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Looking at Boston from the Cambridge side of the Charles River,
from which liberty and democracy flow!

Now available! The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook 6 Self-Guided Walking/Bicycling Jewish Boston History Tours Covers Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge Softcover 198 pages with maps & b/w photos Click here Book Order Form to order now!

Now available! The Ten Commandments Guidebook Ways to Self-Struggle with Classic Morals In Song, Poetry, and Prose Covers 10 Commandments Plus One Other! Softcover 153 pages with practical suggestions pages! Click here Book Order Form to order now!

Boston Walks

The Jewish Friendship Trail

in

Cambridge

A Walking or Bicycling Tour

to

Sites of Jewish Experience

An Introduction Featuring Sites Related to Harvard University Faculty/Students and Immigrants of the Twentieth Century

Copyright Michael Alan Ross, 1997-2015.
All Rights Reserved.

Email: BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail

Presented by BostonWalks, Publishers Check out our available titles: The Ten Commandments Guidebook BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook Both Guidebooks available online in Ten Good Jewish Books!

We've been leading walking tours of Boston for about ten years. So, when we were asked to devise a Jewish walking or bicycling tour of Cambridge, the home of Harvard University, we knew that we would walk many of Cambridge's streets before suggesting this friendship trail. Cambridge's Fresh Pond Once known as Newtowne, it wasn't until the mid-1800s - after various legal and attitudinal barriers were lowered, that Cambridge began to attract a community of Jews. During the years 1875 to 1925, approximately three to five thousand Jewish immigrants arrived and stayed in Cambridge. The City - which, before the late 1800s, consisted of three villages, East Cambridge, Central/Inman, and Harvard Square (Old Cambridge) - by 1900, was becoming a unified city, linked within (and without) by landfill, bridges, and the new, electrified, public transportation system. The bulk of Cambridge's three to five thousand Jewish immigrants settled in the Central and Inman Square areas. A small but important number of Jews affiliated with Harvard University, as students or as faculty members, settled in the Harvard Square area. This BostonWalks' "The Jewish Friendship Trail" in Cambridge is designed as a 2.5 hour bicycling tour. Try bicycling it yourself by printing out this website. Better yet, purchase our Guidebook, BostonWalks The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook by clicking here! Let's bike, then, to these sites of Jewish Experience in Cambridge: (1) Our first stop is at the far end of Brattle Street - or rather that portion of the former Brattle Street now known as Elmwood Avenue. It was here that Felix Frankfurter, Harvard Law School professor and Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court, rented a house between the 1920s and 1960s. (2) We'll now bike up Reservoir Road where another Harvard Law School professor today makes his home. Alan Dershowitz is well known for his writings, television appearances, and famous clients. His concerns about the continuance of the Jewish people in America have been expressed in his "Chutzpa" and "The Vanishing American Jew." (3) We're heading toward and through Inman Square, once the heart of Cambridge's Jewish community. Around Inman Square were located: Cambridge's first shul - Congregation Anshe Sfard on Webster Street, Somerville, Cambridge's first Jewish community center on Elm Street, Cambridge's second shul - Congregation Beth Israel on Columbia Street, and Cambridge's third shul - Temple Ashkenaz on Tremont Street. As we pass through Inman Square, we'll note (a) the large Jewish style delicatessen there, a survivor in the spirit of two others no longer extant in Brookline and Mattapan and (b) the old shop where the Swartz family once maintained their furrier business. (4) The Congregation Anshe Sfard (1898-1957) building, a former wooden building with a mikvah, no longer exists. (5) Cambridge's first Jewish community center (1913-1954) building does exist and today is a Portuguese Club. As a Jewish community center, it served a literary association, a YMHA, and a Zionist center. (7) The Congregation Beth Israel (1900-1962) building also exists and today contains residential apartments. The congregation here followed a Sephardic minhag. This wonderful, brick shul building of Congregation Beth Israel was built during 1901-1902 and dedicated in 1903. (8) The Temple Ashkenaz (1910-1962) building likewise exists but in a new reincarnation (since the 1962 merger of Congregation Beth Israel and Temple Ashkenaz) as Temple Beth Shalom. Today, Temple Beth Shalom, often referred to as the Tremont Street Shul, is best known for its vibrant Simhat Torah celebrations which spill out onto Tremont Street. (9) Heading Southwest now, toward Central Square, we'll pass by a later Jewish Community center (1951-1977) building on Harvard Street and then rediscover another shul on Howard Street. The Congregation and Talmud Torah Yavna (1918-1934) building today is quite run down, having been used as a harpsicord workshop and residences for many years. (10) Heading toward the Charles River from Central Square, we'll stop by an active congregation which evolved from a children's Hebrew school of the 1970s, Congregation Eitz Chayim. (11) On to the Harvard University buildings and area, where we'll bike by the so-called Hebrew Room in Harvard Hall; Thayer Hall where Justice Louis Brandeis lodged in his Harvard law School days; the corner of Kennedy and Winthrop Street, where once stood the home of Judah Monis, Harvard's first full-time Hebrew instructor; and, finally, we'll conclude this bike tour at the vibrant Harvard University Hillel House on Mt. Auburn Street.

Hope you enjoyed our tour of sites of Jewish experience in Cambridge.

