Our History
Education, lifecycle support, lay leadership, and inclusiveness were the key goals of the families who formed Congregation B’nai Torah in 1974. Their goals for education and lifecycle support were simple – they wanted their children to know and be proud of their heritage and culture, so that their sense of Jewish identity would remain with them throughout their lives, hence the name "B’nai Torah" or "Children of the Torah".
In 1988, the congregation sought professional rabbinical leadership for the first time by hiring a part-time rabbi. Boaz Heilman became the congregation's first full-time Rabbi in 1996 and oversaw a period of tremendous growth.
In 1996, 88 B’nai Torah families felt the need to establish a permanent home. In less than two years, funds were raised, land purchased, and a beautiful building constructed on Boston Post Road (Route 20) in Sudbury. On Sunday, September 13, 1998, B’nai Torah members, accompanied by a klezmer band riding on a horse drawn wagon, walked the Torahs through the streets of Sudbury to their new home. Community members lined the road to wish the congregation well. The new sanctuary, school and office building was dedicated with hundreds of people in attendance, including many religious and political leaders from throughout the region.
In 2001, the congregation voted to become a member or the Union for Reform Judaism, and thereby to be affiliated with the Reform movement.
Rabbi Lisa Eiduson joined the congregation in 2015, and has rapidly engaged the CBT community with her genuine warmth, intellect, and dynamic leadership.
As Congregation B’nai Torah continues into the 21st century, its members remain committed to the goals established by the founding families of education, lifecycle support, volunteerism, and inclusion in order to ensure that we shall always meet the needs of the Jewish community in the Metrowest area and retain the spirit of innovation which has characterized B'nai Torah throughout its existence.
