April 9 - April 16 • Tzav

Saturday Morning Torah Study - Saturday, April 12, 9:00am

Twice a month on Shabbat mornings, Temple Sinai members gather to discuss the ideas presented by the week’s Torah portion. We begin with a light breakfast and singing and then then explore the Jewish ideas that emerge from the weekly Torah reading. In person or on zoom.

Please note: there is no Religious School this Sunday, April 13.

Thursday Morning Study Group

Thursday, April 10, 10:15am

Weintraub Community Room

Join us each Thursday for a lively and friendly class with Rabbi Vogel. We study a wide variety of topics, rotating to a new field of study about every six weeks or so. Thursday Study includes discussions, films, text study, and an occasional guest speaker. Join us each Thursday or feel free to drop in just once! All are welcome. Join us either on Zoom or in person. Contact the Temple office to be added to the email list for information about each week’s session and link. In person, or by Zoom. All are welcome! 

Temple Sinai Community Seder

2nd night of Passover

Sunday, April 13, 5:30pm

Ehrenfried Hall

Join us on Sunday evening, April 13, for a joyful and festive 2nd Night Passover Seder with the Temple Sinai community! Our Seder liturgy will be participatory, interactive, and fun. Our Seder will be led by Jeremy Wolfe and Robin Orwant and will feature a delicious holiday meal, catered by Baker’s Best. (Registration is now closed for this event.)

Yizkor Service for 7th Day of Passover

Saturday, April 19 at 9:30am

Join us in the Sanctuary for a Yizkor Memorial service led by Rabbi Vogel. Three times a year on the Jewish holidays, plus Yom Kippur, we gather to remember loved ones who passed away recently or long ago. Please join us.

Musician-in-Residence Shabbat

with Cantor Rosalie Will, Executive Director of Sing Unto God (joined on Friday night by special guest Cantor Ellen Dreskin)

Friday-Saturday, April 25-26

Our congregation holds our first-ever Musician-in-Residence Shabbat with Cantor Rosalie Will for a number of opportunities to celebrate Jewish music and sing out with joy! Join us for these special events.

Friday, April 25

• 4:30pm: Special pre-Shabbat session with the Sinai Chorus
• 6:00pm: Celebratory Shabbat service with Cantor Rosalie Will, joined by special guest Cantor Ellen Dreskin

Saturday, April 26

• 9:30am: Shabbat morning musical prayer workshop with breakfast (in place of Shabbat morning Torah Study)
• 5:00-6:30pm: Join Cantor Rosalie Will to close out Shabbat with singing and storytelling, followed by Havdalah. Bring a musical instrument if you have one!

Building Bridges with Rabbi Golan Ben Chorin

Sunday, April 27, 9:30am

Temple Sinai’s Israel Committee is pleased to hold another session of “Building Bridges” with Rabbi Golan Ben Chorin of Haifa, who is a third-generation Reform rabbi in Israel, and who has led this program for us in previous years. Join us via Zoom for discussion with Rabbi Golan, who will once again help us explore current issues in Israeli society, including social justice and democracy, prayer and ritual in Israeli Reform Judaism, societal issues related to the war, LGBTQ and inclusion issues, and more. (Topic to be determined in the week before our session.) We also plan to continue “Building Bridges” with Rabbi Golan in Fall 2025. By Zoom only. 

Sinai Parents of LGBTQ+ Kids Meeting

Sunday, April 27th from 6:00-7:30pm

We're happy to announce the next meeting of our Sinai Parents of LGBTQ+ Kids group. We'll begin with a vegetarian meal, followed by a facilitated training and discussion led by Eli Lurie Sobel. Eli (they/he) is the Greater Boston Education and Training Manager for Keshet. Eli will share some context about the current political landscape, providing tools for how parents and caregivers can support their LGBTQ+ kids now and always. Eli will also provide resources for how parents can seek support for themselves through these challenging times. We will continue with a community conversation as we process our learning and the emotions that come with it. We are here to wrestle with our questions and challenges in a supportive, creative, and nurturing environment that we build together. We hope you can join us!

Please RSVP HERE, and reach out to Jen Zak with any questions.

The 20th Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony

Tuesday, April 29, at 1:30pm EST on Zoom

Organized by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle Families Forum, the Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. The ceremony occurs yearly on the eve of Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day), observed on the 4th day of Iyar, which corresponds this year to Tuesday, April 29. The Joint Memorial Ceremony helps affirm the shared humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians, and creates a meaningful opportunity for both Jews and Palestinians to mourn side-by-side. It helps model another way forward, based on seeing one another's pain and lived realities.

Click here to learn more and register.

Join us for a Temple Sinai Member’s Book Launch & Celebration!

Sunday, May 4, 7:00pm

David Trimble’s memoir, A Seeker’s Journey Into Sacred Time & Space, documents his lifetime of spiritual search, his career as a psychotherapist, and his commitment as a social activist to the transformation of global culture toward values of peace and justice. It describes his work integrating Judaism, spirituality and psychotherapy, and tells stories of turning points in his spiritual journey, starting in childhood. David has been a Temple Sinai member for over three decades, and he celebrated his conversion to Judaism and his Adult B’nai Mitzvah, among other key life moments, with the community at Temple Sinai. Join us at this celebration for a book reading by David, refreshments and book signing. Copies will be made available for purchase.