LINKS Walks Around Boston Links BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail - Boston's West and North Ends BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail - Boston's South End BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail - Brookline

For further information, email BostonWalks directly BostonWalks

Links to Boston and New England

• Walk or bike ride with BostonWalks and explore the neighborhoods adjacent to the Charles River
  

• For 10 great places to walk with water views in Boston,
  click on this smiley-walking face
  
  

• BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail - Boston's West and North Ends
  

• BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail - Boston's South End
  

• BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail - Brookline
  

• Within walking Distance - Houses of Worship In and Around Boston-Brookline-Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
  

• Ten Reasons for Seatbelts on Schoolbuses
  

New Interpretations of our Ten Commandments Links The original humorous satirical song lyrics, Please Keep Us Wealthy, considering the 8th Commandment, Don't steal! The original song, Try to Smile and Love Your Neighbor, considering what Mr. Ross labels the 11th Commandment, Love your neighbor as yourself! The original, satirical, political song, Capitalist Commands, considering the 10th Commandment, Don't Covet! The original, acrostic poem, Anti-Semite, considering the 6th Commandment, You shall not murder The original Walter Mittyish style daydream, Dance before God, considering the 2nd Commandment, Have one God only! The original mystical, kabbalah vision-type, poem, Commit, considering the 1st Commandment, Recognize God/Goodness! The original, poetic blessing, for oneness, In Awe, considering the 1st Commandment, Appreciate God/Goodness!

Copyright Michael Alan Ross, 1997-2015.
All Rights Reserved.

Now available! The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook 6 Self-Guided Walking/Bicycling Jewish Boston History Tours Covers Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge Softcover 198 pages with maps & b/w photos Click here Book Order Form to order now!

Now available! The Ten Commandments Guidebook Ways to Self-Struggle with Classic Morals In Song, Poetry, and Prose Covers 10 Commandments Plus One Other! Softcover 153 pages with practical suggestions pages! Click here Book Order Form to order now!

"West End House" circa 2004
Begun by 35 Jewish boys in 1903!

Click here to connect with more of
Boston's Best!

The Jewish Friendship Trail in Boston's West and North Ends includes the homes of
Brandeis and Filene

Copyright Michael Alan Ross, 1997-2015.
All Rights Reserved.

Email: BostonWalks Publishers

Chazak Ve-ematz “be strong and resolute” (Moses’ words to Joshua in Deut. 31:7)

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Should orthodox women have the same opportunities to participate in learning, davening, and minhagim as men? Click here for an original, creative, poetic elaboration of such a question, Sheaylot

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Are you curious about what are some of the ethical reasons for single-payer universal health care insurance? 10 Moral Reasons for One Payer Universal Health Care Insurance for America in light of Hillel's If I'm only for myself, what am I?

To be satisfied with life perhaps, one might consider this raspberry!

Click here for an original, creative, re-interpretation for progressive Jews of Maimonides classic Jewish prayer of affirmation of Jewish faith, "Ani Maamin," THIRTEEN PRINCIPLES FOR PROGRESSIVE JEWS by Michael Alan Ross

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When was the last time you really laughed? We're featuring good Jewish jokes! Check out this month's featured humor by clicking here! We know that there are other belly laughs our there. Email us at bostonwalks@hotmail.com with your contribution!

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Sing Sense to America Remember the 21st century 1st decade presidential elections by singing some salivatingly satirical and serious song lyrics. To do so, try these on your tongue: CAPITALIST COMMANDS KEEP US WEALTHY LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

Question: What's a political mensch? Answer #1 Answer #2

BostonWalks Integrating the urban, modern Jewish American city experience with its historical sites and themes in such locales as Boston, MA, Portland, ME, East Bay and Providence, RI, and the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.

FileneBest of BostonNYC UWSBrandeis Love Your NeighborWatertown, New Town, & Muddy RiverWalk Near WaterRefute Hate Walk West/North Ends We're One Pray HereMeditationClubsBrooklineSensual WalksMore LoveReportingJewish BooksTENSouth End What's a political mensch? More "What's a political mensch?"

Table of Contents of Boston Walks The Jewish Friendship Trail ZIONISTS WOMEN WATERTOWN,NEWTOWNE,MUDDY RIVER UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE INSURANCE THE 10 COMMANDMENTS TEN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS GUIDEBOOK ORDER FORM SPIRITUALLY SHUSHAN SHULS OF BOSTON'S WEST END SHULS OF BOSTONS'S NORTH END SHEAYLOT SEATBELTS FOR SCHOOLBUSES SAUCYWALKS RHODE ISLAND WALKS RETAILERS A RED, WHITE & BLUE AGENDA PORTLAND, MAINE JEWISH SITES POLITICAL MENSCH STANDARDS 2 POLITICAL MENSCH STANDARDS 1 PATRIOT LEDGER ARTICLE CAR CRASH NEW YORK CITY UPPER WEST SIDE JEWISH SITES NEAR WATER BOSTON WALKS MIDDLE CLASS CITY LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR LIBERTY AND DEMOCRACY LAUGH LASHON HATZLACHA KEEP US WEALTHY THE JEWISH FRIENDSHIP TRAIL GUIDEBOOK ORDER FORM CAMBRIDGE MA JEWISH SITES JEWISH BOOKS BOSTON'S WEST & NORTH ENDS JEWISH SITES BOSTON'S SOUTH END JEWISH SITES OVERVIEW OF THE JEWISH FRIENDSHIP TRAIL THIS WEBSITE: BOSTONWALKS IN AWE HUMOR BOSTON HOUSES OF WORSHIP HEALTHY HOPITALS FILENE 10 WAYS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION CAN CHANGE AMERICA DANCE BEFORE GOD CONSERVATIVE JEWISH COMMIT CLUBS CAPITALIST COMMANDS BROOKLINE MA JEWISH SITES Brooklyn NY BRANDEIS THE BOSTON GLOBE ARTICLE BOSTON'S BEST BIKE TRAILS ATONEMENT TO DEEDS ANTI-SEMITE ANI MAAMIN PHOENIX SCOTTSDALE, AZ