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Welcome to Temple B'nai Brith in Somerville!

We are your Jewish space to pray, to play, to learn, to support one another, and to build a more just society. We welcome members with a wide range of backgrounds, beliefs, and relationships to Judaism, including interfaith families and Jews by choice.

At TBB, you can find Shabbat morning Torah study and services, Friday night services (including monthly potluck dinners), a range of family programs including Family and Tot Shabbat services, a vibrant Children’s School and engaging adult education.

Join us at an upcoming event! If you’d like to become a member, we welcome you to our beautiful historic synagogue and to our community.

Melaveh Malka

Saturday, December 7, starting at 5 PM, in Nissenbaum Hall.    Future dates: Jan 4, Feb 8, Mar 8

Translated as "Escorting the Queen," a Melaveh Malka is a tradition to extend the glow of Shabbat just a little longer before transitioning into the week ahead.  Think of it as a relaxed, musical, and meaningful after-party for Shabbat!

We will sing songs and niggunim (wordless melodies), make Havdalah together (ritual to mark the end of Shabbat), and then sing a mix of Jewish songs and folk songs together with musical instruments.

There will be snacks to enjoy throughout the evening, including some homemade treats from Lilybug Baking (a nascent Somerville Jewish baking company)!  No Hebrew or musical background needed.  Kids are welcome.

Shabbat Morning Torah Study

8:45-9:45 AM Saturdays, in Rabbi Eliana’s study
This is an ongoing drop in class beginning Nov 16.
No fee. Please sign up for the Torah study emails to receive announcements, such as schedule changes 

Start your Saturday mornings with a warm and engaging dive into the weekly Torah portion! From 8:45-9:45 AM in Rabbi Eliana’s study, we’ll explore timeless themes and fresh insights from the parsha, all in a relaxed, discussion-friendly environment. No prior knowledge of Hebrew or Torah study is needed—just bring your curiosity and a desire to learn. Coffee and meaningful conversation await!

Reading With The Rabbi

Read a great book, then enjoy a lively discussion at 7:30pm in the Rabbi's study, 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Zoom can be arranged if requested.

7:30pm Wednesday, November 20 we will discuss Joshua Cohen's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family.
RSVP for Nov 20 Reading with the Rabbi

"Absorbing, delightful, hilarious, breathtaking and the best and most relevant novel I’ve read in what feels like forever."   —Taffy Brodesser-Akner, The New York Times Book Review

Corbin College, not quite upstate New York, winter 1959–1960: Ruben Blum, a Jewish historian—but not an historian of the Jews—is co-opted onto a hiring committee to review the application of an exiled Israeli scholar specializing in the Spanish Inquisition. When Benzion Netanyahu shows up for an interview, family unexpectedly in tow, Blum plays the reluctant host to guests who proceed to lay waste to his American complacencies. Mixing fiction with nonfiction, the campus novel with the lecture, The Netanyahus is a wildly inventive, genre-bending comedy of blending, identity, and politics that finds Joshua Cohen at the height of his powers.

Book Discussion- Loving Our Own Bones: Dis­abil­i­ty Wis­dom and the Spir­i­tu­al Sub­ver­sive­ness of Know­ing Our­selves Whole

Second Thursdays | Nov 14, Dec 12 & Jan 9
7:00-8:30 PM on Zoom
More info and registration

Penina Weinberg, TBB's Disability Visibility Advocate, will lead a discussion of Julia Watts Belser’s new book,  Lov­ing Our Own Bones. Penina Weinberg, TBB's Disability Visibility Advocate, will lead a discussion of Julia Watts Belser’s new book, Loving Our Own Bones. Through fresh and unexpected readings of the Bible, Loving Our Own Bones paints a luminous portrait of what it means to be disabled and one of God’s beloved. Belser delves deep into sacred literature, braiding the insights of disabled, feminist, Black, and queer thinkers with her own experiences as a queer disabled Jewish feminist. Her book also contemplates the ways in which places of worship — and society in general — could be more inclusive to all types of bodies.

Pajama and Pizza Havdalah

Upcoming: Saturday, January 25th, 5-7 PM
Future:  March 1.  We will also make havdalah together at our Chanukah party on December 28.

As the sun sets earlier, come join us to play, eat, be cozy, and say goodbye to Shabbat. 

Pizza will be from Veggie Crust, there will be cheese and vegetable options, as well as some other fruits and vegetables for munching. 

Pajamas are optional but encouraged for all ages!

Family & Tot Shabbat Services

Upcoming: Saturday, December 21 we will have Tot Shabbat from  11:00am-noon and School Shabbat (where kids from the school help lead adult services) instead of the Family Service.   In January, we will have our regular Tot/Family Shabbat on January 18th.

Future dates: Jan 18, Feb 1, Mar 29, Apr 26, May 17, Jun 7
Community Kiddush lunch follows services

Join us for a monthly Shabbat morning service for kids and their families (siblings of all ages are invited to join)! Tot Service (best for ages 4 and under) and Family Service (best for ages 5+) take place concurrently. Both services begin at 11:00 am.

Family services follow the order of a Shabbat morning service. We will learn parts of the liturgy, introduce the weekly Torah portion, and chant some of it too.

Tot services in the Chapel (on the Lower level) celebrate Shabbat with all the essentials: songs, movement, plush Torahs, and story time. Come to introduce the youngest members of your family to Shabbat services and connect with other families at TBB.

The Kabbalist's Shabbat

A Sunday morning class with Rabbi Eliana
Sundays 10:00 -11:30am
Nov 3, 10, 17, & 24, Dec 8 & 15
In the Rabbi's Study

Register here

Join us for an exciting six-session journey into the mystical heart of Shabbat, where we’ll dive into the rich spiritual world of the 16th-century Kabbalists from Safed. Together, we’ll uncover the hidden layers of Shabbat rituals, explore the deep meaning behind the mystical liturgy of Friday night and Saturday morning services, and discover how Shabbat shapes Jewish spirituality. Whether you’re familiar with the traditions or just curious to learn more, this class will offer fresh insights into the transformative power of Shabbat.

Potluck Fridays

Upcoming: Dec 13, Jan 10, Feb 14, Mar 21,  Apr 4, May 16, June 13 (Pride Shabbat)

Services at 6:00 pm during the winter months
Potluck following services, around 6:50 pm. Join us for one or both.

A great way to end the week with friends & food. RSVP for the potluck here! We will start with Kabbalat Shabbat Service in the sanctuary, followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner. (No fish please. Dairy and eggs are okay.)

people serving themselves food

TBB Families

See events and info at Families. Want to be in touch with other families / hear about upcoming events for kids? Email tbbfamilies@gmail.com

TBB in your Inbox

Want to connect with TBB by email? We have two ways!

Email tbb@templebnaibrith.org to start receiving emails directly from TBB about synagogue events and programs, as well as other TBB news and business.

Join our Google group to hear from your fellow members and friends of TBB or send the community a message yourself. Discuss Somerville happenings, share other Jewish programs, arts, culture, ask if anyone knows a good dentist, and more.

Fri, December 6 2024 5 Kislev 5785