Newton’s Jewish Congregation Walnut Street Minyan Is Moving Locations

NEWTON, MA – The Jewish congregation, Walnut Street Minyan, will move to a new, renovated location in Newton this week.

The independent traditional egalitarian community, first established in 2021 as an offshoot of the former Newton Centre Minyan, is set to move into its newly renovated home at 858 Walnut St. on Wednesday – the eve of Passover.

“We are so happy to be able to celebrate Passover in our new home,” Deborah Fogel, Chair of the Walnut Street Minyan Communications Committee, wrote in an email.

Passover is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt.

“By happy coincidence, therefore, the festival of freedom this year also marks the Minyan’s long-awaited liberation from temporary quarters,” officials wrote in a news release.

The new building has a rich Jewish history. It was a Jewish funeral home in the 1950s and 1960s and later housed Kehillath Jacob’s orthodox congregation from 1971 to 1974. Two current Walnut Street Minyan members attended Kehillath Jacob’s services and Hebrew school.

Over the last two years, Minyan members worked together to finalize a permanent location and redesign the space.

“Every ask was answered, every need met, every problem willingly solved. I have always taken great pride in our community’s collective spirit, but over the last year we truly outdid ourselves in resourcefulness, resilience, and dedication,” moderator Jason Glasgow said in the news release.

The inaugural celebration for the new location will take place immediately after the Passover holiday ends on April 13, and an open house for the community at large has been scheduled for May 7 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Due to the proximity of the move to Passover, the community will hold the first two days of Passover services on Thursday and Friday, followed by regular Shabbat services on Saturday. All services will begin at 9:30 a.m.