Kahal B’raira means “Community of Choice.” Our name emphasizes our belief that we are responsible for our choices and answer to one another and ourselves.
Kahal B’raira Offers:
- A congregation that supports the beliefs and commitments of Humanistic Judaism.
- A place that welcomes all who identify with the history, culture and fate of the Jewish people.
- A place to celebrate the joyous life cycle events of birth, B Mitzvah, and marriage and find support during times of hardship, illness, and loss.
- Meaningful experiences of culture, celebration, education and community life.
All About Kahal B’raira
Kahal B’raira is a dynamic, warm, welcoming community including:
- Family programs, including Sunday programs, holidays, congregation retreat, and potluck gatherings
- Sunday School from pre-K to 7th grade–visitors welcome
- B Mitzvah Program: Coming of age ceremonies for our youth
- Youth Group for teens
- Adult Programs including adult education, holiday celebrations, Shabbat services, and Havdalah Celebrations
- Opportunities for group social action and community service
- A caring community to support members through difficult times
- A lively dynamic music program
- An active group working for peace and justice in the Middle East
We hold Sunday School and adult meetings 15 times per school year. The adult meetings take place during Sunday School hours and include social time, a Humanistic Jewish service, and an educational program.
See our calendar for specific dates and times.
Nancy Waters, Co-President
Ben Lieberman, Co-President
Ryan Katofsky, Past President
Cathy Cabrera, Treasurer
Lore Kantrowitz, Secretary
Ellen Forman, Holiday Coordinator
Allison Caplin, Sunday School Committee Co-Chair
Lee Feigenbaum, Sunday School Committee Co-Chair
Roberta Bauer, Member at Large
Linda Krupp, Member at Large
Melinda Rothstein, Member at Large
Dave Ross, Member at Large
Cara Seiderman, Member at Large
Jamie Wilson, Member at Large
Jon Levine, Delegate to Society for Humanistic Judaism
Lidia Pruente, Managing Director
Gladys Maged, Managing Director Emeritus
Sophia Brion-Meisels, Education Director
Zach Mayer, Music Director
Here is a short timeline of the congregation:
1975 | Rabbi Sherwin Wine, founder of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, asks Barbara and Seymour (Sy) Schnuer to organize a congregation in Boston.On September 19th, the first meeting is held. |
1978 | The first Humanistic High Holiday service and Chanukah celebration take place in Boston. |
1979 | The Sunday school is started. |
1980 | The name “Community of Choice” is chosen and translated into Hebrew: Kahal B’raira (KB). |
1984 | Congregation celebrates its first Bar Mitzvah, that of Daniel Dain. |
1986 | Steven & Linda Brion-Meisels chair the Sunday School Committee and serve as first Principals. |
1989 | First KB graduates teach Sunday School: Evonne Wetzner & Josh Dodes. |
1999 | 100 families are in the congregation. |
2003 | KB hires Gladys Maged as administrative facilitator. |
2006 | KB hosts the Society for Humanistic Judaism Conference and (a year late) celebrates its 30thanniversary |
2007 | KB moves to Fayerweather Street School in Cambridge. |
Kahal B’raira is committed to full inclusion of people with disabilities in all our activities and events. If you have an accommodation request or feedback about our inclusion work, please email Paul Rickter, our inclusion ombudsman, at rickter@gmail.com, or fill out this form.
Physical Access to Our Meeting Space, The Fayerweather Street School
The parking lot at 765 Concord Ave, Cambridge, has accessible parking spaces. The Concord Avenue entrance is accessible; there are no steps to access the building or inside the building. The building has accessible men’s and women’s bathrooms, as well as an accessible single-stall, all-gender bathroom.
Accessibility at our Online Events
Our community gatherings and holiday celebrations have automatic captions. To request captions at other KB meetings, please email Lidia at l.pruente@kahalbraira.org. Meeting hosts can use KB’s paid Zoom account in order to make captions available to participants.
Planning a KB event? The accessibility checklist is here.