Alan Teperow, a well-known and honored leader of the Massachusetts Jewish community, will share his artistic vision with his exhibit, “Painting a New Chapter,” at the Gorse Mill Studios in Needham. He will exhibit 40 of his paintings, acrylic on stretched canvas, from March 2-29. A reception, at which Teperow will talk about his work, will be held on Sunday, March 5, from 4-6 p.m. (artist talk at 5 p.m.). “My art,” said Teperow, “reflects the ways I enjoy retirement while contributing to my community.” Hours for the exhibit are Monday from noon to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Looking back on his distinguished career, Teperow, who grew up in Randolph, recalled moving to Atlanta after graduating from the Hornstein Program in Jewish Professional Leadership at Brandeis University to become the program director of the Ahavath Achim Synagogue. He worked with youth and families there from 1976-1982 and moved back to Boston to become executive director of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts (SCM) in 1982. He headed the SCM for 33 years and the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis for 13 years.

Teperow commented that while his Jewish sensibilities are not always consciously evident in his artwork, in his paintings evoking the suffering in Ukraine, they definitely are. “My Judaism spoke through my art, evoking a yearning for the Jewish ideals of seeking peace and freedom.” The categories in which he defines his work include landscapes, seascapes, abstract, pointillism (the practice of applying small dots of color so that from a distance they blend visually) and religious themes.

In addition to his painting, Teperow has stayed active in the Jewish community, working part-time at Temple Aliyah in Needham as well as running LimmudBoston, an annual festival of Jewish learning and culture. A man of many talents, he sings for Koleinu, Boston’s Jewish Community Chorus, and has served as Zamir Chorale board chair and coordinator of alumni relations. Teperow has also helped establish a nonprofit to keep the annual Connie Spear Birnbaum Memorial Lecture and the Zachor Choral Ensemble active. As an active member of Temple Emanuel of Newton, he has helped with the integration of a Syrian refugee family in the Boston area, helped run a yoga minyan and served on the music committee. Teperow also founded AMEN (Alter-cocker Men’s Executive Network) for Jewish agency executive retirees in the community.

Teperow also recalled a number of projects he helped to develop at the Synagogue Council for the Jewish community: the Project Ezra Christmas Day volunteer program; Shabbat Shalom Boston and High Holiday services for young adults at area synagogues; as well as helping to preserve the Vilna Shul in Boston. In addition, he organized Unity Missions to New York City and to Israel, as well as Shabbat retreats with local rabbis serving as scholars-in-residence. In its early years, he helped create and run Family Table, whose goal is to end hunger in Greater Boston; he offered Synagogue Council space and support for Mayyim Hayyim; and sponsored a panel of the first-ever ordained female rabbis of the four major denominational groups. He was also involved in establishing the Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts in the mid 1980s. Teperow’s next endeavor will be to serve as a volunteer teacher’s aide at the preschool at Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston.

Looking back on his childhood and teen years, when he was involved with Temple Beth Am in Randolph, USY and Camp Ramah, Teperow said, “My commitment to Conservative Judaism is a direct result of myriad positive and life-affirming experiences in Conservative congregations. And, especially, to being active in USY.”

Teperow is also the author of “One Community, Many Branches: An Historical Overview of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts.” At the SCM’s closing gala in 2015, he recalled, “I was humbled and honored to have been feted by over 400 members of the Boston Jewish community and beyond.”

Teperow credits his wife for encouraging his passion for art. “Suzanne noticed something about me that I hadn’t considered—the possibility that I could become an artist.” She had admired Teperow’s painting of the skyline of Jerusalem, which he had placed on the wall of their sukkah in 1996. “Close to 100 paintings and seven-plus years later,” said Teperow, “I am proud and excited about my solo art exhibit at the Gorse Mill Studios in Needham.”

To RSVP for the reception on March 5, contact Alan Teperow at alanteperow@gmail.com.

This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here. MORE