It’s not often that we answer the phone at the Vilna Shul and hear, “I’m a TV location scout; can we film at your site?”
But that’s exactly what happened when the team behind the CBS series “Boston Blue“ called. The majority of the series is filmed on a set in Toronto, but they needed a traditional and identifiably downtown-Boston synagogue for a scene.
A newer show at that time, “Boston Blue” hadn’t yet hit my rotation, so before responding, I watched an episode to get a sense of the show and what the scene could be. What immediately struck me was the overt, honest and new portrayal of American Jewish life that I have rarely seen on TV before. A family, of mixed race and religion, sitting down to a traditional Shabbat dinner weekly, on screen. Not a token, “I’m Black and Jewish, and I like bagels,” but scenes of a family reciting prayers and discussing real issues.
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As I watched the Vilna appear on air this week, I imagined the community who built the Vilna in 1919. I imagine that they would be as proud as I am to see its bright stained glass Jewish star continue to illuminate Jewish life in Boston, on the ground and on TV. The community that built the building escaped terrible pogroms and discrimination in their homeland of Vilna, Lithuania. Coming to Boston in the late 1800s gave them a chance for a fresh start, bringing their traditions and blending them with symbols of Boston and the American spirit of innovation. Seeing the Yiddish-English blend of letters above the Vilna’s arched doorway, reading “Vilner Congregation,” on TV is a visceral reminder of how this community persisted and innovated to maintain and share its traditions, sustain its community and make Boston part of that story.
I’m especially proud that after you see the facade of the Vilna, the scene that follows in the rabbi’s office evokes real and challenging questions of Jewish belonging. Character Sarah Silver (a police officer played by Maggie Lawson) runs into the Vilna, racing to meet her fiancé and the rabbi. The central moment of the scene is the rabbi’s apologetic explanation that, despite the fiancé considering himself Jewish, he is not recognized as Jewish under Jewish law because his mother is not Jewish, and therefore the rabbi cannot officiate their wedding. This is an important contemporary Jewish issue that I’ve only seen debated behind closed Jewish doors, and I was intrigued to see this facet of Jewish life explored in such a public way.
“Boston Blue,” and this episode, do exactly what we seek to do at the Vilna everyday: to tell Jewish stories, to make the past relevant to today and help us all understand Jewish life a bit more. I’m so proud that the Vilna could help tell this story, and that we could have a fun day of filming to understand what it takes to make 10 seconds of TV!
See the Vilna Shul on “Boston Blue” Season 2, Episode 4, streaming on CBS and Paramount+.
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