What? No reviews? It's the best unaffiliated synagogue in the metrowest area! What other place has…read morea rabbi that's been with the congregation since its inception? If you just moved to Acton and you're Jewish, send your kids to Hebrew School here. Come on, people...

This community is family for me. I have a home for my heart, my mind, my spirit and my music. It is…read moretruly a blessing!

We were members for several years, then decided to leave after my children's B'nai Mitzvah. The…read moreexecutive director made me feel uncomfortable (often gazing down at my chest when talking with me), was minimally accommodating when we were dealing with the B'nai Mitzvah logistics, and in general, conveyed a rude and controlling tone via email. Upon checking their website recently, I thought this person had retired (as he's not listed on the website). Unfortunately, that's not the case. To add to our experience, on the day of my kids' B'nai Mitzvah, the cantorial soloist's husband (& former synagogue president) allowed our photographer to enter the building earlier than when we were allowed in. Upon opening the door for us, he glared at me. Very strange behavior.

A tremendously welcoming community with more activities than you can imagine. We moved here just 2…read moreyears ago and now many of our friends are from this community. The Rabbi is very creative in making everything interesting and adding something a little unusual to many of the programs. Rabbi and many members of the congregation started a local Interfaith group inviting everyone to learn about other faiths and to all work together to make a better community. My grandkids love the Sunday School and look forward to going every week. A terrific place for all ages.

Temple Beth Abraham (called TBA by members) is a neighborly, welcoming, Conservative Jewish…read moresynagogue. It follows the religious practices of Conservative Judaism: traditional Jewish law interpreted in a non-fundamentalist fashion. Given its location in the suburbs, many of TBA's members aren't fully observant; the community is sensitive to the needs of all members, from secular and Reform, to Conservative and Traditional. It is welcoming to interfaith couples, and has great outreach to couples who wish to raise their children Jewish. Unlike many suburban synagogues, TBA's membership is large and holding it's own, perhaps even growing. It has a vibrant, fun Hebrew School, for students from kindergarten up to high school. It has an adult education program, and an active men's club and sisterhood. Their services are primarily in Hebrew, following the Ashkenazi liturgical tradition, and using many of the traditional melodies that I grew up. Services also have a generous amount of English readings and are accessible for newcomers. In addition to Shabbat services every Friday evening and Saturday morning, and services for all the Chagim (holidays/festivals), they have daily Ma'ariv (evening) prayer services at 7:30pm; very good for building a sense of community, and for those saying kaddish or yahrzeit, The Shabbat services could use more Shlomo Carelebach-type melodies and harmonies. But that's true of nearly all synagogues nowadays. This is a community worth visiting and joining.

Etz Hayim ("tree of life") is warm and welcoming.read more

I attended a wedding (I'm not Jewish). I can't speak to the religious subtleties, but I was very…read moreimpressed at the building - it's clearly been well-maintained, and it has a much better airiness and feel than European cathedrals that I've visited. I was also impressed at the education level of the Rabbi, the Cantor's enthusiasm was obvious (even if I didn't understand the words), and everyone clearly had a strong sense of what I would call a joyous sense of community. Something that Christian churches rarely have, unfortunately. People were really happy to be there, and to see and help each other. An inspiration.

This is a wonderful Jewish synagogue in the heart of Brookline, MA. A beautiful, large building,…read morewith a gorgeous main sanctuary, function hall, large daily minyan, and Hebrew School. They are open to interfaith couples who choose to raise their children Jewishly; they are open to gay and lesbian Jews; Jews of any ethnic background; Jews by birth and Jews-by-choice (halakhic conversions to Judaism); they are open to Jews who range from the very observant to not-so-observant. Their all-night Tikkun for the holiday of Shavuot is something to be experienced; the best that I have ever gone to. Make no mistake about it, this is a Conservative Jewish synagogue, in the broadest and most traditional sense of the term "conservative Judaism". Conservative Judaism, as it was intended by those who developed it, is trans-denominational, or if you prefer, non-denominational Judaism. They do not hew to a strictly rigid and narrow set of beliefs (theology) and practices (halakha), like so much of the Orthodox. Nor do they jettison all beliefs and practices, as did most of the Reform. As Reform Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut admitted, "there is no such thing as a [Reform] Jewish theological principle, policy, or doctrine", robbing people of the very thing people seek when they become part of a community, or religion. Instead, this synagogue follows the classical rabbinic Jewish path of acknowledging there are Jewish principles of faith, but recognizes that no one code of them ever developed canonical status, thus encouraging members to study many Jewish texts on the subject, and approach them intellectually; the same is true for halakhah (Jewish law and custom); Jewish law is considered to be normative (what one is supposed to do, as opposed to a mere suggestion), yet at the same time following the classical rabbinic Jewish path in which more than one interpretation of the law may be considered valid. This worldview is the basis of classical rabbinic Judaism in the Talmud, and of Conservative Judaism itself, whether or not a synagogue is formally a member of the Conservative movement. By the way, this definition also includes most of the Chavurah movement, the Union for Traditional Judaism, and the more liberal Partnership minyans which are nominally Modern Orthodox :-)

Temple Emanuel is a small congregation where everyone knows who you are. Very warm and welcoming.read more

great community of people, everyone is super friendly and welcoming!read more

Still undecided about where to send Little Miss B in the fall, We came for a scheduled visit this…read morepast Wednesday. Located on the first floor of the Temple, they offer programs for children starting from the age of 18 months. I like the fact that the class sizes are small, no more the 8 kids per teacher. They have a small library set up for the kids which I thought was fantastic. Believe it or not, they have a fairly large play area fenced off on the grounds. As part of the visit, while Mom and Dad were discussing the program more in depth with Phylis, the director, little miss Thing got to hang out with her potential new classmates. She seemed to take to things pretty well considering she has lived a fairly sheltered life to date, hanging out with her parents on a daily basis to date. All she's talked about the last few days is going back to "her school." We may have found a winner.