Blessings

Blessings

Haftarot Images

Below are PDF images of Temple Emunah's Sefer Haftarot

Kindergarten through Seventh Program Faculty

GAN (Kindergarten)
Sharon Zirkin-Dagan

Sharon is a speech and language pathologist by education. She lived in Israel for seven years where she taught children with Special Needs. Sharon has been on faculty since 2014. She has over thirty years education. She has a passion for Israel and Judaism. Sharon is also an artist.

Jen Goldstein

Jen is new to our faculty. She graduated from Binghampton University and is currently a graduate student at Harvard, working toward a master's degree in education. Jen taught English as a Second Language in Israel for a summer. She taught in the Miami-Dade County public school system for three years with Teach for America. Jen is originally from Long Island, NY.

KITAH ALEF (1st Grade)
Avital Skolnick

Avital is originally from Israel, where she lived both in the city and on a kibbutz. It was on the kibbutz where she started teaching. She came to the United States with her family in 1990. This is Avital's first year on the Temple Emunah faculty. She is excited to share her love for Hebrew, Judaism and Israel with the Temple Emunah community.

KITAH BET (2nd Grade)
Laurie Shapiro

Laurie has been a teacher and director of education in the area Jewish community for more than twenty years. She also works as a behavioral therapist with children with special needs. Laurie enjoys hiking, swimming and photography in her free time. She is excited about returning to teach Kitah Bet at Temple Emunah this year!

KITAH GIMEL (3rd Grade)
Irit Hamami

Irit is a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. 12 of these years have been spent teaching different grades at Temple Emunah. Irit loves to teach and her students find their way into Ivrit (Hebrew) and tefila (prayer). It is such a thrill for her to see how her student’s grow and blossom over the course a year and become confident Hebrew readers and they lead Friday Services at their "Siyum Hasefer".

KITAH DALET (4th Grade)
Melanie Blatt (Sundays and Tuesdays)

Melanie is a cantorial student at Hebrew College. She has a number of years experience in Hebrew schools teaching music. Her own Jewish education started in Jewish preschool, Hebrew school from second to eighth grade, and private tutoring through high school.  Before moving to the Boston area, Melanie worked with a Conservative congregation in Baltimore (Congregation Beth El), as a music teacher and youth programming coordinator. Melanie will teach Kitah Dalet on Tuesdays and lead our Sisterhood Kumsitz Program on Sundays.

Rabbi Michael Fel (Sundays)

Rabbi Michael Mauricio Fel is proud to serve as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Emunah. Originally from Miami, Florida, Rabbi Fel earned a bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Miami. He went on to receive his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary where he learned as a Schusterman Rabbinic Fellow and earned a Master's Degree in Midrash and Scriptural Interpretation. For four summers, Rabbi Fel worked at Camp Ramah in Nyack, NY where he served as the camp's Program Director and the Director of Woodworking.

KITAH HEY (5th Grade)
Iris Rozenberg (Sundays)

This is Iris Rozenberg's fourth year teaching at Temple Emunah's  Religious School. Iris teaches Kitah Hey on Sundays. She comes to us with 15 years of experience, teaching English, Hebrew and Judaic studies in both Israel and the States. Iris, originally from Israel, is very happy to be a part of the faculty, which includes her daughter who works as a madricha. She and her family have resided in Lexington for the past 10 years.

Tzvi Wolke (Wednesdays)

Tzvi comes to us from Chicago. He will be teaching Kitah Hey on Wednesdays. As a teen, Tzvi was active in USY. He worked at Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life at which time he led two Birthright Israel trips. He holds a Master’s of Education in Secondary Social Studies Instruction. Tzvi believes in bringing content material to students and creating a comfortable atmosphere for learning.

KITAH VAV (6th Grade)
Beni Summers

Beni is Temple Emunah’s Synagogue Educator. Among the various roles he fills at Emunah are advisor to Junior USY, co-advisor to Senior USY, coordinator of Junior Cong, and teacher for grades 4 and 6. Beni lives in Newton Corner. Outside of Temple, he enjoys going to see the New England Revolution play and talking all things soccer, hosting Shabbat dinners for local young Jewish professionals, and singing as a member of Vocal Revolution.

