Conservative
MCM — MIT Conservative Minyan is an active community of students who practice Conservative Judaism. Our primary role in MIT Hillel is to provide communal worship (with an egalitarian 10-membered minyan) to students for whom traditional liturgy and egalitarian setting is most consistent with their religious practice. By no means do our members come only from Conservative backgrounds; students involved in MCM represent a diverse spectrum of beliefs and levels of observance. We seek to serve the entire MIT Jewish community as a source of Jewish identity and as a forum for open discussion.
Services
We hold Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv services every Friday night at 6:30pm (early fall and late spring, mostly following daylight savings) or 6:00pm (winter) in W11. On Shabbat mornings, some members of the MIT Conservative Minyan walk either to the Tremont Street Shul, a local Cambridge synagogue, or to the Harvard Student Conservative Minyan, located at Harvard Hillel. We also sponsor full Conservative High Holy Day Services.
If you wish to lead services or give a d'var Torah (lit. Words of Torah, i.e., a short Torah lesson), contact one of our student coordinators at mcm-admin@mit.edu.
Learning
The MIT Conservative Minyan believes that everyone has the capability of leading services. Towards that end, if you'd like to learn how to lead Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Maariv, and other prayers, please contact the gabbaim.
Leadership
MCM is led by a committee of student gabbai'im who meet several times a semester to organize social events, educational events, and services for chagim (festivals) and High Holy Days. The gabbai'im also lead services (although all attendees are welcome to lead any part of any service) and make community-relevant announcements. To connect with one of the gabbai’im, email mcm-admin@mit.edu.
History
The MIT Conservative Minyan was founded during the summer of 1994 (originally called the Egalitarian Chavurah), using a siddur of their own creation for Friday night services.
Email mcm-admin@mit.edu to sign up for weekly email announcements regarding service times, free meals, and other events.