Canton a hub of Jewish life & learning

The Canton Citizen is pleased to partner with the Canton Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee to present “Community in Unity,” a monthly series spotlighting Canton residents of diverse backgrounds.

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The Jewish community has long had a strong presence in Canton and continues to thrive today. Temple Beth David of the South Shore on Randolph Street, Chabad Chai Center on Washington Street, and B’nai Tikvah, also on Washington Street, serve Jewish residents of Canton and other south shore communities, providing a religious center for individuals and families dedicated to exploring their heritage, moving forward on their spiritual journey, and engaging in social action.

Rabbi David Winship

Rabbi David G. Winship is the religious leader of Temple Beth David of the South Shore. The temple is committed to traditional Reform Jewish values and worship practices and to including everyone. “We are a small and growing congregation of more than 120 families,” Winship said.

Winship explained that the strength of Temple Beth David’s community is in its volunteers. “Our community, from the programs we put on, to the prayers we offer, to the very building we pray in, has been entirely built not by professionals, but by our volunteers,” he said. “Because of our Reform Jewish roots, everyone feels a sense of responsibility to help create the Jewish community they want to belong to. We are a Jewish family that joins our energies together to focus on finding joy in our traditions as we strive to engage with tzedakah (charitable giving) and justice work to make our world a less broken place. In that work, we open our arms wide and find ways to help everyone and anyone who wants to connect to Judaism to find a safe space within our tent.”

Temple Beth David has a number of community groups, including the Chai Society, which sponsors Passover and Chanukah dinner, the Purim Carnival, and end of the school year family barbeque; the Young Adult Community for those in their 20s and 30s; and the 1-Day-A-Week Sunday school program, which has added drama, music, and cooking teachers to its staff as the program grows.

Rabbi Mendy Horowitz and Rivka Horowitz welcome all to the Chabad Chai Center, which they describe as much more than a synagogue; rather it is a center for Jewish life and learning. “The Chai Center is a vibrant community in the heart of Canton,” Rivka Horowitz said. “The comment we hear most often is, ‘We feel like family when we come to Chabad Chai Center. The warmth and kindness extended to us is exceptional. We feel accepted for who we are.’”

Rabbi Mendy and Rivka Horowitz

“There are no membership fees, with no strings attached,” Rivka added. “Individuals of all ages and backgrounds, at every level of observance, feel comfortable and welcomed at Chai Jewish Center. Over the past 20 years, the Chai Center has embarked on many projects, and the community continues to grow with many young families joining.”

Chai Center has a new initiative this year called Shabbat Together. Families with children of all ages join together for a short, fun service, followed by a Kiddush dinner in a COVID-safe environment.

“Chai Center recently completed some monumental projects,” Rivka said. “We completed the writing of a brand-new Torah scroll and celebrated with a grand community parade through the streets of Canton. We also built a magnificent Women’s mikvah, a ritual bath. Chai Center has a thriving Hebrew School with no membership fees. Chai Center offers weekly Shabbat services, Sunday morning men’s club, women’s clubs with speakers and activities, Kabbalah classes, Shabbat lunches, senior services and meal deliveries, Bar and Bat Mitzvah classes and so much more.”

Joshua Grossman has been involved with B’nai Tikvah for the past six years, as the Cantor and a Hebrew School teacher. “The BT community is both active and welcoming,” he said. “Newcomers are welcomed and embraced for their new and different backgrounds and experiences. We offer daily services led by a dedicated group of participants and weekly services, both on the eve of Shabbat as well as Shabbat morning in which we mix the traditional and the new to create soulful and meaningful gatherings, for those of us either online or in person. We have a vibrant school for our youth, as well as adult education classes for all ages — we like to think we offer something for everyone. What stands out for me most is the kindness of so many of our community members. Everyday thankless acts are simply part of the fabric of the congregation.”

The congregation itself is the product of a recent merger between Temple Beth Abraham of Canton and Temple Beth Am of Randolph, and the resulting union has only served to strengthen the South Area Jewish Community.

Grossman said that the temple’s calendar reflects a busy and involved community.

Cantor Josh Grossman

“The temple calendar is always growing and filling,” he said. “We have just begun a new Hebrew School year with a crop of new students. In addition to teaching our oldest students in the school, I am personally excited to soon be running a weekly class for our adults focusing on Torah study. Along with our head of school, Michelle Langmeade, we are newly offering a ‘post Bar/bat mitzvah’ class that has already attracted an amazing and exciting amount of participation and attendance. The month of October alone will feature four bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies. The temple is planning a communal trip to Israel, as safety measures allow, for next spring.”

Earlier this month, Jews around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. For the Temple Beth David community, the 2020 holidays comprised a virtual celebration. In 2021, the congregation was able to be together in the sanctuary. “This is a time of year that connects us to holy memories and serves as an opportunity to mark how far we have journeyed,” Winship said. “This year’s services were an opportunity to reflect and then to re-energize ourselves for the journey that still lies ahead. Last year we joined together virtually and this year we were able to join together, new and old members alike, in holy community and song with our new music leader, Cantor Maayan Harel.”

The Chai Center community also found a way to celebrate the High Holidays in person but safely. “Many congregants strongly desired to meet in person,” Rivka said. “The Chai Center invested in a large outdoor tent, so that the elderly, families with young children, and all individuals could pray together in a safe way. At the Rosh Hashana dinner, and meals together in the tent, every person that got up to speak shared how grateful they were to be alive, safe, and have the ability to gather in person, as a community.”

Grossman said that for many at B’nai Tikvah, the recent holidays were the first opportunity they had to see old friends in person. “From a religious aspect, the season and religious services in our sanctuary provides an opportunity for passage of time, for self-reflection, prayer and peace,” he said. “The main theme of many of these holidays is renewal, so this can truly be a time to refresh longtime relationships between ourselves and our faith, as well as making new connections with people, activities and opportunities that can arise in the coming year.”

For more information on Temple Beth David of the South Shore, go to templebethdavid.com. To learn more about B’nai Tikvah, go to bnaitikvahma.org. The website for the Chabad Chai Center is jewishcanton.com. Rabbi Mendy can be reached at 781-821-2227 or Rabbi@Jewishcanton.com.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Oct 1 2021. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.