliver these to the Waltham JF&CS campus. This is a great way to serve our Greater Boston Jewish Community.
Learn more at Family Table or contact office@tbzbrookline.org.
Members with financial savvy serve an important function in our shul by serving on the Finance Committee and working with the Executive Director to monitor the financial health of TBZ. The committee oversees monthly financials, budget, and investments, advising and making recommendations to the Board of Directors and the Operating Committee on financial matters.
Bring us your expertise! Contact office@tbzbrookline.org.
Hesed is at the very heart of our communal lives at TBZ. The Hesed Committee provides sacred opportunities for all members to solidify the bonds of friendship, love and community; to welcome visitors and new members; and to support one another through life’s “joys and oys”. At TBZ all our members are a part of the Hesed Community. Whether you need help or would like to volunteer, as a TBZ member, you are an essential part of our reciprocal compassion in action. This practice of Hesed enriches us all!
To learn more visit Hesed@TBZ.
We strive to ensure that our shul and community are welcoming and accessible for people with all kinds of disabilities. Inclusion Committee initiatives include preferred seating, large print prayer books, an allergy table at kiddush plus more. Recently we have turned our attention to the often hidden and frequently stigmatized issue of mental illness, Our goal is to increase general awareness of this issue and to learn what we, as individuals and as a community, can do to support those with mental health needs.
To learn about our Inclusion initiatives or to get involved please visit Inclusion@TBZ.
We get together monthly to contribute to our community through knitting! Baby hats are made for the newest members of our community and Caring Wraps are made for those among us facing illness or a difficult time.
To learn more visit Knitzvah.
If you like working with children and have one to two hours per week to give please considering becoming one of our Literacy Tutor. We help Boston public school students at the Winship School in Brighton improve their reading by working with them one-on-one.
Learn more about this important endeavor and get involved here!
The Men’s Group engages in stimulating conversations about what really matters in our lives. In the process, participants build strengthened relationships with other men in the TBZ community and beyond. Recently, we have been meeting weekly online, spending an hour checking in on recent challenges, successes and insights in our intellectual, emotional and spiritual lives, with complete confidentiality, and no cross-talk, judgment or advice-giving. In the future, we plan to resume our periodic in-person meetings at TBZ after kiddush on Shabbat, where we will also discuss a text or a current issue.
Contact office@tbzbrookline.org to learn more.
The TBZ Jewish Meditation project is a resource for Jewish contemplative practices in the Boston area and throughout New England. Through weekly meditation sessions, contemplative Shabbats, Shabbat afternoon meditation sits, and day long retreats with renowned meditation teachers, Nishmat Hayyim offers opportunities for practice within a Jewish context, and highlights how this practice affects our humanity and our daily lives.
Learn more about our programs, offerings and classes at Nishmat Hayyim.
We strive to create a welcoming atmosphere at our services. We work with our community to develop synagogue skills, Torah reading, words of Torah, and general participation in our traditions. The committee meets to discuss, explore, and create innovative spiritual practices in our sanctuary. We also discuss ritual and communal practices. Working together with our Rabbis, we invigorate our Shabbatot and holidays and welcome you to join us in cultivating our vibrant community.
To learn more or get involved, contact office@tbzbrookline.org.
We strive to bring about olam haba – a perfect world to come – by lessening the incidence and burdens of poverty; by speaking out against injustice and discrimination; and by shaping a more caring society and a more peaceful world.
To learn more about our numerous initiatives and endeavors please visit Tikkun Olam @TBZ.
At TBZ, we encourage interested members to read Torah at our weekly Shabbat services. Members who can leyn may simply contact the Coordinator, who maintains the weekly list of parshot and readers. Readings are assigned to volunteers on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Anyone who is interested in receiving emails about available Torah reading opportunities can request to be put on the list.
Simply contact office@tbzbrookline.org if you would like to join the growing list of Torah readers!
We know not everyone has the time or inclination to be on a committee. But we are certain there are many of you willing and able to volunteer for specific tasks. And there is always a need for more people to help out — anything from stuffing envelopes for mailings to delivering TBZ gift bags to new members to greeting at Shabbat services to you name it — we’re likely to need it.
If this speaks to you, please email office@tbzbrookline.org and we’ll be in touch when we have a need.