Center Makor

For years Russian-Jewish immigrant families in greater Boston realized the existence of a tremendous need for quality Jewish educational and cultural programming. Young and elderly people alike believe that they are missing an integral part of their cultural heritage because there is no program solely dedicated to providing Jewish cultural and educational enrichment for them at a specific centralized community setting.

With the upcoming closing of Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Brighton in December, this issue became even more pressing. In response to this need, several Boston area based Russian-Jewish community groups got together and after an extensive planning and community consultations process, created a Jewish Cultural and Educational Center “Makor”. The objective of this center is to stimulate and grow a strong Jewish identity through enthusiasm for the Jewish culture. Since Russian Jews are mostly unaffiliated with mainstream community institutions, this objective will be accomplished through their strong desire for cultural programming and need to educate their children about the traditions of their ancestors, building pride in their identity.