The Jewish calendar is filled with holidays and festivals that commemorate important milestones in our history as well as nature's cycle in the Holy Land. Our observance of these ranges from the solemn (Yom Kippur) to the joyous (Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah, Tu B'Shevat, Passover and Shavuot) to the downright silly (Purim). We also commemorate more recent events in our people's history, such as Yom HaShoah. For each of these annual occasions, we have strived to create a service appropriate to the occasion.
Selichot 
Begin a spiritual journey as we “work” to prepare ourselves to enter into the season of awe and renewal. In preparation for the Days of Awe, we gather for Selichot to look inward and focus on personal growth and reflection. Learn more >
Rosh Hashanah
Celebrate the New Year and usher in the High Holy Days with the TBE Community.
Kol Nidre
Join us in prayer during the evening service on the Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur
The most solemn religious holy day of the Jewish year, the last of the ten days of penitence that begin with Rosh Hashanah.
Sukkot
Sukkot, a Hebrew word meaning "booths" or "huts," refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest. It also commemorates the 40 years of Jewish wandering in the desert after the giving of the Torah atop Mt. Sinai. Sukkot is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur on the 15th of the month of Tishrei, and is marked by several distinct traditions. One, which takes the commandment to dwell in booths literally, is to erect a sukkah, a small, temporary booth or hut. Sukkot (in this case, the plural of sukkah) are commonly used during the seven-day festival for eating, entertaining and even for sleeping.
Sukkot also called Z’man Simchateinu (Season of Our Rejoicing), is the only festival associated with an explicit commandment to rejoice. A final name for Sukkot is Chag HaAsif, (Festival of the Ingathering), representing a time to give thanks for the bounty of the earth during the fall harvest. Learn more >
Simchat Torah
Immediately following Sukkot, we celebrate Simchat Torah, a fun-filled day during which we celebrate the completion of the annual reading of the Torah and affirm Torah as one of the pillars on which we build our lives. As part of the celebration, the Torah scrolls are taken from the ark and carried or danced around the synagogue seven times. During the Torah service, the concluding section of the fifth book of the Torah, D’varim (Deuteronomy), is read, and immediately following, the opening section of Genesis, or B'reishit as it is called in Hebrew, is read. This practice represents the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah. Learn more >
Chanukah
Together, we celebrate dedication, courage, freedom, blessings and the holy community that gathers throughout the year in our Makom. Nisim gadolim korim po - great miracles are happening here. May we take the time out of our busy schedules to appreciate the daily miracles in our lives, and cherish the time we spend together. Retell the stories. Sing the songs. Share the light. Spin a dreidel.
Tu B'Shevat
The "New Year of the Trees" is Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the fifteenth (tu) of Sh'vat. Scholars believe that Tu BiSh'vat was originally an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.C.E. this holiday was a way for Jews to symbolically bind themselves to their former homeland by eating foods that could be found in Israel. In the seventeenth century Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu BiSh'vat similar to the Passover seder. Today, Tu BiSh'vat has also become a tree planting festival in Israel, in which both Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees in honor or in memory of a loved one or friend.
Purim
Purim, or the Feast of Lots, is a joyous holiday that recounts the saving of the Jews from a threatened massacre during the Persian period (539-330 BCE). The story of Purim is recounted in the Book of Esther, whose eponymous heroine plays the leading role in saving her people. The holiday is traditionally celebrated with wild abandon and with the giving of gifts to friends and the poor. Learn more>
Passover
Passover is a time of renewal and rejoicing with family and friends What better place to celebrate than our Makom? Join the TBE community in celebration, song and learning as we gather and deepen the connections we have in our kehilah kedoshah (holy community) at TBE. Learn more.
Yom Hashoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day
Sunday, April 23, 7:00 pm
Join TBE's observance of Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day. Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Aron Greenfield, a 92 year old survivor, will share his memory.
Yom Ha'atzmaut
Israeli Independance Day - Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.
- Yom HaZikaron History and Customs
- Yom HaAtzmaut History and Customs
- Israeli Recipes
- Family Activities for Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut
Friday, April 28, 2017
6:00 pm Service followed by a Blue (jeans) & White Shabbat dinner in honor of the State of Israel
8:00 pm Concert
We celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, with a group of exceptionally talented Israeli musicians who comprise the group, Banot. All are graduates of Berklee, among them is recorder player Tali Rubinstein who has played for our community many times. All are welcome to attend the concert, free of cost. Reservations are not required.
Join us for Shabbat dinner following services. Reservations are requested for dinner.
Shavuot
Service, communal dinner, traditional study (Tikkun Leil Shavuot). Learn more about our May 30, 2017 celebration>
Tisha B'Av
Join us as we observe the holiday of Tisha b'Av – a day of mourning for all the calamities that have befallen the Jewish people. Join our clergy in song and prayer as we read from the book of Eicha (Lamentations).