Congregation Dorshei Tzedek

Who We Are

Dorshei Tzedek is a dynamic and growing Reconstructionist congregation in West Newton, Massachusetts, with over 245 member households. We are dedicated to Jewish learning and to ethical Jewish living in the modern world. Our Reconstructionist educational program is committed to making Judaism relevant and meaningful for children as well as adults. Our community includes people from a wide variety of Jewish backgrounds, as well as interfaith families and people with little or no previous Jewish learning or experience. We embrace one another’s unique points of view. Our membership includes families, couples, and singles of all ages, Jews by birth and Jews by choice (or still choosing). We value and include everyone regardless of age, marital status, income level, or sexual orientation.

As Dorshei Tzedek takes precautions during the Covid-19 pandemic, our programs have either moved to a virtual or outdoor format. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, challenged by the Power that liberated them from slavery to create a new kind of society, we too are on a journey to foster our community connections, spiritual practice, Jewish learning, and social justice work in new ways. To find out more about classes, Shabbat services, and other programs, please see the menu to the right, and click on the link for each program. This will take you to a page with information about how to access it online.

Help with Zoom is HERE. Directions on how to upgrade Zoom are HERE.

Help with Zoom

Directions on how to upgrade Zoom

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek supports Black Lives

CDT is committed to the movement for Black lives and has joined over 600 Jewish organizations in signing THIS LETTER - saying with one voice that the best way we can fight back is with unity.

Explore religious education at CDT

Learn about Rabbi Toba Spitzer

Join us for services! Clicking on the link in the calendar listing of the specific morning to Zoom in

Sat, April 17 2021
5 Iyyar 5781

Frequent Links

Shabbat morning siddur/prayerbook

All-ages erev Shabbat siddur/Friday evening prayerbook

Shivah siddur/Prayers for a House of Mourning

April 2021

March 2021

Talmud for the 99%

Learn about our upcoming class!

COVID-19 Resources

Click here for COVID-19 resources, including ways to keep busy and stay healthy.

Click here for ways you can help.

Upcoming Events

All Events

Saturday ,
AprApril 17 , 2021

Earth Day Shabbat
Shabbat, Apr 17th 10:00a to 12:00p
Our Shabbat morning service will celebrate our connections to the Earth, and at 11am, CDT member Ezra Hausman will lead a Torah discussion addressing obstacles to successfully addressing the climate crisis. Ezra has a Ph.D. in climate science and 20+ years experience in the electric energy industry, including support for efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants at the state, regional, and national level.
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Saturday ,
AprApril 17 , 2021

Shabbat Afternoon Outdoors
Shabbat, Apr 17th 3:30p to 4:30p

Register Now

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Sunday ,
AprApril 18 , 2021

Memorial for Bill Gamson
Sunday, Apr 18th 1:00p to 2:30p

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Sunday ,
AprApril 18 , 2021

Talmud for the 99%
Sunday, Apr 18th 4:30p to 6:30p
Join Earnest for a four session Talmud class between Passover and Shavuot. In this class we will prepare for Shavuot, which commemorates the Jewish people entering into a covenantal relationship with God, by decoding a wild Talmudic story that completely reimagines the covenantal moment. We will explore the rabbis’ motivation for their subversive reimagining, and their vision for a more liberatory relationship with the Divine. This is a SVARA-Method class, each session will begin with chevruta (study partner) learning. You and your chevruta will work with the text in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, using dictionaries to decipher each word. All you need to begin learning is your alef-bet (the ability to sound out the Hebrew alphabet) and you’re ready to go! Still working on your alef-bet? Check out these resources and contact Earnest, e.vener@dorsheitzedek.org, for support. Please register by April 1st, so that we can get everyone all the supplies they need! Questions? Come to the Talmud for the 99% Info Session immediately following Shabbat morning services on March 13th at 12pm. Not sure if it is right for you? Come to the Hebrew Roots & Dictionary Skills Crash Course on Wednesday, March 17th from 7-8pm. This session is open to the whole congregation. We will learn how to identify root letters and look them up in dictionaries. We will decode a text from the Passover Haggadah together and you will get a taste of SVARA method’s joyful and rigorous pedagogy. Read below for a description of SVARA-Method learning.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
AprApril 21 , 2021

Torah Study
Wednesday, Apr 21st 8:00a to 9:00a
Start your Wednesday mornings with Torah Study! Join Director of Congregational Learning Earnest Vener for a weekly hour-long study of the weekly Torah portion on Wednesdays at 8am. You are welcome to drop in or come weekly. All are welcome and no prior knowledge is required. Please email Earnest at e.vener@dorsheitzedek.org with any questions.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
AprApril 21 , 2021

Mincha Moment
Wednesday, Apr 21st 5:30p to 5:45p
All are welcome to join Rabbi Toba for a moment of calm each week. The content will vary - a brief teaching, a meditative moment, some music, or another contemplative practice. We will start promptly at 5:30pm each Wednesday, but feel free to drop in at any time. Each session will end with an opportunity for those in mourning or observing a yahrzeit to recite Mourners Kaddish. Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/97091443951?pwd=dVk4bFZIVitMcDViYllNQnRIdmhmZz09
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Thursday ,
AprApril 22 , 2021

Purity Politics and the Problem of Jewish Solidarity
Thursday, Apr 22nd 1:30p to 2:30p
This talk explores the relationship between the rise in purity politics among American Jews and the problems it raises for building solidarities in the context of such things as the Women’s March and BLM. This is part of a Reconstructing Judaism free online lecture series on Jews, Race, & Religion.
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Thursday ,
AprApril 22 , 2021

The Disordered Cosmos with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Thursday, Apr 22nd 7:30p to 9:00p
CDT member Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will read from and talk about her newly published book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred. To purchase the book ahead of the talk, go to https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/chanda-prescod-weinstein/the-disordered-cosmos/9781541724709/
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Saturday ,
AprApril 24 , 2021

Shabbat Morning Service & B'nai Mitzvah of Nuriel Gutman
Shabbat, Apr 24th 10:00a to 12:00p
All are welcome to join us for Shabbat morning services as we call Nuriel Gutman to the Torah as a B Mitzvah.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
AprApril 25 , 2021

Talmud for the 99%
Sunday, Apr 25th 4:30p to 6:30p
Join Earnest for a four session Talmud class between Passover and Shavuot. In this class we will prepare for Shavuot, which commemorates the Jewish people entering into a covenantal relationship with God, by decoding a wild Talmudic story that completely reimagines the covenantal moment. We will explore the rabbis’ motivation for their subversive reimagining, and their vision for a more liberatory relationship with the Divine. This is a SVARA-Method class, each session will begin with chevruta (study partner) learning. You and your chevruta will work with the text in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, using dictionaries to decipher each word. All you need to begin learning is your alef-bet (the ability to sound out the Hebrew alphabet) and you’re ready to go! Still working on your alef-bet? Check out these resources and contact Earnest, e.vener@dorsheitzedek.org, for support. Please register by April 1st, so that we can get everyone all the supplies they need! Questions? Come to the Talmud for the 99% Info Session immediately following Shabbat morning services on March 13th at 12pm. Not sure if it is right for you? Come to the Hebrew Roots & Dictionary Skills Crash Course on Wednesday, March 17th from 7-8pm. This session is open to the whole congregation. We will learn how to identify root letters and look them up in dictionaries. We will decode a text from the Passover Haggadah together and you will get a taste of SVARA method’s joyful and rigorous pedagogy. Read below for a description of SVARA-Method learning.
MORE INFO