KITAH ZAYIN (7th Grade)
Rabbi David Lerner (Sundays)

A graduate of Columbia College and ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow, David Lerner has served as the rabbi of Temple Emunah of Lexington for the last eleven years. He brings a unique blend of warmth, outreach, energetic teaching, intellectual rigor and caring for all ages.

Scott McCauslin (Wednesdays)

Scott has been part of Temple Emunah's religious school for a number of years, serving in a variety of capacities. He has taught seventh grade for a few years. Scot received his BSEd from the University of Maine. He taught High School Mathematics and Computer Science for ten years. In addition to teaching, Scott works in our administration office.

Me'ir Sherer (Wednesdays)

As Temple Emunah's Director of Congregational Learning, Me'ir Sherer directs our Religious School and Youth Programs, and works with our rabbis and staff on synagogue programs. Me'ir holds a Master's degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College and another in Social Work from Boston University. He received B.A.s from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, List College. Me'ir also completed the Melton Senior Educators Program at Hebrew University and holds a Certificate in Jewish Family Education from Hebrew College.

Prior to assuming the position of Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Emunah, Me'ir served as the Director of Congregational Learning at Or Atid in Wayland and Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester, respectively. Me'ir has also served on the faculty of Prozdor, the secondary school division of Hebrew College in Newton.

Me'ah

 Me'ah:  Inspired Learning for Adults of All Backgrounds

Me’ah (Hebrew for ‘100’) will take you on a FASCINATING 100-hour journey through Jewish history. Your expert “tour guides” are top scholars who will lead you through…




“Me’ah works no matter where you are on the continuum of Jewish learning. It is the perfect mix of history, philosophy and the showcasing of important personalities…it gives a real sense of the narrative of a people over time.”                                                                   -  Me'ah participant



Interested in starting Me’ah in fall 2015 with the Lexington Collaborative?  Please contact Rabbi Amy Hertz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Linna Ettinger at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 15, 2015.

Click HERE for application.

Prayer Resources

Click a link below to be taken to play or download various liturgical audio files.

• Shabbat Morning CD 1 ~ Rabbi Marci Jacobs
  
  
• Shabbat Morning CD 2 ~ Rabbi Marci Jacobs
  
  
• Torah Trope by Rabbi Marci Jacobs
  
  
• Haftarah Trope by Rabbi Marci Jacobs

Library

Library Hours

• • Sunday 9:00 - 1:00
  • Monday 3:30 - 5:30
  • Tuesday 3:30 - 5:30
  • Wednesday 3:30 - 7:30
  • Thursday 3:30 - 5:30
  • Saturday noon - 1:30 (self checkout)

The Temple Emunah library features a great collection of adult and children's books, DVDs, CDs and tapes. We have a computer that visitors can use to do their own research, with a printer available as well. This computer, generously donated by the Sisterhood, can also be used to search for books in our collection. Or you can bring your own laptop and use our wireless connection.

The library is always available during the week. Someone in the office will unlock the door for you, if it is locked, and if no one is there a number of other people can let you in. Officially, we are open during Hebrew school hours, and on Shabbat from noon to 1:30 pm. On Shabbat, you can borrow books by placing the book card in a preprinted envelope with your name on it, and leaving it to be entered into the computer later.

Recently, the Temple Emunah Library was endowed in memory of Lillian and Carl Bines by the Bines Family.

Encyclopaedia Judaica

Thanks to a generous grant from the Temple Brotherhood, the library now has a subscription to the newest online edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica.

Rules for usage:

The EJ is meant for the use of the Temple community, both in the building and at your home. It is password protected.

What does this mean?

