Religious institutions on the Island have struggled with the decision of whether to open this summer, noting the challenges of holding services in small enclosed spaces.
The Brickmans, Cronigs and Levines are recognized as the earliest Jews to settle on Martha’s Vineyard, but if Ken Libo’s research findings turn out to be true, then some of the Island’s Portuguese-American ancestors may also have been part of the Jewish diaspora.
The Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, the Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of the NAACP and the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury will host a joint service on Friday, Jan. 12 to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and his friend Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. The service takes place at the Hebrew Center and begins at 5:30 p.m. It will be led by Rabbi Caryn Boitman and feature Rev. Mariam White-Hammond,
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inister for ecological justice at Boston Bethel AME Church. Her talk is entitled
In a three-hour ceremony marked by community celebration, joyous music and traditional Jewish rituals, the new Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center was consecrated Saturday morning in Vineyard Haven.
The consecration of the new center, built in the past year, attracted an audience of more than 200 Vineyarders, mostly congregation members, but also people of other faiths who came to honor both the building and the growing Island Jewish community.
On Friday, Dec. 11, the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center will hold its community Hanukkah party and celebration featuring the Bart Weisman Klezmer Swing Group.
