Membership

Becoming a member of the Tremont Street Shul brings the opportunity to join a Jewish community that is committed to meaningful worship, learning, belonging, growth, and mutual support. Whether you are new to Cambridge, here for just a few years, or raising a family here, we want you to feel welcome! Other than the High Holidays, services are free and open to all, and you always have an open invitation to join us for our kiddush lunch following Shabbat morning services. We are particularly proud to be a congregation comprising deeply engaged young adults, couples, individuals, and families with children of all ages.

MEMBERSHIP AT TBS

As you think about ways you do and will continue to participate in this community, we hope you’ll consider our new membership goal: to sustain the shul through increased membership participation. We have replaced structured membership dues with the option to sustain our community with an amount that is right for you. We hope this will encourage full membership for everyone who is engaged in our shul, regardless of income or life stage, to help our shul thrive in a way that is sustainable for you as individuals and our whole community.

For more specific information about these changes and the shul’s finances (budget and expenses) please see https://www.tremontstreetshul.org/strategic-plan-finances--membership-2023.html.

Contributing through the sustaining model allows all to participate no matter their means. Here are some suggestions for considering what amount might be right for you:

• What feels feasible and reasonable? Given what else in your life you need or choose to spend on, think about how much you pay monthly or annually for other practical and meaningful services in your life like your gym, your personal travel, maybe even childcare or rent. 
   
• What place and value does Tremont Street Shul have in your life? This may be difficult to quantify, but consider the place the shul holds for you and others within this community. 
   
• Consider contributing 1-2% of your annual household income. For an individual or family making $40k, this would be $400. Similarly, if you make $200k, consider contributing at least $2,000. On a monthly basis, these amounts would be $33 or $167, respectively.


• Consider the levels in the previous shul dues model. Under our previous model, the base adult contribution would have been $900 per individual this year (with multiple tiers above and below). Consider what you might have given in the past to this or other shul communities.  This might be a totally prohibitive number for you; it might be just within reach; or, you might be able to stretch further to help supplement the participation of others.

In order to meet our needs in the coming year, our budgeted income from the community membership contributions is $180,000. This level of membership contributions recognizes and plans that community members will continue to contribute to the shul in other ways during the year including through fundraisers, kiddush etc.  We are piloting this new membership model this year.  Please give generously as you are able so that we can continue to foster this form of relationship as a community.

Your continued support as a member is welcomed and appreciated at any level. We do expect a minimum of $10/month ($120/year). As always high holiday tickets are part of being a member. Membership contributions can be made on a one time basis or you can opt to spread your contribution over the year in a way that makes the most sense for you.