Established in 1987, the congregation first met in the basement chapel of Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel before moving across Ward Street in 2006 to our own sanctuary. The synagogue is named in memory of Sasson Shamsi, whose son Edmund and daughter-in-law Helene have been generous benefactors to our congregation – including sponsoring the new Miriam Shamsi Social Hall (under construction), named in memory of Sasson’s wife.

The driving forces behind the congregation’s founding were Harvard professor James Kugel, Boston University professor Simon Levy, and Houchangue Toubian. 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, and then the purchase of Sephardic prayer books and Torah scrolls. The next milestones included the celebration of our first Bat Mitzvah and wedding.

In 1992, the congregation memorialized the 500 years since its expulsion from Spain with a lecture series. Throughout its history the congregation has organized Sephardic events (e.g., the Moroccan post-Passover celebration of Mimouna), welcoming the blend of cultural traditions in Boston. Beit Sasson has also undertaken a youth-led oral history project, to capture the life stories of older members, and hosted presentations on Sephardic heritage. We have also participated in advocacy efforts for the “Forgotten Refugees” – the thousands upon thousands of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa forced to flee their homes in the 20th Century.