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Two Sephardim met after Kol Nidre in 1987 and bemoaned the state of prayer in Boston. “It needs to be sung,” said they, “the way we were brought up.” From such beginnings did the Sephardic Congregation of Newton begin a journey that led from services twice a month to weekly to full participation in the Sephardic liturgy, including the songs of selichot, the early morning prayers that trumpet the High Holiday season. We would like to inspire you to join us in the new holiday season of the year 5766 and beyond, as we grow toward a full-service congregation providing for all the needs and life milestones of our community. |
First, a little bit about us. From two to 10 to a growing congregation of 35 families the Congregation has expanded since 1987. It is the first congregation of the Sephardic rite (Jews of Spanish and Middle Eastern origin) to be established in Newton, following the establishment of sister Sephardic congregations in neighboring Brookline. Early members prayed in the Brookline synagogues but soon were numerous enough to stay together in Newton. We have been fortunate to be able to hold our services at Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel, the congregation that opened its doors to us and that we have called home for nearly 20 years. Early members were James Kugel, Simon Levy, and Houchangue Toubian, the initial driving forces. They were joined quickly by Elias Cohen, Suleiman Mizrahi, and Michel Maman. All came from Middle Eastern and North African countries. Robert Soll and Simon Laskey, Newtonites, also joined at an early time. When the congregation reached the power of 10 it began meeting for weekly Shabbat services. Observance of the holidays followed soon after. In this time span, the congregation has been involved in helping many Sephardic institutions in Boston: on the occasion of ‘Sepharad 500,’ in 1992, the congregation memorialized the 500 years since expulsion from Spain with lecture series and sent its leader to be part of the Jewish Community Relations Council commemoration committee. Throughout its history the congregation has organized Sephardic events and food tastings such as Mimouna, welcoming the blend of cultural traditions in Boston. True to the ‘melting pot,’ members joined the congregation whose spouses are not Sephardic but all found a place to pray under the umbrella of Beth-El in the Boston Jewish community. |
The first task was raising funds to purchase Sephardic prayer books followed soon by the commissioning of works of art in velvet to adorn the Ark and reader’s desk. Its first Bat-Mitzvah was that of Melanie Sarah Levy and its first wedding, Sharona Mizrahi and David Nahoumi. Renovations of the Beth-El chapel were undertaken in 1996, with Sephardic Sefer Torahs, wooden scrollwork, and Persian rugs, while bigger space was sought time and again to accommodate High Holiday attendance surpassing 100 people. |
Every member’s story is unique. You could say that each has re-lived the Sephardic path in each and every life with the common thread the desire to carry on a heritage in danger of being lost in corporate America. Considering Sephardic history as a trail of tears—happy and sad—cupped by the bowl of the Mediterranean Sea, members of the Sephardic Congregation of Newton have flowed from all sides of the bowl. Today the congregation is a big family with roots in Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Canada, France, Egypt, Yemen, and Turkey. |
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