Central Reform Temple

Address: 15 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116

Years Active: 2004–Present

Tradition: Reform Judaism

Central Reform Temple (CRT) is a Reform Jewish synagogue founded in 2004 and housed in Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Initially called “Boston Jewish Spirit” (BJS), the congregation was co-founded by the rabbis Howard A. Berman (who passed away in 2024) and Devon Lerner. Rabbis Berman and Lerner founded the synagogue with the explicit aim of inclusion, through the framework of Classical Reform Judaism: according to CRT’s website, this was “borne out of the recognition that there was a need for a progressive, Jewish experience for a variety of constituencies in the city’s central neighborhoods.” 

BJS initially held services in the Arlington Street Church, until they moved to Emmanuel in 2005. (The Emmanuel Center serves as the interfaith “programmatic partnership” between the two.) They acquired their first Sefer Torah in 2006, and chose their new name, CRT, in 2012. Rabbi Berman, their original rabbi, retired in 2020, and passed away in 2024. After a number of years of transition between rabbis, Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire officially took over as the congregation’s rabbi in 2023, and still serves in that role as of 2026. (Rabbi Lerner, CRT’s co-founder, was on the committee that selected Rabbi Shire.)

Rabbi Berman, who was married to a man, prioritized LGBTQ+ advocacy in his work, played a key role in Boston’s larger queer religious history, having been one of the original co-founders of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry. In his career, he “officiated at hundreds of same-sex weddings.” CRT itself dedicates a page on its website to outlining its LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts, noting that “[a]n embrace of LGBTQ inclusion has been a core value of our congregation from its founding in 2004…. LGBTQ individuals were among the founding members of CRT, and constitute a significant proportion of our leadership and membership today.” 

The “LGBTQ Community” page on CRT’s website also shares a testimonial from one of their queer members, attesting to the welcoming nature of the synagogue:

“Many Synagogues and churches welcome the gay community as ‘diversity outreach.’ Here at CRT, the LGBTQ presence is integrated completely in the Rabbinic and lay leadership and the broader membership. It is reflected in everything that we say and do as a Temple family.”

CRT also voices its commitment to the advocacy for a variety of additional groups and causes, such as aid for Ukrainian refugees, climate action, and racial justice. Additionally, CRT helps organize the Boston-area women-run interfaith discussion group Sisters in Spirit.

Sources and Further Information:

https://www.crtboston.org/classical-reform-judaism.html

https://www.crtboston.org/our-history.html

https://www.emmanuelboston.org/community/emmanuel-center/

https://www.levitt-weinstein.com/obituaries/howard-berman-2/obituary

https://www.jewishboston.com/read/crt-boston-appoints-rabbi-dr-michael-shire/

https://www.crtboston.org/our-rabbi.html

https://www.crtboston.org/lgbtq-community.html

https://www.crtboston.org/social-action.html

https://www.crtboston.org/ukrainerefugees.html

https://www.crtboston.org/climateaction.html

https://www.crtboston.org/racialjustice.html

https://www.crtboston.org/interfaith-dialogue.html

Entry written by Nicole Collins in August 2026.