Congregation Beth Israel (Media, Pennsylvania)

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reconstructionist synagogue located at 542 South New Middletown Road in Middletown Township in Delaware County, near Media, Pennsylvania, in the United States.[2]

Congregation Beth Israel
Beth Israel synagogue
Religion
AffiliationReconstructionist Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Linda Potemken[1]
StatusActive
Location
Location542 South New Middletown Road, Media, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
Congregation Beth Israel (Media, Pennsylvania) is located in Pennsylvania
Congregation Beth Israel (Media, Pennsylvania)
Location in Pennsylvania
Geographic coordinates39°53′20″N 75°24′14″W / 39.88899°N 75.403998°W / 39.88899; -75.403998
Architecture
Date established
  • 1925 (as a congregation)
  • 1935 (1st synagogue)
  • 1997 (2nd synagogue)
Website
bethisraelmedia.org

History

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Formed in 1925 and granted a charter by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1929, Beth Israel is the first Jewish congregation founded in Media, the second-oldest in Delaware County, and the oldest Reconstructionist congregation in Delaware Valley.[3]

 
Gayley Street building

In 1935 the congregation bought the old Quaker school on Gayley Street in Media.[4] Originally Orthodox and led by lay members, Beth Israel allowed mixed seating in the 1940s.[3]

The congregation started hiring part-time rabbis from the Yeshiva University Synagogue Council in 1948, and in 1957 it hired its first full-time rabbi, a Yeshiva University graduate. Jewish families became attracted to local Conservative synagogues in the 1960s, and demographic changes and a deteriorating building led to a significant membership decline, with the synagogue almost failing. In 1972, Beth Israel affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement, and by the 1980s it had hired its first full-time Reconstructionist rabbi, and had outgrown its building. It moved into its current building on Middletown Road in 1997.[3]

As of 2009, the rabbi was Linda Potemken.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Rabbi Archived 2010-04-18 at the Wayback Machine, Synagogue website. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  2. ^ "Home page". Beth Israel Synagogue, Media. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c History, Synagogue website. Archived at the Internet Archive. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  4. ^ "Providence Meeting History". Providence Friends Meeting. Providence Friends Meeting. Archived from the original on 30 May 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
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