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Explore > Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture > Story Archives
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Volunteering at Vilna Shul
Submitted by Benai, Boston
Last weekend I participated in the Young Leadership Division of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies' community service day. A team of other enthusiastic volunteers and I helped clean the Vilna Shul and organize its library and storage. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the history of one of the most unique and culturally significant places in the city of Boston and help prepare it for tours and upcoming special events. Even though this location did not receive the greatest amount of votes in the recent pole, I was told that it might still be eligible to receive a grant based on its architectural qualities and contributions to the history of Boston. I hope the Vilna Shul receives the funds in order both to maintain its current state and restore the beautiful murals that were painted over in previous years. I believe this will help maintain the cultural diversity of Beacon Hill and the city of Boston.
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getz family
Submitted by penny, South Shore
We lived at 46 Irving Street, my family were members of the Vilna Shul since my family came to the U.S.A in 1920, until my grandfather who was president of the shul until his passing in 1955. My family and I have great memories of that era, such as Mr.and Mrs Kaufman and Mr. and Mrs. Erlich. I could go on with many names. I am sorry we did not win.
Mrs.Vivian [Getz] Fleitman
Milton Ma.
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Vilna Shul
Submitted by Susana, Boston
It has been magical to meet all the wonderful people that have rediscovered their roots, and reconnected with their Jewish heritage by having this place in the middle of a historic part of Boston.
It's a small jewel that needs to be preserved! It documents an era when immigrants where a big part of the fabric of the city.
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Fantastic
Submitted by Amy, Boston
Take the tour, and you'll learn all about the rich history of this stunning shul. It's a must-see.
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place of learning
Submitted by rachel, Boston
It sometimes surprises people that I moved to Boston just so that I could work at the Vilna Shul, but for me it seemed like the perfect place to put my love of history, languages and cultures to work. I did not know then that working at the Vilna Shul would give me the opportunity to work as a cultural interpreter, story-teller, and ambassador. As I have spent more time here, I suppose I am most moved by the people who are moved by this space. Almost daily people enter the building and explain, with hesitation in their voices, that this is their first time in a synagogue. There are not many places like the Vilna Shul, where anyone from any walk of life, background, age, experience, can enter a traditional religious space and have the chance to feel welcomed, ask questions, get involved, volunteer, or just look around. This building is about so much more than what meets the eye. It is a place where women's history is vibrant, where Jewish and African American history meet, a place where old world meets new world, where traditions are being revitalized and where intercultural dialogue is taking place. The murals at the Vilna Shul are such an important symbol of this. They are a reminder that history is so much more than meets the idea. It is the stories, the heritage and the traditions that lie just beneath the surface of our modern lives. Uncovering even just one wall of murals at the Vilna Shul will uncover a world. It will enrich the experiences of those who visit the Vilna Shul for tours, programs and services. But, it will also help us to share the lost stories of the immigrant experience in Boston.
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My Story
Submitted by H, Boston
My story begins when I visited the building in the summer of 2006 while studying Yiddish. We listened to the stories of growing up as a Yiddish speaker, and learned about the building before there was an exhibit on the first floor. I can remember being amazed by the sanctuary upstairs and the unusual art over the stairways in the hall.
The fall of 2008 brought me to Boston for work, and I started coming to Havurah on the Hill and volunteering. I've made quite a number of new friends, reconnected with people who I lost touch with, and have started to learn more about this building and the people who spent time here in the 90 years.
The Vilna Shul is an incredible building that brings together people from all different backgrounds and experiences. The contrast of old and new, sacred and secular, crumbling and rebuilding is to me, what is most meaningful about the place. There is something difficult to describe about entering the sanctuary on a Friday night, where the chandeliers are lit up, the pews are full and music drifts through a room. Viewing Yiddish films or listening to speakers describe the lives of the people who attended services here when the building was first built is always a fascinating and moving, and I look forward to attending more programming, and continuing to volunteer. Uncovering murals on the wall in the women's section would be incredible, and I hope that becomes a reality!
