What Congregation Dorshei Tzedek does

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek (CDT) is a Reconstructionist synagogue located at 60 Highland Street in West Newton, Massachusetts, serving Jewish individuals, families, and interfaith households in Greater Boston. Founded in 1991 and affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism — one of approximately 100 Reconstructionist congregations in the U.S. and Canada — CDT operates as a private nonprofit religious organization with an explicit commitment to full inclusion of LGBTQ+, trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming members. Governance is by an elected member Board of Directors, and the congregation does not own real estate, instead sharing facilities with Second Church of Newton (sanctuary, offices, weekday religious school), Cabot Elementary School (Sunday school and adult education), and FUUSN (Chanukah and miscellaneous programs).

CDT's core offerings include weekly Shabbat and holiday services delivered in-person and via Zoom livestream, a children's religious school, adult education, lifecycle event officiation (bnei mitzvah, weddings, funerals), pastoral care, community programming (mindfulness meditation, men's group, movie club), and Tikkun Olam (social justice) initiatives including the Highland Visibility Brigade. Operational technology is built on ShulCloud, a third-party synagogue management platform that handles the website, member records, online giving, calendars, and event registration. The professional staff is led by Senior Rabbi Toba Spitzer (ordained 1997, nationally recognized in Newsweek Top 50 Rabbis 2008, Forward 50 2008/2010) and Director of Congregational Learning Rabbi B. Epstein (ordained May 2025), supported by an Operations Manager, Program and Communications Associate, and Inclusion Director.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid membership-and-donation model. Membership dues follow a values-based sliding scale: a $125 per-adult "half-shekel" minimum plus 1–1.6% of household income with a cap, with new members paying 50% in their first year. This is supplemented by the Nediv Lev annual voluntary giving campaign ("Giving From The Heart"), targeted designated funds (General, Religious School, Camp Havaya, Jill Volk Teacher Development, Torah, Rabbi's Discretionary), kiddush sponsorships, securities donations, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions up to $100,000, and religious school tuition. The fiscal year runs August 1 to July 31, and credit card payments incur a 3% processing fee while echeck payments incur 0.8%.

Name

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek

Legal name

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek

Website

https://dorsheitzedek.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek is a Reconstructionist synagogue in West Newton, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston Jewish individuals, families, and interfaith households through Shabbat services, religious school, lifecycle events, and social justice programming, funded by sliding-scale dues and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Congregation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Jewish congregation services
• Religious school education
• Reconstructionist synagogue
• Community programming
• Social justice activism

Headquarters

HQ city

West Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Sliding scale dues system based on household income with a half-shekel minimum portion of $125 per adult member plus progressive income-based assessment of 1%–1.6% of household income with a cap. New members pay 50% of indicated scale level for first year.
2. Nediv Lev Campaign: Annual voluntary donation campaign ('Giving From The Heart') where members contribute beyond dues. Optional but essential to congregation's financial health.
3. Targeted Giving Funds: Designated donations to specific funds including General Fund, Religious School Fund, Camp Havaya Fund, Jill Volk Teacher Development Fund, Torah Fund, and Rabbi's Discretionary Fund.
4. Kiddush Sponsorship: Members and community can sponsor kiddush celebrations to honor individuals or events.
5. IRA Charitable Rollovers: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs for donors 70½ and older, up to $100,000 per year.
6. Religious School Tuition: Tuition fees for religious school programs (5786 and 5787 school years referenced).
7. Securities Donations: Appreciated securities donations offering tax advantages while supporting the congregation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek is a Reconstructionist synagogue providing weekly Shabbat and holiday worship services (with Zoom livestreaming), a religious school for children, lifecycle event officiation (bnei mitzvah, weddings, funerals), adult education programs, and community/social justice programming. Membership is the core commercial relationship, supported by sliding-scale membership dues, tuition, and donations.

