Our Story

Our roots go back to 1970, when a group of faculty and graduate students formed a cooperative Hebrew School for their children at Harvard Hillel. With the arrival of a creative educational director, Cherie Koller-Fox, an early leader in family education, the Harvard Hillel Children’s School grew and offered family celebrations of Jewish holidays, B'nei Mitzvah services and adult education.

The school soon became independent, offered more services, opened membership to non-Harvard families and moved to another part of the Harvard campus. By 1992, the school had evolved into Congregation Eitz Chayim, the educational director had become an ordained rabbi, and we purchased our present building on Magazine Street.

When our founding rabbi left in 2001, Eitz Chayim was fortunate to engage another dynamic rabbi, Rabbi Liza Stern, who served until 2025. We are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Chloe Zelkha to lead Eitz Chayim into its next chapter.