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experiencing Judaism for the first time
Submitted by Erin, Boston
I only became connected to the Vilna Shul recently - one of my housemates works for the organization and I found out about it through her. I grew up in a secular Christian household, and a couple of years ago, when I moved to Boston, I started regularly attending church. I truly believe that there is no one "right" way to worship God, even though I am a Christian, and wanted to find out more about how other religions did the same thing. I have attended a couple of Friday evening services at Havurah on the Hill - I was so moved by the beauty of the services, and even though I do not understand Hebrew, I truly felt that God was present. This experience has been immensely valuable to me in my spiritual growth, and of course, I've met lots of wonderful new people during the dinner and socializing after the services.
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Meeting place
Submitted by Ben M, Boston
I have been to the Vilna Shul several times and it is a really great place that needs help. I have met people, learned about the Jewish story in the Boston area, and admired the craftsmanship. However, the paint is peeling and there are many rough areas in the building. In the few places where the 1950's whitewash has been cleared away, you can see fine paintings with interesting designs and scenes. I hope this superb cultural center is fully brought back to life!
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vilna shul
Submitted by pete, South Shore
My grandmother came to this country in 1900 and lived in the West End. I remember her talking about the Vilna Shul, and it always was with great reverance. I'd like to see the restoration of the murals happen. It would be a tribute to those early immigrants who helped build this country.
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My Bar Mitzvah
Submitted by flash, Boston
I was Bar Mitzvahed at the Vilna Shul in 1942. My grandfather was president , and my grandmother was president oif the sisterhood. I lived at 46 Irving Street.
We are the Getz family, and I now live in Rockville, MD. and my sister lives in Milton, MA and my Uncle liwes in Florida., and my aunt lives in assisted living in Philadelphia. She is now 96 years old..
Mel Getz
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Sacred Space
Submitted by Melissa, South Shore
I have had the opportunity to perform at the Vilna Shul with Shir Tzion, the choir of Hebrew College's School of Jewish Music. The Vilna Shul is a wonderful and sacred space; one can almost hear the buzz and din of prayer services past. Unfortunately, during our rehearsal, a strong gust of wind went by and paint chips started falling on us from the skylight above. It was a sad reminder of the building's disrepair. Please consider voting for the Vilna Shul. L'Shalom!
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Priceless!
Submitted by KLT, Boston
I live in the North End and have been enjoying the increasingly frequent events at the Vilna Shul. The Vilna Shul is not only a beautiful historical building in desperate need of renovation but a warm and welcoming community. As the last remaining synagogue of it's era the historical significance of the Vilna Shul is almost unparelleled. Funding to renovate and revive this site will be priceless!
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A Real Gem that Needs Preservation
Submitted by Quest Montessori, Boston
The Vilna Shul is one of very few examples left of the Jewish contribution to Boston's rich tapestry of immigration and was an important component of our cultural study in Boston.
Quest Montessori Middle School (Rhode Island) does a study of ethnic neighborhoods in Boston, bringing together an understanding of ethnic heritage and cultural identity through civic activism. Understanding ethnic groups helps younger people to realize that as an American you have a cultural heritage that gives you something unique that other people don't have, a special identity. Understanding and preserving our ethnic heritage contributes to a diverse and vibrant cultural community that enriches us all. Learning about constructive political activism helps young people to understand that there is a peaceful approach to conflict resolution, and is borne out by civic organizations who advance their needs and seek to build a better city through the democratic process.
Preserving the Vilna Shul provides a lasting example of the contribution of the past while providing a forum for the an emerging younger jewish community in the city. Preservation and advancement, two great goals.
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Vilna Shul
Submitted by Sherry, Boston
I lived on Grove St. as a child, from 1944 to 1957. I remember going to the Vilna Shul with my mother when she went there to vote. That was our precinct's voting place in the 1940s. I don't know if it still is used as a voting place or not.
