Founded in 1995 by a group of dedicated parents, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School was the first Jewish pluralistic day school in the greater Boston area.
Jewish Community Day School, The Krupp Family Beit Knesset– Watertown
It currently serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade. The school views pluralism as “more than the existence of diversity….an active posture, a point of view that shapes how we attempt to build and foster Jewish community, and how we understand and seek to engage with and improve the world around us.”
When JCDS moved to its current location in 2002, a synagogue/sanctuary or “Beit Knesset” (House of Gathering) was designed for purpose of prayer. Mostly used by Middle School students for communal prayer, the space is open and frequented by many each day. Musical activities and smaller prayer gatherings take place there regularly as do in-school Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for each student. Occasionally, community members use the space for life cycle rituals such as the naming of a baby.
Religious life at JCDS is guided by a team who represent the diversity of the community. There are about 20 students in each grade and each year each grade marks a Judaic studies milestone that is celebrated in this space. Folding doors on one side can be opened for larger gatherings.
For more information, see: https://www.jcdsboston.org/
