The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture

Great place. Peggy — the local guide, showed us the place and explained a lot. She was very responsive to all of our questions. As a causal Jewish male, i highly recommend this place.

friends of mine got married here a while ago. it is absolutely gorgeous. definitely go and visit!

The Vilna Shul is the last remaining immigrant era synagogue in Boston. It’s a beacon of Bostonian Jewish History in what little remains of the original West End neighborhood. Once a synagogue (where my grandfather was bar mitzvahed!), it’s now an awesome museum. Rachel, the Program Director, puts on great events ranging from Yiddish film series to lectures about social entrepreneurship — pretty cool!
Once a month, there’s a Shabbat service you can attend known as Havurah on a Hill. It’s pretty interesting to see such a young crowd (generally congregants are in their twenties and thirties) in such an old building. While I’ve only gone to HOH once, it was really fun and everyone was so nice.
It’s also a really neat architectural structure in itself — from the lightbulb-​laden chandeliers to the layers of murals painted over one another (they just won a huge grant to uncover the murals from American Express!), it’s definitely a trip back in time.

Some of the plaster has been chipped away and the paint is peeling. Remnants of once ornate, beautiful and colorful murals can be seen dancing across the walls. The counter weighted windows are old and sometimes hard to operate. There are quick-​fix patches adorning the walls and ceiling. The benches pre-​date the building, are wooden and mildly uncomfortable after a while.
Lanterns line the bimmah and surround the platform from where the service is conducted. The ornately carved wooden arch spans between two windows at the front of the room. The eternal light shines through two hands, each forming the letter shin as the Kohanim would. (picture «live long and prosper») With 15′-20′ ceilings, the ancient text soars and resonates throughout the room. A large skylight over the platform allows natural light to pour in and highlight those leading the service. If it weren’t for the attire of yourself and those around you, you could think yourself back 100 years ago.
There is no actual congregation anymore. As it stands now, all efforts surrounding Vilna are entirely community based. They hold Friday night services about once a month. The service is fairly traditional with very little English, but is fully egal. After the service, they have a speaker followed by dinner. The speakers range in topics and often pull from personal experience that, typically and not unexpectedly, are connected to Judaism. Last year was the first time in about 20 years that they offered services on Yom Kippur. This year they held services for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They ask a donation for all services attended… this money goes towards covering costs and rejuvenating the building.
Even if you’re not Jewish, I strongly encourage paying Vilna a visit… be it for the architecture, its place in Boston History, the installations downstairs or just to broaden your horizon.
The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5 is because I wish they had services more than once a month… unfortunately, I’m usually busy that week.