Led by A Beautiful Resistance, Embrace Boston, MassArt, Mass Humanities, and Mathmatik Athletics, Everyone250 is a citywide effort dedicated to telling the fuller story of Boston—elevating voices that have too often been overlooked, underrepresented, or erased.Through partnerships with more than 30 historic sites and over 250 community organizations, the initiative highlights the contributions of immigrants, workers, and communities of color who shaped the city’s past and continue to define its future.

The Vilna holds a unique place in the city’s history. Built by Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century, the Vilna was home to a vibrant Jewish community, creating a majestic spiritual home that was a communal hub for generations of Boston Jews. Rescued in the 1990’s and reimagined as a cultural center, the Vilna stands as a living testament to the resilience, culture, and contributions of Jewish Bostonians.

Through Everyone250, the Vilna will help bring the Jewish story of Boston into sharper focus—connecting it to broader narratives of immigration, labor, and community-building that define the American experience.

“We’re so proud to support this work that elevates the many voices and cultures that make up Boston’s story,” said Marc Baker, President and CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP). “We’re also proud to have a gem in the Vilna Shul, and in their commitment to creating programs and experiences that highlight Jewish and broader immigrant stories year-round. The Vilna represents the Jewish value of tikkun olam—repairing the world—and we see participation in Everyone250 as a meaningful way to help weave our community back together.”

In addition to Everyone250 and its partners, The Vilna partnered with CJP in this effort, with CJP sponsoring the construction of the marker to ensure greater visibility and understanding of Jewish culture and history at a time when antisemitism remains a persistent and urgent concern. Their collaboration underscores the importance of storytelling, education, and public engagement in fostering a more inclusive and connected Boston.

The June 4 unveiling event is open to the public and features remarks from community leaders, partners, and historians, along with opportunities to engage with the stories and themes of Everyone250. Tickets and additional details here.

About the Vilna Shul
The Vilna Shul is Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture, located in the city’s historic West End. As the last remaining immigrant-era synagogue building in Boston, it serves as a vibrant hub for education, arts, and community programs that explore Jewish history, identity, and culture.

About Everyone250
Led by A Beautiful Resistance, Embrace Boston, MassArt, Mass Humanities and Mathmatik Athletics, and a coalition of over 100 partners in Boston’s arts and culture sector, Everyone250 is redefining what it means to belong in Boston. Through storytelling, cultural celebration, and honest reflection, we shine a light on the untold histories and unsung heroes who have shaped our city over the past 250 years—ensuring every voice is heard and every person is seen.

More than a campaign, Everyone250 is a living, breathing commitment to inclusivity, representation, and the power of collective impact.

Join the Movement. Explore our mission, attend upcoming events, and help us Reveal More Boston.

About Combined Jewish Philanthropies
Founded in 1895, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) is Greater Boston's Jewish Federation and was created with the purpose of building vibrant Jewish communities and igniting positive change at home, in Israel, and around the world. As a philanthropic organization driven by Jewish values, learning, and culture, CJP mobilizes communal philanthropy and provides grants, builds partnerships, and brings Greater Boston's diverse Jewish community together. For more information, please visit www.cjp.org.     

CJP and The Vilna Launch Applications for the 6th Annual Community Creative Fellowship

Empowering artists to explore Jewish life and engage community through creativity

Boston, MA – Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture, are now accepting applications for the 6th annual Community Creative Fellowship — a unique paid opportunity that supports artists exploring Jewish life and helps bring innovative, meaningful and creative experiences to the Greater Boston Jewish community and beyond.

Launched in 2020 by CJP and the Jewish Arts Collaborative (now part of The Vilna Shul), the fellowship was created to amplify the voices of artists whose work illuminates Jewish stories, sparks dialogue, and builds connections across diverse communities. The program began with two fellows and quickly revealed a deep hunger for Jewish creativity and artistic exploration. By 2023, it expanded to support four artists annually, providing resources, mentorship, and community connections to help bring their visions to life.

The 2025 cohort was an exemplary year, producing projects that pushed the boundaries of Jewish cultural expression. Fellow Sandra Mayo described the experience as “a gift, a rare opportunity to come to my art as my full self.” Fellows AJ Rubin and Neta Weiner broke new ground with klezhop — a genre-bending fusion of traditional klezmer and the rhythm and energy of hip hop — a collaboration they credit to the fellowship’s unique environment for artistic risk-taking. “This fellowship,” said Weiner, “was the impetus for bringing ancient and modern roots together in a way that is totally and uniquely Boston.”

“When we started the fellowship in 2020, we knew artists needed support — social, emotional, spiritual, and financial — to create work in line with their Jewish identity,” said Laura Mandel, Managing Director of Program Strategy and Impact of The Vilna and co-creator of the program. “What we’ve learned in five years is how deeply this program has impacted artists and communities in understanding one another, and the beautiful ripple effects this creates.”

The 2026 cohort will again support four Boston-area artists, with a focus on those whose work reflects the diversity of Jewish identity and experience, helping audiences see and understand Judaism in its many forms. Fellows will be encouraged to create work that reaches audiences of all ages, crosses artistic disciplines, and engages the community in vibrant, thought-provoking ways.

