- About Our Congregation
- About Our Rabbi
- About Our Educational Director
- About Our Cantorial Soloists
- About Our Administrator
Established in 1977, Congregation B'nai Shalom is a Reform Jewish congregation made up of about 400 households from over 20 surrounding towns. Coming from diverse backgrounds, we join together in worship, education, and celebration to create a vibrant community.
Participation and involvement are the hallmarks of our worship experience. We celebrate all Jewish holidays and festivals, including Shabbat worship every Friday evening and Saturday morning. Our service schedule includes monthly family services, Tot Shabbat, and many opportunities to deepen our connections to God and community.
Lifelong Jewish education is our goal. We offer a comprehensive education program that includes early childhood classes, a full religious school program (K-12) with Bar and Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, and adult education classes. Bar and Bat Mitzvah students are prepared for living a full adult Jewish life, as well as leading a service and chanting Torah in the congregation. Confirmation takes place at the end of 10th grade. Family education is integrated throughout our religious school program. Our adult education program offers classes, discussion groups, Shabbat morning Torah study, and special programs throughout the year.
It is our goal to work together to make a better world through social action projects. We are a caring community that reaches out to members in times of joy and grief. We build community through our Youth Groups, Sisterhood and Brotherhood, and social events. We provide pastoral counseling and representation in civic and interfaith affairs. We identify with Jews in Israel and around the world.
Rabbi Laurence Elis Milder was born in St. Louis, but has had ties to
New England for the past 30 years. He attended Brandeis University for
both his undergraduate degree and his Ph.D. in Judaic Studies. Between
those degrees, he attended Hebrew Union College in New York for his
rabbinic degree. He was ordained in 1983.
After his ordination, Rabbi Milder served as the Director for Social Action for the Northeast Region of the UAHC. He then served as Associate Rabbi for Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation for 4 years. For the next 10 years, he served as the rabbi and Religious School Principal for Congregation Beth El in Bangor, Maine.
Rabbi Milder is best known to our youth for his music. An accomplished folksinger and song writer, his song Wherever You Go, There's Always Someone Jewish has been taught in the third grade of our Religious School for many years. He has also been active in the Jewish Camp movement for many years. He is a favorite at Camp Eisner and NFTY-Northeast Regional events such as the Winter Leadership Institute.
Rabbi Milder, his wife Janet and their three children, Miriam, Avi, and Alex live in Westborough.
Director of Education Rabbi Joe Eiduson, RJE has served as the Rabbi-Educator at Congregation B'nai Shalom since 2007. Rabbi Joe grew up in Buffalo and is a graduate of The University of Michigan (Residential College), holds a Master of Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew Union College and a Masters in Educational Administration from Xavier University. An alumnus of the URJ Joseph Eisner and Goldman Union Camps, Rabbi Joe attributes much of his Jewish identity and rabbinic calling to his summers spent at Reform Jewish summer camps. Rabbi Joe has worked in the field of Jewish Education for over twenty-one years and brings a range of teaching and leadership experiences in various settings to his role at Congregation B'nai Shalom.
Rabbi Joe is responsible for lifelong learning and youth programming at Congregation B'nai Shalom, from our early childhood programs for our youngest students through Religious School and Chai School to our vibrant adult education opportunities. Rabbi Joe enjoys working with our Temple families, offering them doorways to Jewish learning while building a strong Jewish community. He initiated the popular trips and retreat programming where students travel to New York City and Washington D.C. with their classmates and teachers. Under his leadership, our Madrichim program has expanded and currently employs over 30 high school students in our school. Rabbi Eiduson has brought new life to our school and youth programming.
Rabbi Joe is a National Board Member of the National Association of Temple Educators and serves on their various committees. He has served on the boards of PARDES, The Jewish Community Day School Network, Planned Parenthood, Big Brothers and has taught numerous workshops in the field of Jewish education. Rabbi Joe, and his wife Rabbi Lisa Eiduson, have found their greatest joy and fulfillment in raising their two children Rosie and Carly and their two Labrador retrievers, Maggie and Mason
Cantorial Soloist Sharon Brown Goldstein is a cantorial soloist, teacher and tutor. Sharon will co-officiate at most Shabbat morning services and some Tot Shabbat services. She also will teach trope classes in religious school, help manage the Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation program, and tutor some of our Bar/Bat Mitzvah students. Sharon lives in Hopkinton with her husband, Steven, and children, Evan and Kaila; they are members of B’nai Shalom.
Cantorial Soloist Lisa Marcus Jones will co-officiate at our High Holy Day services, festival services and two Friday night Shabbat services each month. She also will serve as musical director of the Purim spiel and assistant director of our adult choir. Lisa lives in Acton with her husband, Stuart, and daughter, Melissa.
Temple Administrator Abby Kramer Mayou joined the Congregation B'nai Shalom staff in July 2009. She grew up in Verona, New Jersey and received her undergraduate degree from Boston University. She holds a Master of City Planning degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. She spent many years working as a Town Administrator and a Downtown Manager in the Berkshires until she decided that she wished to apply those skills to the Jewish community. She has been a Jewish communal professional for over 11 years. She attributes her Jewish identity to her grandparents, who she was very close to. She has many wonderful memories of celebrating Jewish holidays with them. She also remembers with great fondness, the Jewish high school group that she attended in order to do Israeli dancing and socialize with other Jewish teens! Abby is married to Don and they have two daughters, two sons, one son-in-law and one granddaughter.