The 1888 Society recognizes and celebrates the former Board members of The Vilna Shul, JArts, and others whose leadership shaped our organizations at pivotal moments. The name marks the year of The Vilna Shul’s incorporation and affirms a simple truth: we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
This is not sentimentality. It is a legacy in action.
In the 1990s, when the historic synagogue building faced an uncertain future, a small but determined group of Jewish leaders and philanthropists refused to let it be lost. Their vision and perseverance saved the building and established a nonprofit cultural center. Because of them, our community still has a place to gather, to celebrate, to create; a place to call home.
Last year, the JArts Board made a bold and strategic decision to join with The Vilna in a 1+1=3 merger rooted in imagination and courage. That partnership expanded what was possible. Today, thousands attend signature public programs like Hanukkah at the MFA and Be the Change, and return to The Vilna for art exhibitions, concerts, films, and culinary gatherings that animate Jewish life in Boston.
The 1888 Society includes nearly 100 former Vilna and JArts Board members, 20 of whom have served as Presidents over the past 36 years, guiding both organizations through periods of extraordinary growth and transformation. Together, these leaders have ensured not only institutional stability, but vibrant, evolving Jewish life in Boston and a commitment to Jewish continuity for generations to come.
When the original incorporators came from Vilnius, Lithuania in 1888, they sought to build more than a synagogue. They sought to build permanence, a sacred anchor that would carry their traditions forward in America so their children and their children’s children would remain connected to Jewish life. They could not have imagined the arc of this building’s journey. These immigrant families quickly established a landsmanschaft, Yiddish for mutual aid society, to support newcomers.
Nearly 140 years later, their legacy endures in both spirit and structure embodied in key objects in our historic sanctuary including:
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The opulent chandeliers from the former Anderson Hotel up the block on Anderson Street
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The Ark, built in 1907 and installed in the community’s previous location at the former 12th Baptist Church at 45 Phillips Street and brought to 18 Phillips Street when the Shul opened in 1919
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Jewish folk murals hidden behind layers of paint
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The luminous stained-glass Star of David, visibility bringing Jewish life to Beacon Hill
These artifacts are not relics. They are reminders of resilience, adaptation, and hope. Today, we build on that foundation.
The 1888 Society exists to keep our legacy leaders connected and engaged as ambassadors, advisors, and partners in shaping what comes next. Members receive regular updates on key initiatives, invitations to signature programs and special experiences (often with exclusive access and complimentary tickets), and opportunities to engage directly with organizational leadership.
In the coming year, we will launch Town Hall gatherings with the Board President and Executive Director creating space for dialogue, shared wisdom, and strategic insight as we chart our next chapter.
The Vilna’s archives hold a memory from decades past:
“It was so mobbed — you couldn’t even get in on the High Holidays. All these people, and the children. And the singing. It was such a beautiful time of our life. The vibration — everything — the love that came through to all these people; the little children — that togetherness and love. The Phillips Street Shul had such meaning. This was like a resting place. You came here, you knew you were safe; you were home.”
That feeling of safety, belonging, beauty, and togetherness remains our north star.
Because of the 1888 Society and the generations of leaders it represents, The Vilna is not simply preserving history. We are activating it by expanding access, deepening impact, and ensuring that Jewish culture, creativity, and community continue to flourish in Boston for decades to come.
Today’s Board carries that torch with clarity, conviction, and bold vision. Their leadership is guiding The Vilna through a transformative moment by strengthening our foundation, expanding our reach, and preparing this historic space for its next era of impact. Because of their stewardship, The Vilna is not only enduring; it is stronger than ever, poised to serve as an even more dynamic hub of Jewish culture and community for generations to come.
The past gave us roots.
The present calls us to leadership.
The future is ours to build, together.