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Congregation Beth El (Voorhees, New Jersey)

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Coordinates: 39°52′03″N 74°56′44″W / 39.867637°N 74.945447°W / 39.867637; -74.945447
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For similarly named synagogues, see Beth-El.
Congregation Beth El
Religion
AffiliationConservative Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
Leadership
  • Rabbi David Englander
  • Rabbi Aaron Krupnick (Emeritus)
StatusActive
Location
Location8000 Main Street, Voorhees, Camden County, New Jersey
CountryUnited States
Geographic coordinates39°52′03″N 74°56′44″W / 39.867637°N 74.945447°W / 39.867637; -74.945447
Architecture
Date established1921 (as a congregation)
Completed
Capacity1,200 worshippers
Website
bethelsnj.org

Congregation Beth El is a Conservative synagogue located in Voorhees, Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States.

As of 2023, the clergy include Senior Rabbi David Englander, Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro, and Rabbi Emeritus Aaron Krupnick.[1]

Overview

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The mission statement of the congregation is:[2]

“Beth El is our spiritual home. We create a warm and welcoming community where people of all generations are enriched by learning and inspired to discover their personal experience of Jewish life.”

History

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Congregation Beth El was founded in 1921, in Parkside, Camden, at Park Boulevard and Belleview, opposite Farnham Park.[3][4][5] It was Camden's first conservative synagogue.[5] The congregation had an annual Chanukah Ball beginning in 1922, a religious school beginning two years later, a Hebrew Free Loan Society, a Hebrew ladies charity society, and in the 1930s hosted sorority and fraternity meetings on Tuesday nights.[4] Its synagogue building was demolished in 2000, and a Boys and Girls Club was built in its location.[3]

Beth El relocated in 1967 to 2901 West Chapel Avenue in suburban Cherry Hill.[3][5] William Zorach's sculpture "Memorial to 6,000,000 Jews" (1949) was located at it.[6] Beth El was the oldest conservative synagogue in Cherry Hill.[7] In 2009, Beth El sold its Chapel Avenue property to a 2,500-member Christian congregation based in Philadelphia.

On April 5, 2009, members of Beth El walked 6½ miles transporting 10 Torahs to the new synagogue in neighboring Voorhees, within the Main Street Complex.[7] With the sale of the Chapel Avenue property, assessed at $9.9 million, the Voorhees campus consists of a 1,200-seat sanctuary, 500-person social hall, coffee bar and administrative offices. The remainder was raised through congregant donations.[8]

The Beth El community hosts several groups, including Sisterhood, Men's Club, Young Families, Habonim (Empty Nesters), Youth Department (Youth groups), Kavod (LGBTQ Adults and Allies), Achim Sheli: My Brothers and Sisters (celebrating ethnic and cultural diversity), and Chevra: Creating Connections for Adults.[2] The synagogue provides religious education for youth and adults.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Clergy - Welcome to Congregation Beth El". 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  2. ^ a b "Welcome Message - Welcome to Congregation Beth El". 2017-08-21. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  3. ^ a b c Preisler, Julian H. (2009). Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley. ISBN 9781596295728. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Gillette, Howard Jr. (9 August 2006). Camden After the Fall: Decline and Renewal in a Post-Industrial City. ISBN 0812219686. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Vernon, Leonard F.; Meyers, Allen (2007). Jewish South Jersey. ISBN 9780738550022. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  6. ^ Arms Bzdak, Meredith; Petersen, Douglas (1999). Public sculpture in New Jersey: monuments to collective identity. ISBN 9780813527000. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Henry, Cynthia (April 6, 2009). "A moving day For synagogue, a new home". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  8. ^ Henry, Cynthia (January 24, 2009). "Church to buy Beth El property The synagogue will leave Chapel Avenue. It will sell the site to a charismatic Christian congregation". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  9. ^ "Religious School Welcome - Welcome to Congregation Beth El". 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
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