Jewish Massachusetts: Towns & Synagogues

Jewish communities in Massachusetts stretch from Beacon Hill and Brookline to Worcester, Springfield, the North Shore, Cape Cod and the Berkshires. Brandeis University’s American Jewish Population Project puts the statewide Jewish population at roughly 317,000 people. This guide covers population data, history, the main communities by region, historic synagogues, institutions, holidays and safety resources, with every address taken from the organization’s own website.

For deeper Boston-only coverage, see our Boston Jewish community history and our guide to CJP, the JCC, JF&CS and Hebrew College.

How Many Jews Live in Massachusetts?

Two kinds of studies measure the community. The American Jewish Population Project (AJPP) at Brandeis combines hundreds of national surveys to estimate Jewish populations by state and county. Its 2020 county-group estimates for Massachusetts add up to about 317,000 people. The largest group, about 138,400, lives in Boston’s western suburbs, which include Newton, Brookline and the MetroWest towns. The other estimates are:

Boston’s southern suburbs, including the Sharon area: about 70,400
The City of Boston: about 30,000
The northeastern suburbs, including the North Shore: about 28,700
The western counties, including the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires: about 17,800
The Worcester area: about 12,700
Bristol County: about 10,700
The South Shore: about 9,700
The Springfield area: about 8,900
Cape Cod and the Islands: about 7,500

Each figure has a confidence range. The statewide range runs from roughly 283,000 to 351,000.

Local community studies count differently. The 2015 Greater Boston Jewish Community Study was conducted for Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) by Brandeis’ Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute, and it estimated 248,000 Jews in the region. The newer 2025 Greater Boston study, carried out for CJP by SSRS and Rosov Consulting, counts 333,100 people living in 138,200 Jewish households. That total includes 228,500 Jews and 104,600 people who are not Jewish but live in those households, and it is based on 4,776 adult respondents. The two studies used different methods, so the change between them is not a direct measure of growth.

History: From the West End to the Suburbs

Boston’s Jewish community took shape in the mid-1800s with immigrants from Central Europe, and Congregation Ohabei Shalom became the city’s first synagogue. A much larger wave from the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe began in the 1880s and settled in the North End and the West End. Chelsea, where Jews were close to half the population by the 1930s, was nicknamed “the Jerusalem of America.” Over the early 20th century, Jewish neighborhoods spread south along Blue Hill Avenue through Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan.

After World War II, many families moved to Brookline, Newton, Sharon and the North Shore suburbs. Northeastern University’s Digital History of the Jews of Boston project says redlining and bank lending practices in the late 1960s sped the decline of the inner-city Jewish neighborhoods. Later arrivals included Holocaust survivors and, by the early 1990s, about 10,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union. Our full history covers these moves neighborhood by neighborhood.

Jewish Communities in Massachusetts by Region

Brookline and Newton

Brookline and Newton are home to the densest group of Jewish institutions in the state. That includes Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Sephardic congregations, JCC Greater Boston at 333 Nahanton St. in Newton, and Hebrew College on Washington Street in Newton. Congregation Mishkan Tefila, which sold its Chestnut Hill building to Boston College after a 2015 vote, now meets at 384 Harvard St. in Brookline, according to its website. See our Brookline and Newton synagogue guide for a full list by movement.

Sharon and the southern suburbs

Sharon has both a Conservative synagogue and an Orthodox one. Temple Israel of Sharon is at 125 Pond St., and Young Israel of Sharon is at 100 Ames St. AJPP’s southern suburbs group, with about 70,400 people, is the second-largest Jewish population center in the state.

Framingham and MetroWest

Temple Beth Am, a Reform congregation, is at 300 Pleasant St. in Framingham. MetroWest is part of AJPP’s western suburbs estimate, the state’s largest.

Marblehead, Swampscott and the North Shore

The Jewish Community Center of the North Shore is at 4 Community Road in Marblehead. Its building is open from 5:30 a.m. on weekdays, and its main number is 857-285-7900.

Worcester and Central Massachusetts

The Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, founded in 1930, is at 646 Salisbury St. in Worcester (508-756-1543). It publishes a directory of congregations and community services for the region on its website.

