Temple Shir Hadash

Temple Shir Hadash will celebrate its tenth anniversary in September, and in that time, it's built a small but tight-knit community.

“We wanted to establish a home for Jewish families in Westford and the surrounding area,” said Temple Shir Hadash Communications Committee chairman Joe Diamond. “The goal was to bring Jewish families together and bring the community together.”

The congregation is small but growing with roughly three dozen families in its ranks, with Diamond noting that Shir Hadash has members from Westford as well as Chelmsford, Tyngsboro, and New Hampshire.

Currently, Temple Shir Hadash runs their services at the  First Parish Church's Fellowship Hall. However, Diamond said that opening a standalone synagogue is a priority, although it isn’t “the” priority.

“Ultimately that’s a goal we keep in our minds,” said Diamond. “We don’t put a time frame on it. To be an effective source of community you don’t absolutely need a physical space. You need people to come together. We’ve been flourishing for ten years without a building. What drives us is growing together as a community.”

Shir Hadash typically holds Friday night Shabbat services on the second Friday of each month. Shir Hadash also holds high holy day services during autumn and has had several Bar and Bat Mitzvahs as well as several special services.

“Westford is becoming a more diverse community in terms of faith and ethnic groups,” Diamond said. “I think it will become a place more Jewish people move to.”

More information on the temple is available at templeshirhadash.org