Interfaith Outreach

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization

Temple Emunah’s GBIO core team formed in the fall of 2020 to spearhead and guide Emunah’s new membership in the GBIO – Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. The GBIO is a broad-based organization that works for the public good by coalescing, training, and organizing people across religious, racial, ethnic, class, and neighborhood lines. By engaging thousands of people in identifying important problems and using proven organizing methods to engage and develop leaders, GBIO has built and demonstrated collective strength to achieve a wide variety of goals. Every congregational member of GBIO has a GBIO core team that represents the values and interests of that congregation in GBIO’s broader platform and brings the power of that congregation to fight for systemic change in solidarity with diverse GBIO members across the greater Boston area.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved in Emunah’s GBIO core team, please contact Stan Wolf or Stephen Quatrano.

GBIO Organizing and Outreach Leads to Major Housing Justice Victories

In 2022, GBIO launched its Housing Justice campaign.  Temple Emunah’s GBIO core team worked alongside 52 communities of faith in the Boston area and across the state to fulfill a basic tenet, grounded in our faiths and sacred texts: Everyone deserves safe and affordable housing. By 2024, GBIO’s Housing Justice Campaign had achieved important results toward our housing justice goals:

• Public Housing – The operating budget for state housing authorities was increased to $113 million,  a significant increase from the original proposal of $92 million!
• Affordable Homes Act (Housing Bond Bill) – The bond bill includes a $2.2 billion authorization for capital funding for the repair and improvement of public housing units. This is perhaps the largest potential investment in the health of our public housing portfolio in Massachusetts history. It gives Massachusetts the opportunity to make an enormous difference in the lives of over 70,000 of our most vulnerable residents and provides an example for the nation about the importance of safe and decent public housing.

GBIO members’ hard work — organizing, relational meetings, outreach, rallies, in-district meetings and more —  throughout the Housing Justice campaign led to these achievements. Building relationships with our elected officials and working together within Temple Emunah and with other congregations has been critical to achieving these successes.

Lexington Interfaith Garden

Since 2010, the Lexington Interfaith Garden has grown over 25,000 lbs of fresh produce for the Lexington Food Pantry. Temple Emunah is one of eleven local congregations that sends volunteers to work in the garden on a regular basis. 

Temple Emunah volunteers cover shifts on some Tuesday afternoons from April through October. No experience needed. Families are welcome. High school students may receive community service hours. 

If you would like to Join the Temple Emunah team at the Lexington Interfaith Garden, please contact Julie Greenberg.