Product overview

Congregation Dorshei Tzedek is a Reconstructionist synagogue that offers a suite of religious, educational, and community services. The core offerings include weekly Shabbat and holiday worship services (with Zoom livestreaming), a religious school for children, community programming (meditation groups, men's group, movie club), and Tikkun Olam/social justice initiatives. Supporting services include online newsletter publications, Jewish prayer time calculations, rabbinic pastoral services, and an online payment/giving system. The congregation is affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism and is located in West Newton, MA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Religious Services Weekly Shabbat and holiday worship services (livestreamed via Zoom), High Holy Days services, and officiation of lifecycle events such as bnei mitzvah, weddings, and funerals, offered to congregation members and the broader community.
• CDT Religious School Formal Jewish education for children, including Hebrew, Jewish learning, and bar/bat mitzvah preparation, delivered at Cabot Elementary School (Sundays) and Second Church of Newton (weekdays). Tuition is charged per school year.
• Community Programs Recurring community-building programs including Mindful Mornings meditation (twice weekly), CDT Men's Group (monthly), and CDT Movie Club, offered to members.
• Tikkun Olam / Social Justice Initiatives Social justice and repair-the-world programming such as the Highland Visibility Brigade (weekly public activism), advocacy campaigns, and congregational community action, organized by the VP of Tikkun Olam.
• Rabbinic Services Pastoral care, lifecycle event officiation, counseling, and educational leadership delivered by the Senior Rabbi and Director of Congregational Learning to members and their families.
• Online Giving and Payment System Online payment and donation processing service enabling members to pay dues, make donations (Nediv Lev, targeted funds, IRA QCDs, securities), and pay religious school tuition via e-check or credit card through the ShulCloud platform.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reconstructing JudaismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral organization of the Reconstructionist movement. Dorshei Tzedek is an affiliate congregation. The movement was founded by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and formally launched in 1968 with the opening of Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Reconstructionism is the fourth American Jewish denomination alongside Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform.
• Second Church of NewtoncoreOthersHost venue for Shabbat and holiday services, meetings, main offices, and weekday Religious School. Located at 60 Highland Street, West Newton, MA 02465.
• FUUSN (First Unitarian Universalist Society of Newton)minorOthersHost venue for Chanukah celebration and miscellaneous programs at 1326 Washington St, Newton, MA.
• Cabot Elementary SchoolcoreOthersHost venue for Sunday Religious School, Sunday morning adult education, and Purim celebrations at 229 Cabot St, Newton, MA.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Temple Israel of Boston: A large, established Reform congregation in Greater Boston with extensive programming and a long-standing reputation. It is comparable as a competing progressive Jewish institution competing for the same member households, though at substantially greater scale.
• Temple Isaiah: A larger, established Reform Jewish congregation in the Boston suburbs with a religious school, lifecycle services, and broader program portfolio. It is comparable as a competing progressive congregation competing for the same pool of member households in the same region.
• Beth El Temple Center: A well-established Jewish congregation in the Boston suburbs offering religious services, education, and community programming. It competes with CDT for engaged Jewish families in Greater Boston with a more traditional, larger-scale delivery model.

Others

• ShulCloud: The synagogue-operations platform powering CDT's website, member management, donations, calendar, and event tools. It is comparable as the underlying technology ecosystem that enables CDT's member engagement and online giving flows.
• Reconstructing Judaism: The central denominational organization of the Reconstructionist movement and CDT's key institutional affiliate. It is comparable because it provides the movement infrastructure, rabbinical training, and shared identity that define CDT's service model.

Direct peers

• Congregation Nehar Shalom: A Jewish community in the Boston area that emphasizes progressive, inclusive values and operates a Family Learning Circle. It is directly comparable because it serves a similar Jewish-demographic in the same metro with a comparable progressive, membership-based service model.
• Temple Beth Shalom: A Boston-area Jewish congregation referenced in CDT's data. It is comparable as a local Jewish congregation offering religious education and inclusive programming to families in the same suburban Boston geography.
• Congregation Shir Hadash: A Reconstructionist-affiliated synagogue. Comparable because it shares the Reconstructionist movement affiliation, progressive Jewish identity, and member-driven community programming model central to CDT's value proposition.
• Congregation Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist congregation offering similar Shabbat services, religious education, and community programming. It is comparable in denomination affiliation, scale, and progressive-inclusivity orientation.
• Congregation Kol HaLev: A nearby Massachusetts-area Reconstructionist-affiliated congregation. It is the closest movement peer: similar Reconstructionist identity, comparable congregational scale, and overlapping Jewish-family member base in Greater Boston.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dorsheitzedek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/congregation-dorshei-tzedek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Congregation Dorshei Tzedek