• • Can I use it for my public school projects? Yes, absolutely.
  • Can I let my friend use it if we are working on a group project? Yes, within reason.
  • Can I post the link and the password on my website? - No.  We will lose our license and the significant investment we have made in this ebook.
  • How do I get the password? The password will be published in the bulletin.
    Alternatively, you can request it using this feedback form: Request Encyclopedia Judaica Password
  • Click here to open Encyclopedia Judaica in a new window.

Mission

The mission of the Temple Emunah Library is to provide Temple members, youth, clergy and staff with a wide variety of materials of Judaic interest. We aim to create a warm and relaxed atmosphere to encourage Jewish learning and promote Jewish culture.

The primary objectives of the collection are:

• To support and enrich the educational programs of the Temple
• To provide support to the Religious School and Pre-School by making available age-appropriate materials that reflect the varied abilities and maturity levels of students
• To encourage reading for pleasure as well as for information and spiritual guidance
• To promote Jewish culture
• To act as a resource to enhance members' abilities to celebrate the holidays, know themselves, and delight in being Jewish

The Temple Emunah library has about 4500 books, CDs and DVDs of Jewish interest or by Jewish authors.

The library has the following periodicals available.  You are welcome to borrow them to read at home.  Please return them when you are finished.

Newspapers:

• Forward
• Jerusalem Post
• Jewish Advocate
• Jewish Journal
• Jewish Review of Books
• World Jewish Digest

Israeli Easy-Hebrew Newpapers:

• Bereshit
• Yanshuf

Magazines:

• Biblical Archaeology
• B'nai Brith Magazine
• CAMERA Media Report
• Hadassah
• Lilith
• Midstream
• Moment
• Pakn Treger
• Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judiasm

TO request more information, please click here to email the library.

Family Education and Programs

The Family Education Committee seeks to encourage spiritual and religious growth in families, and to assist families in building connections and community within Temple Emunah. Our programs strive to enable parents to strengthen themselves to be the Jewish educators of their children and to support families in the observance of Jewish traditions within their homes.  We invite you to join us in our planning! Email Jodie Parmer at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more.

The Family Education Committee sponsors and co-sponsors activities such as:

• Family-oriented Shabbat and Holiday services and programs
  • Tot Shabbat - Saturday mornings, 2x month.
  • High Holiday Services - Tot Services, K-2 Services, and Family Services
  • Sukkot - Lulav Shake / Sukkot Marketplace, Open Sukkah Party, Progressive Sukkot Lunch 
  • Hanukkah Events - Simhat Tot, Community Dinner, Story Time at Barnes and Noble
  • Purim Programs - Purim Night Celebration, Simhat Tot & Carnival!
  • Passover Events - Pesah Simhat Tot, Matzah Meal Passover Dinner
• Friday Night Programs - BBQ and Barekhu Nights and Pasta and Prayers
• Sundaes on Shabbat with Rabbi Lerner
• Programs for Families with Young Children  
• Parenting Class for Caregivers of Toddlers 
• Classes for babies / toddlers on various subjects. 

FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

This year we are working on a number of programs geared towards families with young children (ages 0-5 years old). We hope you join us for some of these wonderful opportunities to celebrate Judaism, enjoy a warm and engaging community, and meet other families! These programs are open to everyone (Temple Membership is NOT required!).

Tot Shabbat: Join families of children ages 0-5 as we share Shabbat together! Led by our lay leaders or rabbis, this one-hour experience (11:00 AM-Noon) allows families with young children to connect with each other while singing, praying, hearing stories, and marching with the Torah! The service concludes with hallah and juice, before everyone is invited to our communal kiddush lunch. We typically meet the 1st and 3rd Shabbat mornings of the month. This program is free and no RSVP is necessary. Click HERE for our 2017-18 dates.

High Holidays for Tots: Every year we have special services on both days of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur, just for families with young children! These services are in our Main Sanctuary, led by Sharon Levin, and include singing, stories, a few prayers, and lots of fun. A small oneg of kid-friendly snacks is provided on both days of Rosh Hashanah. These services are 9:30 - 10:15 AM and are FREE of charge and open to the public - Temple Membership is NOT required! You must RSVP in advance, however, to Jodie Parmer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Simhat Tot: Celebrating the Holidays: Simhat Tot is an experiential holiday program geared towards families with children ages 0-5 years old (siblings are welcome to attend!). We gather throughout the year on Sunday mornings, 9:30-11:00 AM, to prepare for upcoming Jewish holidays through crafts, songs, stories, and fun! Simhat Tot is a wonderful way to bring in the joy and excitement of our holidays to our little ones.