Religious School Open House

Sunday, May 4th, 9:30am - 11:00am

The Temple Sinai religious school is hosting an open house for prospective families. The event will be held in our Weintraub Community Room. Families are invited to join us for a bagel breakfast and coffee, followed by an introduction to our religious school and what makes us unique. Please help us spread the word! If you know anyone who might be interested in religious education for their children, word of mouth is a meaningful way to engage new members. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jen Zak for more information.

A Conversation about Antisemitism with

Rob Leikind

Wednesday, May 7, 7:30pm

Weintraub Community Room

Rob Leikind has been the Regional Director of the New England chapter of the American Jewish Committee since 2008, and currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism. A child of parents who survived Hitler’s Europe, he began his career working with Holocaust survivors in Brooklyn, New York. A lawyer by training, he served as an Assistant District Attorney before going on to be Director of the ADL’s Connecticut and Boston offices and Senior Vice President of Hebrew College. Rob has been a contributor to various media on topics ranging from Israel and anti-Semitism to intergroup relations and civil rights. Join us for an interactive conversation. This session is in-person only.

Registration is Open!

Temple Sinai’s Community Retreat – a day of fun! 

Sunday May 18, 10:00am-5:00pm

The entire Sinai community will gather for our one day Community Retreat at the Metro-West YMCA Camp in Hopkinton, MA, on Sunday, May 18, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m, a day of fun, relaxing, sports activities, discussion, singing, eating and being with one another! 

This all-ages event is for our entire congregation. 

Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway Park!

Monday, May 19, 6:45pm

Celebrate Jewish culture and sports with us at Fenway Park! Temple Sinai invites you to join us for an unforgettable evening at the Red Sox Jewish Heritage Night. Enjoy exciting baseball action, Jewish traditions, and a lively community atmosphere as we cheer on the Sox together. Don’t miss out on this special event—bring your family, friends, and fellow Temple Sinai members for a night to remember!

Click here to buy tickets!

Ticket holders who purchase through Temple Sinai will receive a Red Sox Jewish Heritage jersey with Red Sox written in Hebrew! The jersey is based of the 1975 Red Sox home uniform, with this year being the 50th anniversary of the AL Championship season. Jerseys will be available in sizes Adult S-XL, with sizes distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Weekly Sunday Afternoon Mah Jong

3:00pm-5:00pm

Weintraub Community Room

Join us to play and learn at our weekly Sunday Sinai Mah Jong games! Whether you are a seasoned expert or still learning the game, you are welcome to join! Come enjoy an afternoon of strategy, community, and enjoyment. Game equipment will be provided but feel free to bring your own set if you have one.

Announcements...

From the Temple Sinai Library Committee...

Stunning Haggadot from our collection, including the Sarjevo Haggadah and an oversize Haggadah illustrated by Ben Shahn. All available to borrow. Coming soon, a library display table outside the Weintraub Room.

If you want to search for more titles, visit our collection.

Tzedek@Sinai: Donation Drive for Haitian Immigrants

Last month, during Friday night services, we heard the needs of Haitian immigrants in Boston. Tzedek@Sinai is having a gently used clothing drive for IFSI Immigrant Family Services Institute-Boston. Warm coats, rain jackets and clothes of the season for children and adults are needed. We are also collecting basic kitchen needs, such as utensils, pots and pans in good shape etc. Please bring these items bagged or boxed and leave them in the lobby or the Bridal Room. If you wish to donate funds, you may do so through their website. The clothing drive will continue until April 4, 2025. If you have further questions please contact Marsha Canick or Lynn Shyevitch. 

DIAPERS and children’s clothing of all sizes needed and greatly appreciated.

In the Community...

From Tzedek@Sinai: Know Your Rights Information & Training

For those interested in immigrant rights, the town of Brookline is hosting two upcoming trainings on resources for immigrants and their allies. The first is on Thursday, April 10th at the Coolidge Corner branch of the Brookline Public Library and will be conducted in English and Spanish. The second is on Wednesday, April 30th at the main (Brookline Village) library in English and Mandarin. Both will run from 7:00-8:30pm.

This training will cover basic Know Your Rights information, including rights in interactions with immigration enforcement, including when immigration comes to your home or stops you while driving, family preparedness, public charge, where to get legal help, and information on notorious fraud and immigration scams. Click here for more information.

Freedom for All: Seder in the Streets

A Passover Rally for Safety and Liberation

Thursday April 17, 6:00-7:30 PM

City Hall Plaza in Boston

This Passover, a holiday of freedom and liberation, join Jews from around Boston to call for the release of student protestors Rumeysa Ozturk and Mahmoud Khalil, to protect free speech and democracy, and to ensure the right of all of us to live in our homes free from fear. These arrests and actions do not support the fight against antisemitism. Rather, we know that Jewish safety is intertwined with that of all marginalized people. Gather with us for collective Passover ritual and action. RSVP HERE.

Organized by If Not Now Boston and Co-sponsored by T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and other Jewish organizations.

JCRC Yom HaShoah Observance

Sunday, April 27, at 10:30am

Join the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Greater Boston community in remembering, reflecting on the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah. Event begins at The State Room, 60 State Street, Boston; the event will conclude at the New England Holocaust Memorial. Register by clicking here.