B'nei Mitzvah Information for Guests & Visitors

For those of you visiting Dorshei Tzedek, welcome! We are pleased to have you join us for our Shabbat morning services, and want to let you know about a few of our practices.

First, we like everyone to join in — so please do! All of the songs and prayers that are communally sung are transliterated in English. In order to honor Shabbat and the needs of our community members, we ask that you remember to turn off your cell phone and refrain from taking any pictures, and please do not wear any strong fragrances, including perfume, cologne, and strongly scented hair products. These cause some of us serious illness. Thank you for your understanding! 
 

B'Mitzvah Torah Honors/Blessings & Family Participation

What is an aliyah? Who gets called up for an aliyah during a B'Mitzvah ceremony, and what should they do when they have one?

Learn more about aliyot, Torah honors/blessings, and family participation at Dorshei Tzedek B'nei Mitzvah. 
 

Current COVID Policies 

In our sanctuary and at other indoor events, we have a "mask-friendly" policy. We do not require the wearing of masks, but we want anyone to feel comfortable wearing a mask at our events. We will continue to have masks available at our programs. We will also pilot a "mask-only" section of our sanctuary, for all those who would prefer this option. 

If CDT members or guests have respiratory symptoms and/or known COVID-19 exposure, for the safety of others, we encourage you to do a home test for COVID prior to attending a CDT event. Even if you are negative, we ask you to consider staying home when sick in order to protect others from respiratory illnesses. If you do choose to enter the community when you have respiratory symptoms (but have tested negative for COVID), we ask that you consider wearing a mask. 

We continue to require that our staff be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, and we very strongly encourage all of our members who are eligible be fully vaccinated*. 

Please note that all services will also have a Zoom option for guests and congregants. This is an exciting time and we all want to celebrate in the way that is most comfortable and safe for us as individuals! 

Our complete set of COVID policies & guidelines can be found here.

*Fully vaccinated is defined as having had 2 shots (or 1 J&J) plus a booster at least 2 weeks prior for those aged 14+, and having had 2 shots plus 2 weeks for those aged 5-13.
 

The Site

All Dorshei Tzedek services are held in our third-floor prayer space at 60 Highland Street, West Newton, MA 02465. There are parking lots and building entrances on both sides of the church (on Highland Street and also on Chestnut Street), and an additional entrance on the Mass Pike side of the building. The direct entrance to our prayer space is on Highland Street. Kiddush lunch takes place in Fellowship Hall on the first floor. 

Physical accessibility into and around the building:
     ‣ The spaces in the building used by CDT are mostly accessible for wheelchair users and those who have difficulty climbing stairs, with the exception of Rabbi Toba's personal office and the all-gender restroom.
     ‣ The accessible entrance to the building uses an automatic door that is located on the Chestnut Street parking lot side at 61 Chestnut St, Newton, MA, 02465. Please let us know in advance if you will need to use this door so that a staff member can show you how to access it. There are handicapped parking spots in both lots.
     ‣ There is an elevator up to the prayer space on the far side of Fellowship Hall. We also have a portable ramp which can be used in our sanctuary to give access to the bimah. Please have your host family let us know in advance (by the Wednesday beforehand) if you or another guest will need to use this. 
     ‣ There are two restrooms (a two-stall women's room and single-stall men's room) that don't require stairs to access, both located on the first floor. 
     ‣ Visit our Inclusion & Accessibility webpage for our full statement and policies. 
 

Photography & Writing on Shabbat

It is our policy that no photos or videos can be taken during Dorshei Tzedek Shabbat services. We consider this an intrusion on the sanctity of the religious service and a violation of the spirit of Shabbat. If you would like a “photo op” of the B'Mitzvah reading from the Torah, this can be done in the week prior to the ceremony, when the B'Mitzvah will have the opportunity to read their portion from the Torah scroll. Photography is allowed during the Kiddush; we only ask that you respect the sensibilities of members who may prefer not to be photographed on Shabbat.

Because of the traditional prohibition of writing on Shabbat, it is also Dorshei Tzedek policy that members and guests not be invited to write. This precludes guest books or other types of activities where writing is involved. 
 

Childcare

Childcare will be available during the service. Please email the office (office@dorsheitzedek.org) in advance to let us know how many kids you will be bringing and what their ages are. 
 

Ritual items 

Dorshei Tzedek has kippot (yarmulkes) and tallitot (prayer shawls) available, although some families choose to have special kippot made for the occasion.