Sign and Play! Each year we collaborate with Sign and Play for a 6 or 8 week course for babies and toddlers (0-2 years old) and their care-givers to learn sign language in this fun, interactive, musical play group! Sign language engages your whole body in learning. It helps infants & toddlers communicate, and preschoolers build their literacy skills. Each week in this class we will have fun reading, signing, and playing games to learn American Sign Language vocabulary with Jillian Berlinski, who has a Masters of Education and is a certified elementary and special education teacher. Our next class will start Tuesday, September 12. Click HERE for more information!

Pasta and Prayers: Temple Emunah invites all families with young children for a special Friday night Shabbat experience and dinner. We will start with a casual pasta dinner with lots of salads and sides, then come together for musical services with songs, stories, dancing, and more! After services we will do Shabbat rituals and have a yummy dessert. The whole event takes place in our Social Hall. Cost is just $10/Adult, $5/Kid, Free for 0-3 year olds. All are welcome!

Music Together at Temple Emunah: Music is a universal language. It transcends boundaries and reaches beyond culture to touch the depths of our souls, express our common emotions, and inspire us all. When you join Joyful Music of Music Together at Temple Emunah each semester you’ll learn twenty-five new songs and activities that your family will enjoy in class and at home. Each session of Music Together is 10 Weeks and costs $220 for 1 child ($110 for a second child). Registration is done through the Joyful Music website. Questions? Contact Joyful Music Director Karen Pokross at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Yeladim Yoga: Every Winter we are thrilled to offer this class for toddlers and their caregivers. Together, we practice yoga, learn breathing and calming techniques, improve strength and balance, and have fun! Our teacher Abby is a mother, yoga teacher, and occupational therapist. In addition to teaching yoga to adults, she is trained in prenatal, toddler, and child yoga. Abby is excited to bring a toddler and parent/caregiver class to Temple Emunah. She believes that every yogi, of any age, should be met right where they are and encouraged to blossom. Toddlerhood and parenthood are challenging processes full of transitions and many ups and downs, and yoga mirrors this wavelike quality of life. We are thrilled that she is offering this opportunity to practice the transitions of everyday life for our children and ourselves! 

Mitzvah Mouse Club: With this initiative we hope to engage families in a series of Mitzvah projects in which even the youngest can participate! We hope you can join us on one, two, or all three of our programs! At each event families will receive Mitzvah Mouse stickers, a book relating to a Mitzvah, and a packet of ideas for future Mitzvah projects! Details TBD.

Safta Story Time: Join us for stories, songs, and fun! Hebrew Teacher, Speech/Language Pathologist, Educational Specialist, and Safta (grandma) Sharon Zirkin-Dagan will lead us in a casual morning for all families with children ages 0-3 years old, 11:00 AM - Noon. After our stories and songs, we will have a kid-friendly snack and time to play and schmooze. FREE and open to all! Stay tuned for upcoming dates.

Playground Meet ups: Meet other families with young children and have a blast at various playgrounds in different local towns! This is a fun way to meet new friends in a casual setting. Stay tuned for more details for the coming year! 

Watermelon Wednesdays: Each summer we host our popular Watermelon Wednesday series! For 6 Wednesdays we meet in front of our building from 1:00 until 1:30 PM for ice cold watermelon, music, and fun! Schmooze with our rabbis and staff and have a blast! Kids are welcome to play in our playground as well. No RSVP necessary!

Events Co-Sponsored with the JCC: Throughout the year we team up with the JCC to bring fun, family programs to the community! We meet at local venues such as libraries, play spaces, and more, to celebrate Shabbat and other holidays. 