Springfield, Longmeadow and the Pioneer Valley

The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts and the Springfield JCC share the Neal Webber Building at 1160 Dickinson St. in Springfield. Visitors enter and park from 594 Converse St. in Longmeadow, because there is no access from Dickinson Street. The Springfield JCC also runs PJ Library of Western Massachusetts, which mails free Jewish-themed books to children up to age 13. Farther north, the Yiddish Book Center is at 1021 West St. in Amherst, on the Hampshire College campus next to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Cape Cod and the Berkshires

Cape Cod Synagogue, which describes itself as a Reform congregation, is at 145 Winter St. in Hyannis (508-775-2988). In the Berkshires, the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires is at 196 South St. in Pittsfield (413-442-4360).

Historic Synagogues to Visit

The Vilna Shul, 18 Phillips St., Beacon Hill, Boston. Immigrants from Vilna built it in 1919, and it is the city’s last remaining immigrant-era synagogue building. Today it operates as a cultural center, a 4-minute walk from the Red Line’s Charles/MGH stop.
Temple Ohabei Shalom, 1187 Beacon St., Brookline. The congregation is Boston’s oldest and is now a Reform temple.
Temple Israel of Boston, 477 Longwood Ave., in the Longwood area (617-566-3960).
Congregation Mishkan Tefila, 384 Harvard St., Brookline, on the top floor of the 384 Campus. The entrance is through the Fuller Street parking lot.

Institutions, Museums and Memorials

Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) is Greater Boston’s Jewish federation, based at 126 High St., Boston. It also runs the JewishBoston.com events and synagogue directory.
JCRC of Greater Boston is the region’s Jewish community relations council.
Hebrew SeniorLife was founded in 1903 and is a nonprofit, nonsectarian provider of senior care and housing.
Brandeis University in Waltham was founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian research university sponsored by the American Jewish community.
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at American Ancestors, 97 Newbury St., Boston, holds more than four million documents on New England Jewish history. Nearly 800,000 of them are searchable online.
The New England Holocaust Memorial is on the Freedom Trail at 98 Union St. Holocaust survivor Stephan Ross started the effort to build it, and it was dedicated on Oct. 22, 1995.
Arts and culture: JArts (the Jewish Arts Collaborative) and the Boston Jewish Film Festival are profiled in our community resources guide.

Kosher Food, Holidays and Events

Our kosher restaurant guide lists KVH-certified restaurants in Brookline, Newton and beyond. Because restaurants open and close often, check the KVH directory before you go.

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, Dec. 4, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, Dec. 12. Our Hanukkah 2026 guide has candle-lighting times and confirmed menorah lightings.

Safety and Reporting Resources

The ADL counted 279 antisemitic incidents in Massachusetts in 2025, 36% fewer than in 2024. Boston had 57 of them, the most of any city in the state. Across New England the ADL counted 400 incidents, which it says is still nearly double the yearly counts from before October 2023. The Massachusetts Legislature’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism approved its final report on Nov. 20, 2025. The state also gives security grants to nonprofits at risk of hate crimes.

To report an emergency, call 911. CJP’s community security program and the ADL’s online reporting form take non-emergency reports. Our antisemitic incidents tracker and our ADL data report have more detail.

FAQ

How many Jewish people live in Massachusetts?

Brandeis’ AJPP estimates about 317,000, within a range of about 283,000 to 351,000, based on 2020 data.

Which Massachusetts towns have the largest Jewish communities?

AJPP’s largest group is Boston’s western suburbs, which include Newton and Brookline, at about 138,400 people. The southern suburbs, including Sharon, come next at about 70,400.

What is the oldest synagogue in Boston?

Congregation Ohabei Shalom, founded in the mid-1800s, was Boston’s first synagogue. It is now at 1187 Beacon St. in Brookline. The Vilna Shul, built in 1919, is the city’s oldest surviving immigrant-era synagogue building.

When is Hanukkah 2026?

Hanukkah 2026 runs from sundown on Dec. 4 to nightfall on Dec. 12.

Where can I research Jewish family history in New England?

The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at 97 Newbury St. in Boston has archives and a digital collection of nearly 800,000 searchable documents.

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Jewish Communities in Massachusetts: History, Towns, Synagogues and Resources

How Many Jews Live in Massachusetts?

History: From the West End to the Suburbs