Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting
Help shape what HBT does next
Twice a year, our whole congregation comes together to hear what is happening, make decisions, and set our direction. This is one of those mornings. We would love you to be there.
- When
- to Come at to shmooze and share a bagel.
- Where
- Temple Hillel B'nai TorahIn person and on Zoom. To get the Zoom link, answer yes to “I will need the Zoom link” on the RSVP form.
RSVP is required for security and event planning.
What we will do together
-
Congregational votes
- A proposed change to our bylaws
- The election of the Nominating Committee
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News from across HBT
Updates and developments from all parts of our community.
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Meet the new Ritual Guide
An introduction to the guide our Avodah Committee developed.
Your voice and your presence matter.
This is our chance to come together as a community and take part in shaping our congregation's future. Please plan to join us.
Please help us reach the quorum we need to vote on the Nominating Committee and to approve the Annual Meeting minutes.
HBT Book Group: The Little Liar
Back for 5787! Jewish communities around the world, starting with Salonika. New members welcome.
#FourthFriday: Kabbalat Shabbat at HBT
Come together with your HBT family for a soulful, uplifting Friday night. #FourthFridays are the HBT hub, where all ages and every part of our community meet. Song, dinner, a musical service and a sweet oneg, with something for everyone from ages 0 to 120. Come for the whole night or for part of it!
- When
- Friday, October 23, 2026
5:45 to 8:45 PM - Where
- Temple Hillel B'nai Torah
120 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132
Shabbat Rina is also on Zoom
-
5:45 PM
Shakin' Shabbat with Rabbi Aliza
Songs, stories and movement for little ones and their grownups. In person.
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6:15 PM
Potluck dinner
Share a delicious meal together. HBT provides drinks, paper goods and the oneg.
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7:15 to 8:30 PM
Shabbat Rina
Our musical Friday evening service, in person and on Zoom. Find the Zoom link on our calendar.
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8:30 PM
Oneg
Snacks and schmoozing, provided by HBT.
Bringing a dish for the potluck?
- Bring enough to feed 8 to 10 people.
- All food should be dairy, vegetarian or vegan. Store-bought or homemade are both welcome.
- Please bring serving utensils, and label your dish with its ingredients.
First time at HBT? You're welcome just as you are. See our accessibility information to plan your visit.
Extended Moment for Ma'ariv: Remembering October 7
Extended Moment for Ma'ariv: Commemorating the Third Anniversary of October 7th
- When
- Tuesday, October 6, 2026 · 7:00–8:30 PM
- Where
- In our sanctuary at Temple Hillel B'nai Torah, 120 Corey Street, West Roxbury
We will extend Moment for Ma'ariv to commemorate and mourn the victims of October 7, 2023, reciting Tehillim (Psalms), singing, and sharing with one another.
Please join us as we come together as an HBT community here in our sanctuary.
"For me, the anniversary of this day is a time to commemorate the particular victims of the day of October 7 - those murdered and taken hostage on that day."
Rabbi Aliza
Other Jewish Communal EventsAcross Greater Boston, October 6–13
Events to Commemorate the Third Anniversary of October 7, 2023
Several commemoration events are happening throughout the wider Boston Jewish community, and we hope our members and friends will attend those community events. On October 7th itself, we will join together with our friends at neighboring synagogues so that we can commemorate October 7th all together as a larger community.
- Tue, Oct 61:00 PM ET Online (Zoom)Three Years after October 7: Honoring our Shared Pain and Humanity. Hear directly from two bereaved family members, one Israeli and one Palestinian, both members of the Parents Circle - Families Forum, as they share their stories of loss and survival, as well as their hopes for the future. Co-presented by NIF and the Parents Circle - Families Forum, with members of the Progressive Israel Network. Introductory remarks by Idit Klein of NIF; moderated by Shiri Ourian of the American Friends of the Parents Circle. In English, with simultaneous translation to Arabic and Hebrew.Zoom link provided upon registration.Register for the NIF and Parents Circle webinar (opens in a new tab)
- Tue, Oct 67:00–8:30 PM Temple Hillel B'nai Torah This eventExtended Moment for Ma'ariv: commemorating and mourning the victims of October 7, 2023, with Tehillim (Psalms), song, and sharing. In person only.
