About Temple Beth Avodah

It was during the winter of 1963 when members of fifteen families met with a common purpose. Lack of experience, knowledge, money, building, or technical assistance, were no deterrents, for in their absence was an abundance of energy and enthusiasm shared among these families dedicated to the promulgation of the basic Judaic beliefs. Each of the members lent their diversified talents, time, effort, and financial support so that a Temple could be established in an area where there was none - a Temple to be later named Beth Avodah.

The unanimous opinion was that Judaism should be practiced and taught in a manner that would be both meaningful and productive. This consensus of opinion resulted in our affiliation with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now The Union for Reform Judaism - URJ).

Our initial expectations were modest – the hope of a membership of fifty families; the ability to rent a small hall; and a budget not to exceed seventy-five hundred dollars. Armed solely with prayers, the purchase of our present site was negotiated and financed by the willingness of ten families pledging their credit - fortune was certainly smiling on us that day when the land and building on Puddingstone Lane, owned by the Salvation Army, was offered for sale. . . The ink on the deed to our property was barely dry when we conducted our first Rosh Hashanah Service in that memorable Fall of 1963. Without heat in the building, and with borrowed chairs, we were truly “lost in the wilderness joined together by prayer”.

Shortly after that service, the members of our congregation – young, aggressive and eager – realizing that we had to be a “do-it-yourself” congregation, rolled up their sleeves and began clearing portions of the land for parking; tore out walls to enlarge rooms for religious instruction and prayer; raised their hammers to prepare for a new building - and for its new occupants. A Temple emerged where a summer camp once was . . .

Today Temple Beth Avodah is a congregation still devoted to those original values, serious Jewish education, cultural awareness, and communal involvement in Temple life. While most of our membership lives in nearby Oak Hill, Newton Centre, and South Brookline, many from surrounding towns are attracted by our strong pre-school, religious school, and summer day camp programs - our egalitarianism and our spirituality. We value our tradition of steadfast support for Jewish organizations and for charitable causes of importance to the community at large. Come join us for Shabbat or holiday services. Worship with us in our "Temple in the woods" and experience our warmth, our closeness, our music, and spirituality.