“The fellowship is more than an artist grant,” said Sophie Krentzman, Associate Vice President, Jewish Communal Life at CJP and program co-creator. “It’s a platform for artists to inspire, challenge, and connect our community through the richness of Jewish creativity. The goal is low-barrier access for communities across Greater Boston — and it’s incredible to see the work our alumni are doing and the ripples they are creating worldwide.”

Applications for the 2025–2026 Community Creative Fellowship are open now through September 9, 2025. Artists of all backgrounds across Greater Boston are encouraged to apply.

Learn more and apply

About The Vilna

The Vilna Shul is a cultural center in a historic synagogue building in downtown Boston.  Our mission is to spark excitement and curiosity about Jewish arts and culture and our American immigrant story through vibrant and meaningful experiences.

In 2025, the Jewish Arts Collaborative became part of The Vilna, bringing its nationally recognized programs into the organization. The Community Creative Fellowship, founded by JArts and CJP in 2020, now calls The Vilna home, continuing its mission to support Jewish artists and foster a thriving creative ecosystem in Boston.

About CJP

CJP (Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston) inspires and mobilizes the Greater Boston Jewish community to engage in building communities of learning and action that strengthen Jewish life and improve the world. They achieve this through programs that focus on poverty alleviation, support for the elderly, housing assistance, and more, while also fostering connections with Israel and global Jewry. 

Torah in the Tarot

Book and Exhibit Launch at The Vilna Shul Explores Lost Jewish History Hidden in a 17th-Century Tarot Deck
Opening October 16, 2025 | Boston, MA

BOSTON – This fall, The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture, will unveil The Torah in the Tarot, a groundbreaking new book and exhibition by Torah scholar and cultural detective Stav Appel. The project reimagines one of history’s most iconic tarot decks—the 17th-century Jean Noblet Tarot —as a hidden record of Jewish resilience, identity, and survival.

The exhibition and book together present a provocative theory: that the Noblet Tarot, created circa 1650 Paris, may have been used by crypto-Jews—Jews forced to hide their identity under threat of persecution—as a tool to to preserve their traditions in a way to avoid detection by the Roman Catholic Church’s Holy Office of the Inquisition.

From a Shabbat Pastime to a Scholarly Quest

The story began in 2018, when Appel’s wife brought home a deck of tarot cards as a playful Shabbat activity for their children. As Appel looked closer at the cards, he saw something others had overlooked: embedded narratives and symbols that echoed Jewish stories, rituals, and scripture. This discovery launched a years-long scholarly journey to decode the imagery and perhaps uncover the origins of its Judaic content. 

“I was captured by a suspicion that the Moon card— an image that depicts a scene eerily reminiscent of the Exodus story—was the product of more than just a strange coincidence,” says Appel. “It felt like a Da Vinci Code of Judaism; sitting in plain sight but yet entirely unrecognized.”

Reimagining the 22 Major Arcana

The Torah in the Tarot explores Appel’s analysis of the 22 Major Arcana cards, each paired with a chapter decoding its visual language and uncovering its potential connections to Jewish texts, holidays, and values. The number is no accident—Appel shows a connection to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which he argues are embedded in the deck’s structure and visual design.

For the exhibition, each card has been fully restored by the contemporary French artist Florent Giraud, revitalizing the historic imagery while preserving its 17th-century aesthetic. Oversized prints will line The Vilna’s historic walls, inviting visitors to step inside each card’s world.

An Exhibit That Comes to Life

The experience doesn’t stop at the gallery walls. Visitors will be able to use a specially designed augmented reality app to see the Moon card animate before their eyes—viscerally bringing the Passover story to life in a blend of art, history, and technology.

“These cards are a beautiful testament to Jewish ingenuity and an active reminder of the ways antisemitism has shaped—and sometimes hidden—Jewish culture,” says Laura Mandel, Managing Director of The Vilna Shul. “Bringing this work to Boston feels like uncovering a lost chapter of our story.”

Opening Night Conversation – October 16, 2025

On opening night, Appel will be joined in conversation by Instagram storyteller and cultural commentator Miriam Anzovin. Together, they will explore the layers of mystery, resilience, and spiritual meaning Appel sees in the cards—and what they reveal about Jewish history and identity.

Tarot card readings by Yaeko Miranda Elmaleh included.

About Stav Appel

Stav Appel is a data scientist, Torah scholar, and writer whose work bridges Jewish history, textual analysis, and visual culture. His research on the Jean Noblet de Tarot reflects years of interdisciplinary study, blending art history, religious scholarship, and cultural anthropology to uncover hidden narratives in historic imagery.

About Ayin Press

Ayin Press is an artist-run publishing platform and cultural organization dedicated to radical Jewish art and thought. Ayin publishes books, produces exhibitions, and supports projects that expand and challenge contemporary Jewish culture. 

About The Vilna Shul

Located on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, The Vilna Shul is the city’s last remaining immigrant-era synagogue building. Today, it is a vibrant center for Jewish arts, culture, and history, offering exhibitions, performances, lectures, and community events that celebrate and explore Jewish life in Boston and beyond.