- Wed, Oct 77:00–9:00 PM Temple Beth Zion, 1566 Beacon St, Brookline HBT partnerMarking October 7: A Community Evening of Remembrance and Reflection. Join members of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Sinai Brookline, Hillel B'nai Torah, and TBZ for an evening of remembrance, reflection, and conversation. Rabbis Toba Spitzer, Andy Vogel, Aliza Schwartz, and Claudia Kreiman will begin with a brief ceremony honoring the lives lost, those taken hostage, and those whose lives have been forever changed by the events of that day and its aftermath. Then we will watch Holding Liat. In person.Event page for Marking October 7 at Temple Beth Zion (opens in a new tab)
- Wed, Oct 77:00 PM CJP · In person or virtualGather to Remember: Stories of Resilience from October 7: a meaningful evening of remembrance and reflection featuring Eliya Cohen, a former hostage, and Ziv Abud, a NOVA Festival survivor.$18 per person. Venue details will be shared shortly before the event for security reasons. Space is expected to fill quickly.Register for Gather to Remember (CJP), in person or virtual (opens in a new tab)
- Tue, Oct 137:30 PM Temple Emunah, Lexington HBT co-sponsorFriends of Givat Haviva with Mohammad Darawshe, Givat Haviva's Director of Strategy at the Center for Shared Society. Givat Haviva does "groundbreaking work in building a shared society among Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel." Our own Rabbi Emerita Barbara Penzner's leadership is a huge part of making this event happen.RSVP for the Givat Haviva event at Temple Emunah by October 5 (opens in a new tab)
Simchat Torah Community Celebration with the HBT Band
Come dance, sing, and unroll the whole Torah with us!
Simchat Torah means "rejoicing in Torah." It marks the end of our yearly cycle of reading Torah. We read the very last words of Deuteronomy, then start again right away with the first words of Genesis, and the cycle begins anew.
What to expect
- Music, singing, and dancing with the HBT band
- A chance for all ages to dance with Torah scrolls and plush Torahs
- Unrolling the entire Torah around the sanctuary, finding moments from our ancestral story in the scroll itself
- Our annual pumpkin and gourd auction
Everyone is welcome. Members, friends, families, and first-time guests. No registration needed.
The next morning: Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah Service
Shemini Atzeret, "the eighth day of assembly," invites us to linger together for one more sacred day after Sukkot. Our morning service includes Hallel, songs of praise, and Yizkor, when we remember loved ones who have died.
It's a morning of remembrance and celebration, endings and beginnings, and a fitting close to the fall holiday season.
Planning your visit? See accessibility information for our building.
Questions? Call Benita at (617) 323-0486 or email Benita.
Open House ~ Gather & Glow Sukkot, Solar & Supper
Solar Celebration • Dinner • Sukkot Under the Stars
Yom Kippur Day
Join Rabbi Aliza and Eliana Golding (featuring many volunteer leaders throughout the day!) for a highly musical, songful full day of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur at Temple HBT is very special: Many people stay around the temple for the entire day, as various members run workshops in between service times. Join us all day!
Full Schedule of the Day for all Adult Services and Workshops:
9:30 AM Yom Kippur Morning Service (led by Rabbi Aliza and Eliana Golding)
1:45 PM (break) Body, Mind, Spirit
5:00 PM Yizkor (led by Rabbi Aliza)
5:30 PM Mincha (led by Susannah Sirkin)
6:30 PM Ne'ilah (led by Rabbi Aliza and Eliana Golding)
7:25 PM Final Shofar Blast & Fast Ends
Immediately following Break-the-Fast
Kol Nidre
Join Rabbi Aliza and Eliana Golding (featuring Robert Kalish on cello!) for the both stirring and joyful melodies of Kol Nidre as we begin the 25-hour journey of Yom Kippur together.
We will begin right at 6:15pm, and the sanctuary doors will close for the recitation of Kol Nidre. If you arrive after 6:15pm, you will be let in at an appropriate time by ushers in the lobby. Please sit at the back and then move forward once the Torahs are back in the ark.
Tashlich with HBT at Millenium Park
Tashlich: A Time to Cast Away and Begin Anew
Tashlich means "to cast away" in Hebrew. This beautiful Rosh Hashanah tradition invites us to reflect on the past year and symbolically let go of our mistakes, regrets, and burdens as we begin the New Year with hope and renewal.
