Community invited to celebration featuring puppets,  latkes, menorahs & more

Warm and welcoming. 

When Holliston resident Jane Kohuth talks about Temple Beth Torah, her Conservative Synagogue in Holliston that dates back to 1972, she often circles back to those words. 

“We’re a welcoming congregation; we welcome interfaith families, we welcome LGBTQ families. We’re small, so it’s a nice, kind of intimate community experience,” says Kohuth, now principal of the school, which ranges from preschool through 7th grade. She’s been a member since 2017, when her son was entering Kindergarten.

“I liked that it was warm. It was welcoming. The teachers in the school were very kind and really got to know the kids really well and were very loving,” she says. She wanted her son to share her experience of Jewish identity, which, she says, “goes beyond religious identity. It’s also ethnic and cultural, a shared history. It’s possible to be a Jewish-identified person without being religious. For me it’s both, but I feel even if my son didn’t end up a religious person, it’s important to have a strong education around who you are and your history and identity. For minority kids, it can be really important for their emotional and mental health, and to have a support system.”

Temple Beth Torah also offers a breadth of programming as well as weekly services.

“For a small synagogue, there’s actually a lot of events and activity going on, with regular and special holiday events and classes,” Kohuth explains, pointing to adult education, a meditation group, a teen group, and Mah jongg, for example.

Events aren’t restricted to members of the synagogue. Anyone can come to Friday night family Shabbats as well as many events, concerts, film screenings and holiday celebrations. Even services are open to non-members, although membership is encouraged, as Kohuth puts it, “to keep the doors open.”

“It’s a joyful, welcoming community,” says Emily Cavalier, mother of three and member for almost a decade, who also points out the warmth Rabbi Mimi Micner extends to folks of all ages. “It’s so nice to have the connections with other folks around Holliston, and to share traditions with the young people in the community,” says Cavalier.

An annual Chanukah celebration is part of that tradition.

“We do a creative event open to the community every year for Chanukah,” says Kohuth, “We try to do something different every year that’s fun, and we welcome anybody who wants to come celebrate with us.” Two years ago, the temple held a glow party for the holiday, and last year, a Maccabiah, which is similar to a children’s Olympic games. 

This year, Temple Beth Torah’s Chanukah celebration will take place on December 6 at 3 p.m. featuring a performance by the Hanukkats by Talking Hands Theatre. The holiday event will also involve latkes and other treats, games. Attendees are even invited to bring their own menorahs for a community candle lighting. 

Temple Beth Torah is located at 2162 Washington St. in Holliston. To learn more, visit www.bethtorah.org, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.