Congregation Beth Elohim: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 16:56, 3 February 2008
| Congregation Beth Elohim | |
|---|---|
| File:Beth elohim sanctuary exterior.jpg Sanctuary main entrance | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Active Synagogue |
| Leadership | Rabbi Andy Bachman |
| Location | |
| Location | 274 Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City, United States |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Classical Revival |
| Completed | 1909 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1200 |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Website | |
| http://www.congregationbethelohim.org | |
Congregation Beth Elohim, also known as the Garfield Temple, is a Reform synagogue currently located at 274 Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue, in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. It is the "oldest Brooklyn congregation that continues to function under its corporate name,"[1] and its pulpit is the oldest in continuous use in any Brooklyn synagogue.[2]
Early years
The synagogue was founded on September 29, 1861 by 41 German Jews at Granada Hall on Myrtle Avenue, members of Baith Israel Synagogue who had become disaffected after they attempted and failed to reform practice there.[3] While searching for a permanent location, the congregation continued to meet and hold services at Granada Hall. Men and women sat together, and services were conducted in German and Hebrew. Within a few months, a church on Pearl Street, between Nasau and Concord, was purchased for $5,100 and renovated. The new building was dedicated on March 30, 1862.
By 1882 the congregation had grown to over 80 members, and new accommodations were sought. A church on State Street, near Hoyt, was eventually purchased, and the building dedicated in 1885. In the new location a number of changes were gradually made to the services; English slowly replaced German in the services, an organ and choir were added, and the second days of holidays were eliminated.[4]
Twentieth century
In 1909 the congregation moved to its current location at Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue. The building, built in the Classical Revival style, had five sides, representing the 5 books of Moses.[2]
Negotiations to merge with Union Temple were started in 1925. A vote confirming the merger eventually passed, and the impending merger was announced in the Brooklyn Eagle. However, younger congregants feared a loss of identity, and forced a withdrawal from the merger.[5] Instead, the congregation raised funds for a second building,[5] and in 1929 built the six-story Temple House (used for all congregational activities) on the corner opposite the main sanctuary.[4]
During the Great Depression the synagogue experienced financial difficulties, and its membership decreased significantly.[4]
The synagogue's fortunes improved in the 1940s, but in 1946 the synagogue's bank threatened to foreclose on its buildings, in anticipation of their sale to the local Catholic diocese. The congregation succeeded in re-negotiating its mortgage, and by 1953 had grown to over 700 families. In 1990 the congregation restored and renovated its buildings.[4]
Recent events
Congregation Beth Elohim is currently the largest Reform synagogue in Brooklyn, with over 1000 members.[6] In 2007 it was a winner of the Union for Reform Judaism's Congregation of Learners award for medium size synagogues, for "those synagogues that provide an exceptional environment of varied and comprehensive learning opportunities and have imbued their synagogue communities with a culture of learning".[7]
As of 2008, the rabbis are Andy Bachman and Shira Koch Epstein, the congregational scholar is Rabbi Daniel Bronstein, and the Rabbi emeritus is Gerald Weider. Bachman became the first new senior rabbi of the congregation in 25 years on October 25, 2006.[6] Before becoming senior rabbi of the congregation, Bachman had previously been an educator there from 1993 to 1998,[6] and in 2002 started a small more traditional Hebrew-focused spinoff minyan at Beth Elohim.[8] In December 2007 Bachman was named one of The Forward's "Forward 50".[9]
Notes
- ^ Origins, Synagogue website. URL accessed May 25, 2006.
- ^ a b Bergman (2001), p. 314.
- ^ Olitzky & Raphael (1996), p. 226.
- ^ a b c d Olitzky & Raphael (1996), p. 228.
- ^ a b Abramovitch, Ilan and Galvin, Seán. Jews of Brooklyn, University Press of New England, Nov 1, 2001, p. 33.
- ^ a b c Norsen, Francesca. "Congregation Beth Elohim Set to Install New Rabbi", Brooklyn Eagle, October 20, 2006.
- ^ Union for Reform Judaism, Template:PDFlink, 2007, p. 7. URL accessed December 13, 2007.
- ^ Nussbaum Cohen, Debra. "The New Gen-X Judaism", The Jewish Week, August 2, 2002.
- ^ "Forward 50", The Forward, December 12, 2007.
References
- "Forward 50", The Forward, December 12, 2007.
- Origins, Synagogue website.
- Abramovitch, Ilan and Galvin, Seán. Jews of Brooklyn, University Press of New England, Nov 1, 2001, ISBN 1-58465-003-6
- Bergman, Edward F. The Spiritual Traveler, Hidden Spring, 2001. ISBN 1-58768-003-3
- Norsen, Francesca. "Congregation Beth Elohim Set to Install New Rabbi", Brooklyn Eagle, October 20, 2006.
- Nussbaum Cohen, Debra. "The New Gen-X Judaism", The Jewish Week, August 2, 2002.
- Olitzky, Kerry M. & Raphael, Marc Lee. The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook, Greenwood Press, June 30, 1996. ISBN 0-313-28856-9
- Union for Reform Judaism, Template:PDFlink, 2007