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Serendipity
Submitted by Dorchester Boy, Boston
I grew up hearing my grandparents' stories about growing up their immigrant Jewish neighborhood in the West End. Despite many happy hours exploring the streets of downtown Boston as a child, I never saw anything that revealed a Jewish connection to the area. My grandparents' stories seemed like a myth until my freshman year of college. During the summer, I worked in the newly opened Quincy Marketplace and one beautiful, clear summer night after work I wandered through Beacon Hill admiring the restored homes. I just about fell over when I came upon the Vilna Shul. Suddenly all my grandparents' stories became real. I could almost hear the Jewish West End come back to life.
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Evolution on Beacon Hill
Submitted by Seth, Boston
Every time I walk up Beacon Hill to the Vilna Shul I am surprised to see it pop out of the neighborhood. With its entrance recessed behind the brick fronts of the adjacent buildings, the synagogue seems hidden. The mystery continues inside with faint patterns on the walls, sections of restored paneling, and pictures of the shul from more active times. Although styles have changed since the Vilna Shul's peak, the remaining pieces provide the clues to evolved traditions in the Jewish community and in Boston itself.
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My first visit
Submitted by Mike, Boston
My first...and only visit to the Vilna Shul was in the mid 1990s with CJP for community service day. We were the first volunteers to dig into the shul. The basement was a complete mess with floorboards broken and trash everywhere. It was truly a disaster. The upstairs was passable and used periodically for concerts and speakers. Part of the group wiped down and cleaned all the dusty seating, the bimah and the floor. We cleaned all day and I think that we truly made a difference. I am confident that that there were many groups that followed us and helped rebuild the physical plant of the shul. I was very impressed with the place and the character it held. I only wish I lived a little closer.
Instead, my wife and I began to go to Temple Bnai Moshe in Brighton. Sadly, it is still a dying shul. Happily, from what I see, the Vilna shul is a vibrant congregation.
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Found!
Submitted by madwomanintheattic, Boston
Recently the Vilna Shul had an exhibit about the immigrant history of the Jews of Boston . I learned that the South End, where I currently .live, was the first Jewish neighborhood, and through an interactive program, I finally found the town in Belorus where my father was born. The exhibit was in an basement hall that clearly needs refurbishing,but even so, it was diligently researched, handsomely presented, and provided me with that marvelous experience. I I'm Massachusetts born, educated and bred, and I appreciate all of Boston's historical monuments, but none speaks so directly to me as the Vilna. I want my kids and their kids to hear that special voice.
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almost heaven
Submitted by Mark, Boston
I'm retired and a volunteer at the Vilna. I first helped with some research for the current exhibit about the history of Jews in Boston; and now the history of the property from Massachusetts settlement to the present. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hester Prynne lived nearby. Two Puritan ministers, a Colonial Treasurer, and an African American have owned the property. From 1855 to 1919 - before the Vilna Synagogue was built - there as a 15-20 unit apartment/tenement building here with nearly 1000 residents, total, including potatoe famine Irish immigrants and 5 Civil War soldiers' families, one who died in Andersonville. And at the Vilna since 1919, hundreds who fled from the Czarist pogroms worshiped here. THIS IS REAL HISTORY. And its not just for Jews - I'm not.
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Jewish Renewal
Submitted by sjfagen, Boston
The Vilna Shul has become a symbol of the past and future of Boston's Jewish community. The submission blurb speaks to the history, but what it doesn't mention is the important role it has played in connecting young Jews to their history and heritage. The Vilna Shul hosts monthly Friday night events that caters to Jews who are young and young at heart. These gatherings allow people who may not be as involved in the Jewish community to connect with others that share their past. Meeting in such a historic site helps to remind everyone why they are there and why the conservation of the Jewish tradition is so important. Being able to help the Vilna Shul be restored to its former grandure would only strengthen peoples ability to connect the past to the future.
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