These programs are made possible through generous grants from Combined Jewish Philanthropies and by CJP's Innovation Grants Committee.

See the Events page for upcoming programs, or the Services page (within the Worship menu) for a list of youth and famiily services.

For more information please contact Jodie Parmer, Program Director and Family Educator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Adult Education

A past recipient of the GOLD Solomon Schechter Award for excellence in Adult Education programming, Temple Emunah's reputation as a center for adult education is known throughout the greater Boston area. The Adult Education Committee of Temple Emunah has been in existence for more than 20 years, and has evolved over the years from a program consisting of one educational series to a program boasting a myriad of formal and informal courses leveraging our access to scholars of nearby educational institutions, our success working cooperatively with other synagogues in the area, our learned Rabbis and our phenomenally educated and motivated congregants. Making full use of all of the available resources, we are able to provide multiple entry points for our diverse community, from beginner to advanced in subjects ranging from davenning, Hebrew literacy, Biblical text study and Philosophy. The caliber of the teachers for the formal programs is outstanding, most of whom have national if not international reputations in Jewish scholarship.

Our newest Adult Education Brochure provides information regarding all of our extensive adult education programs at Temple Emunah. 

We look forward to learning with you! To learn more about the Adult Eduation Committee, click HERE

The Adult Ed Committee invites everyone to join them for another year of Lunch and Learn! This year the curriculum is entitled Engaging Israel: Jewish Values and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Through video lectures, text study, and lively group discussions, we are pleased to bring the world-renowned faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute into the Temple Emunah community! We meet monthly on Wednesdays, noon-1:30 PM, October through May. Please bring your own kosher dairy lunch; coffee and tea will be provided. Cost is $80 to join, which includes the Sourcebook. Click HERE for our flyer to learn more, and contact Linna Ettinger at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register! Our first session will meet on October 26.

Information and Resources:

• Connecting At Emunah:  Learning, Living & Laughing, our 5777 Adult Ed Brochure
• Our Rabbis Teach
  • Jewish Spirituality Group
  • Weekday Mediation Sessions
  • Shabbat Morning Meditation
  • Shabbat Minhah / Ma'ariv Study
  • Wednesday Morning Study with the Rabbis
  • Kabbalah - click HERE for audio of this cllass
  • Lunch and Learn: Engaging Israel: Jewish Values and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  • Conversations with the Rabbis at Brookhaven 
• (LIJS) Lexington Institute of Jewish Studies
• Ivrit la-Kol 5777 
  • Click HERE to see our Ivrit La-Kol brochure for the 5777 year!

• Contemporary Issues
  • History, Ideology and Challenges of the Conservative Movement
  • A Mutually Neurotic Relationship:  Israel and the Vatican
• Synagogue Skills for All
• Scholar-in-Residence Weekends
  • Glatzer Memorial Weekend
  • Keruv (Outreach) Shabbat
• Informal Text Study
  • Leaders in Adult Learning: A Taste of Torah with Anne and Yael
  • Perek Yomi
  • Talmud Study Group
• Greater Boston Community Learning
  • Jewish Discovery Institute
  • Hebrew College
    • Me'ah - A 100-hour Journey; starting Fall 2015 - for an application, click HERE.
    • A Taste of Me'ah
    • ME'AH SELECT - Fall 2017 Lexington Collaborative
    • ME'AH CLASSIC - 2 year program, starting Fall 2017
  • Young 20s & 30s Adult Programming
Arts and Culture
• DIARNA (Our Home):  Uncovering and Preserving Hidden Jewish Treasures across the Middle East - Click HERE for their website.
• The Hammer and the Pickle:  Soviet Jewish Humor
• Film:  Shores of Light
• New Center Live:  Joe Klein
• Holidays
  • Women's Community Seder
  • Shavuot
• Adult B'nei Mitzvah Class - contact Rabbi Fel for details.
• The Wisdom Project - Sunday afternoons in the Pious Chapel
• Experience Israel
  • Community Leadership Program
  • IEngage: Jewish Values and the Israeli Palestinian Conflict
  • Hazon/Arava Institute Israel Ride
  • Temple Emunah Trip to Israel

Prozdor

Prozdor creates a vibrant community for Jewish youth during their adolescent years. Through our diverse program, we help students develop strong Jewish identities and prepare them to be future leaders of American Jewry.