Join Rabbi Aliza for this meaningful ceremony at a natural body of water. Bring a small handful of bird seed (instead of bread, to help protect wildlife) as we symbolically cast away what no longer serves us and welcome the year ahead with open hearts.
Children and pets are welcome. We hope you'll join us for this meaningful High Holy Day tradition.
Millennium Park meet at the boat launch
(located at 300 Gardner Street in West Roxbury)
THE ROSH HASHANAH PUZZLE with Anna Sobel - Talking Hands Theatre
Non Member and Friends of HBT are welcome!
It's not just a puppet show -- it's also part sing-along, part dance party, part scavenger hunt, part puzzle! Help familiar fairy tale characters figure out what they need to celebrate Rosh Hashanah… by solving each story with an object hidden in the room! Take Snow White— she's being offered an apple, but it looks suspiciously shiny. It must be poisoned! Can anyone find a different apple for her?
For ages 2 and above!
Stay for snack and community
Rosh Hashanah Day 2
Join Rabbi Aliza and Eliana Golding (featuring the HBT Band!) for a highly musical, songful, Rosh Hashanah morning service.
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 at Temple HBT is a very special service, featuring a bit more traditional liturgy (very songful), a lot of chances for everyone in the community to come up and bless the Torah, and some participatory study.
We will also be highlighting the shofar service this year, since it only takes place on Day 2 (this year Rosh Hashanah Day 1 falls on Shabbat, and there is no shofar on Shabbat).
Some highlights of the service (approximate times):
9:30am-10:30am: Songful liturgy
Around 10:30am: Torah service, led by our teens!
Around 11:15/11:30am: Rabbi Aliza's D'var Torah or Text Study
Around 12pm: More songful liturgy
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Service
Join Rabbi Aliza and Eliana Golding (featuring the HBT Band!) for a highly musical, songful, Rosh Hashanah morning service.
Come early to hear the HBT Band, who will welcome us into this special day beginning at 9:15am and continue playing for the first ten minutes of services (and then later again in the Torah service!).
Some highlights of the service (approximate times):
9:30am-10:30am: Songful liturgy
Around 10:30am: Torah service, led by our teens!
Around 11:15/11:30am: Rabbi Aliza's D'var Torah
Around 12pm: More songful liturgy
No shofar on Day 1 of Rosh Hashanah this year (only on Day 2, so come back!), because the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat.
Intergenerational Family Service (0 - 2nd grade with grownups)
Join Jon Wishnie, Rachel Shapp and Poppy the Puppet for intergenerational services on Rosh Hashanah morning and Yom Kippur morning. From the Barechu to the shofar blasts our melodies, stories and prayers will help us share in the holiness, reflection and sweetness of the New Year. We hope you will come gather with family and your HBT community to celebrate 5787!
Stay for snack!
Welcome to the High Holy Days at Temple Hillel B’nai Torah
Join Rabbi Aliza & Eliana Golding for Erev Rosh Hashanah services (plus Shabbat!) from 7-8:30pm.
Erev Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat this year: Our Shabbat melodies will join with the famous, stirring melodies of Erev Rosh Hashanah liturgy.
Whether you are a long-time member, recently joined our community, or are returning after some time away, we are grateful to gather with you during these Days of Awe. May this season bring reflection, renewal, meaningful connection, and hope for the year ahead.
We wish you and your loved ones a sweet, healthy, and peaceful New Year.
Shanah Tovah!
City of a Thousand Gates By Bee (formerly Rebecca) Sacks
The HBT Israeli-Palestinian Program Committee presents a summer read of an engrossing and complex novel
We Need a Translator — Listening Across Differences Conversation
A Conversation with Rabbi Aliza
☀️ #Sunday Summer Arts at HBT: Two Special Summer Sundays
☀️ Summer Fun for Ages 0–5 at HBT 🌈
Two Special Summer Sundays for Young Children and Their Families!
Art • Music • Stories • Snacks • Community
☀️ Two Special Summer Sundays:
Sunday, July 19, 2026 • Sunday, August 23, 2026
🕤 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM
📍 Temple Hillel B'nai Torah
120 Corey Street, West Roxbury, MA
👶 For children ages 0 to 5 and their grownups
Older siblings are welcome, too!
🌳 Rain or Shine!
🍎 Snack included
Looking for something fun to do with your little ones this summer? Join Families with Young Children Program Coordinator, Jon Wishnie, for two joyful mornings of stories, creativity, and community.
