| content | ||||||||||||||||||
| Beth Israel | |
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 542 South New Middletown Road, Media, Pennsylvania,  United States |
| Religious affiliation | Reconstructionist Judaism |
| Functional status | Active |
| Leadership | Rabbi: Linda Potemken[1] |
| Website | http://www.bethisraelmedia.org/
|
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reconstructionist synagogue located at 542 South New Middletown Road in Media, Pennsylvania.[2] 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]
Originally Orthodox and led by lay members, Beth Israel allowed mixed seating in the 1940s. In 1948 it started hiring part time rabbis from the Yeshiva University Synagogue Council, and in 1957 it hired its first full-time rabbi, a Yeshiva University graduate. In the 1960s, Jewish families became attracted to local Conservative synagogues, 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. In 1997 it moved into its current building on Middletown Road.[3]
As of 2008, the rabbi was Linda Potemken.[1]
References
External link
 |
This Pennsylvania-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 This article about a synagogue or other Jewish place of worship is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