Our academic program is rich and varied, and students have the power to choose the subjects that they wish to study. Traditional texts, history, Israel, philosophy, literature, Hebrew and the arts are just some areas that engage our students as they gain a genuine love of Jewish learning from our faculty. Prozdor's commitment to Jewish experiential education provides students with additional opportunities to connect to their peers and to Judaism beyond the classroom, and our Jewish travel experiences serve to expose our students to Jewish life all over the world.

Prozdor promotes the value of ahavat Yisrael, culminating in Prozdor graduates who have a strong understanding of, and connection to, the State of Israel. Prozdor also promotes a community built on k'lal Yisrael and a respect for Jewish diversity. It allows students to find their place in am Yisrael and become aware of their responsibility to pass down Judaism to the next generation. Prozdor prepares students to enter their college years ready for the challenges of being a Jewish young adult in America and in the larger world.

Our Goals

• Facilitate the development of student intellectual and spiritual life through the study of Torah, Israel, rabbinics, Jewish history, ethics, literature and the Jewish arts in an open environment that encourages inquiry.
• Enable students to develop and expand their proficiency in the Hebrew language.
• Provide a variety of teaching methods to promote experiential learning and critical thinking; provide a nurturing environment where students may develop mentoring relationships with their teachers.
• Foster meaningful peer relationships.
• Create an environment that encourages respect for divergent opinions, where students may learn about and honor diversity in Jewish life and embrace k'lal Yisrael.
• Offer opportunities for social action and political activism through which students learn to value participating in ethical mitzvot and tikkun olam, and to understand that Judaism obligates them to "make the world a better place."
• Strengthen students' sense of their Jewish identities.

Religious School

Under the guidance of Director of Congregational Learning, Me'ir Sherer, Temple Emunah provides educational opportunities for children and teens of the synagogue.

Temple Emunah hosts a kindergarten through twelfth grade Religious School for children and teens attending secular school. Children in Gan (kindergarten) through Kitah Zayin (seventh grade) attend our Kindergarten through Seventh Grade program. Children in Kitah Het (eighth grade) through Kitah Yud Bet (twelfth grade) continue with us and attend YAD (Y’mei Dalet), our Wednesday night program, Prozdor, which meets on Sundays, or a combination of the two.

The focus of our programs is on the whole Jewish child and/or teen, preparing him/her to be an engaged participant in Jewish life. To this end, we provide opportunities to: learn Hebrew, which will be used to participate in and lead services; learn Jewish Culture, including Israeli Folk Dancing, Jewish and Israeli Song, to study Jewish history, to learn about and engage with the modern State of Israel, and to learn about and celebrate Jewish holidays.

Temple Emunah's Religious School strives to create a nurturing atmosphere where children, teens and their families deepen their commitment to Jewish learning and living. Through rich experiences in formal and informal settings our students will develop confident Jewish identities and build a foundation for life-long learning and dedication to the Jewish community locally, in Israel and around the world.

There are also many opportuities for children and teens of our community, who attend Jewish day school, to engage alongside our children and teens attending our congregational schools. We run minyanim for children in grades 2 through 12: Mini-Minyan (grades 1 through 3), Junior Cong (grades 4 through 6) and Teen Minyan (grades 7 through 12). Mini-Minyan and Junior Cong are usually followed by K.N.I.S.H. There are Shul-Ins for children in grades three and four, and children in grades five and six, and our Religious School Retreat for children in grades 4 through 7.

All children in kindergarten through sixth grade are encouraged to take Temple Emunah's Communal Jewish Experience challenge. Children in grades three through twelve also invited to participate in any of the programs of TEY (Temple Emunah Youth).

for more INFORMATION: