YU Torah Tours Makes a Stop in Malden

by Phillip Vedol and Josh Vogel

Shavuot 5771 at Beth Israel of Malden was very special, indeed!

Six students from Yeshiva University’s Torah Tours came to Congregation Beth Israel Malden for the holiday to give shiurim, or classes in Torah, for men, women, and teens. After a community evening seudah, or festive meal, the shiurim began. A wide spectrum of topics were covered, including two special interactive discussions for the community’s teenagers. The learning went into the morning, sweetened with regular servings of cheesecake.

Throughout the holiday, the entire shul community was charmed by the friendly and conversational nature of the Torah Tours crew. They took a keen interest in getting to know all of the shul’s congregants, with the community immediately making them feel at home.

We wish to thank and commend Dorit Muskin (who was their coordinator), Esti Reichman, Alexandra Grumet, Zach Weiner, Elliot Friedman, and Josh Jay for enhancing our community’s Shavuot experience on so many levels. We were even fortunate to have the voice of one of YU’s Maccabeats to uplift our services. They were excited to bring back word to their friends of the great incentives the Jewish Community of Malden has to offer, like tuition assistance (link), an eruv, and Mikvah under construction (link). They also agreed that Malden’s proximity to Boston, with its jobs and great schools, made it a good choice for any growing Jewish family.

We are also grateful to Rabbi & Rebbitzen Rabinowitz, the Bitran Family, the Goldberg Family, and the Vogel Family for hosting Torah Tours and being such great company during their stay..

The shiurim included topics on “A Jew’s Role in This World,” “Birchat HaTorah,” and “Pulling An All Nighter….Is It Worth It?,” to mention a few. Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz, our community’s rabbi, also gave shiurim regarding “Does Everyone Receive a Portion in Olam Haba-The World to Come?,” “Shavuos- a Time for Change,” and “ What Shavuos Did (or Didn’t Do) for Eating Dairy,” along with many others.

We were sad to see them leave and are looking forward to sharing other Chagim and Smichot with them again soon!

Torah Tours Inspire Local Teens

by Batsheva Goldberg

When my mother told me that the Torah Tours women would be teaching a special class for the teen girls on Shavuous night, I was pretty excited. In past years, I had generally gone to the dinner at shul, then walked home and read something vaguely related to the Torah for an hour before going to sleep. This sounded like a much better way to get the learning experience I was hoping for. I certainly wasn’t disappointed! The three students visiting our community presented a fascinating lesson, complete with source sheets, and happily answered all our questions (and there were quite a few!). By the end of the night, I felt like I had really received some very satisfactory answers to things I had been wondering about.

The class went so well that they held another one for us the next day. This time we covered a different aspect about what being Jewish meant to all of us, and also participated in an extremely fun activity in which all the teen girls had to work together to connect various objects such as a glove, a doily, and a fork to Shavuous and then build a skit around those objects. By mixing the more serious content of the lesson with an exciting game, we were able to gain a much more comprehensive idea of what they were trying to teach us.

The Torah Tours women created a unique learning experience for the teen girls. This was the first time that a class had been held in the community especially for us, and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The unanimous consent was that we all can’t wait for them to come back next year!

Join Us For a Night on the Mountain – Shavuoton Dinner and Late Night Learning

Be a part of our annual Shavu’ot celebration!

A festive dairy meal following services!

Tuesday, June 7, at 9:25 pm

Adults: $12, Children 5 – 13: $8, Family Max: $36

Shavuot Learning – Torah classes from 11:30 pm – 3 :00 am (refreshments served throughout the night – cakes, chips, and ice cream with the works!) Schedule details TBA

Please let us know if you’re coming:

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Save the Date

You’re invited!

Join us at Congregation Beth Israel of Malden, for a Groundbreaking Ceremony for our brand new mikvah!

Sunday, June 26 at 2:00 pm

Congregation Beth Israel, 10 Dexter Street, Malden, MA, 02148

Congregation Beth Israel of Malden is conveniently located 20 minutes from Brookline and 30 minutes from Newton by car, is a short drive from I-93, and a 5 minute walk to the Malden Center T station on the Orange Line.

Free parking is available.

Interest in Malden – A Successful Shabbaton

by: Sharona Vedol

The May 20-21 Discover Malden Shabbaton was a great success, introducing almost 25 visitors to our charming, dynamic suburb of Boston. Our guests came from nearby Brighton as well as the more distant New York and New Jersey, including natives of Illinois, Ohio, and South Africa.

On Friday night, our guests enjoyed a Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat, followed by pleasant Shabbat meals and conversation with their host families. There was a full slate of activities planned for Shabbat day.

Shabbat morning began with Shacharit, including a Junior Congregation meeting in the beit midrash, at which the local children welcomed visiting children for tefillah, stories, and parasha. Rabbi Rabinowitz’s talk on Sefirat haOmer was timely and well-received.

At the community luncheon immediately after Musaf, our visitors had an opportunity to interact with the wide variety of people in the Malden community, and friendships were swiftly formed over a delicious meal. Childcare was provided in the downstairs playroom during Rabbi Rabinowitz’s D’var Torah, enabling the children to further their new friendships over play while the adults enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of the rabbi’s speech.

Following lunch, there was a walking tour of the Malden area, showing our visitors a number of important local sites. The tour ended at the Rabinowitz family’s home, with a delicious selection of desserts homemade by Rebbetzin Rabinowitz and animated conversation that extended all the way to the community Seudah Shelishit and board games provided by members of the community. Fast friendships were formed between visitors and locals as well as between the visitors, who were delighted by Malden itself and the Beth Israel community in particular.

We will certainly miss our new friends, but will stay in touch and hope to welcome many of them soon as newly-minted locals!

The community extends its gratitude to Phillip Vedol and Tamar Vogel, co-coordinators of this Discover Jewish Malden Shabbaton, and all of those involved in preparing for it, including but not limited to: Rabbi and Mrs. Rabinowitz, Matthew Garland, Daniel Bitran, Elka Davidoff, Richard Garcia, and Cheryl Lamport.