Each session will explore a Jewish theme through interactive stories, hands-on art, imaginative activities, a snack, and opportunities to connect with old and new friends.
Made possible by the generosity of the HBT community. Everyone is welcome.
Come create, play, and make summer memories together!
We'd love to welcome your family. Register for one or both special summer Sundays here.
HBT Pop - In Backgammon Night
Calling all backgammon enthusiasts (and the curious who’ve always wanted to learn)!
Tisha B’Av Ceremony
Tisha B’Av Ceremony at Temple HBT
Co-sponsored byCongregation Dorshei Tzedek
As we usher in this fast day, the most somber day on the Jewish calendar, the Dorshei Tzedek and HBT communities will come together to commemorate the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem, and more broadly to connect to the brokenness in our lives as Jews, as Americans, and as human beings. All are invited for an evening of song, reading from the Book of Eicha (Lamentations), reflection, and learning.Together, we will create sacred space to hold our individual and communal grief in these broken times, even as we begin to imagine the possibility of a world repaired.
L'dor v'dor LGBQTIA+ Inter generational Conversation
This is an opportunity for HBT members across generations to connect about their experiences as LGBTQIA+ people!
New at HBT Pop - In Backgammon Night
Calling all backgammon enthusiasts (and the curious who’ve always wanted to learn)!
A musical Shabbat Service led by Anat Halevy Hochberg
A Special Creative Service led by Anat Halevy Hochberg
Service 10:00am - 12:30pm
luncheon 12:30 - 1:30pm
In person and on Zoom
RSVP - Please RSVP. Your response is very important and helps us plan appropriately for our guests, food, seating, and security.
If you loved the music and spirit of One Night. One Stage. on May 4, you won’t want to miss Shabbat services on Saturday, May 30 with Anat Halevy Hochberg.
Anat brings a soulful, joyful, and deeply engaging musical presence to prayer. Her beautiful voice, rich harmonies, and creative approach to worship help create a Shabbat experience that feels warm, uplifting, and alive. Whether you love to sing, reflect, or simply be carried by the music, this promises to be a meaningful and inspiring service for all ages.
We recommend arriving on time, as the most musical portion of the service will take place from 10:00–11:15am, with the Torah service beginning at approximately 11:15am.
Shavuot Shabbat Service
Shavuot services celebrate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai with special morning prayers, reading the Ten Commandments and the Book of Ruth, and often include Yizkor memorial prayers.
#FourthFriday
Come together with your HBT family for a soulful and uplifting Friday. Celebrate the beauty of community, connection,and tradition, with programming that welcomes everyone from ages 0 to 120. Let's honor this sacred time together and feel the spirit of Shabbat.
Tikkun Leil Shavuot - Temple KI Brookline
Channel your inner night owl at the Community Tikkun Leil Shavuot in Brookline!
One Night. One Stage
Monday, May 4, 2026
One Night. One Stage. An Evening of Jewish Music & Community
Aly Halpert Family Concert & Pizza Dinner
Dinner: 5:45pm - 6:15pm
Concert: 6:15 - 6:45pm
Swirls by Shannon: 6:45pm - 7:15pm
Dessert & Cheese Reception
6:45PM -Join us in community and enjoy a sweet, gathering with friends
One Stage Main Concert
7:30pm - 9:30pm - Featuring Batya Levine, Aly Halpert, Levyosn and Richie Barshay
First Set 7:30pm -Levyosn - Adah Hetko · Lysander Jaffe · Lexi Ugelow
Second Set 8:30pm - Batya Levine · Aly Halpert ,Richie Barshay · Lysander Jaffe
Finale - 9:15 -All artists together
Closing & Thanks - 9:20 - Rahel Gruenberg & Rabbi Aliza Schwartz
Join us for a joyful, music-filled night that brings our community together - across generations - for connection, song, and celebration.
🎟️ Get your ticket today
Please don’t wait—early ticket purchases help us plan and ensure a strong event. Get your tickets yourself and make sure to share the link with three or more friends outside of HBT who appreciate powerful Jewish music and who would love our sanctuary. This will be an transformative, unforgettable night. Purchase tickets HERE.
💙 Become a sponsor
Sponsorship is one of the most impactful ways to support HBT and help us reach our $150,000 annual fundraising goal. Your leadership makes a difference. Become a sponsor HERE.