Congregation Beth Israel (Lebanon, Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
Congregation Beth Israel is a Jewish
congregation located at 411 South Eighth Street in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
. Founded in 1907 to provide services for the High Holidays, it was then, and remains today, the only synagogue
in the Lebanon area.
The congregation's current building, designed by Percival Goodman
to mirror the barns of the surrounding Pennsylvania Dutch
community, was dedicated in 1953.
Steven M. Glazer was rabbi from 1970 to 1977, Louis Zivic from 1983 to 2004, and Jonathan Panitz in 2005. Panitz was succeeded by Paula Reimers
; , Reimers was Beth Israel's rabbi, and Judith Clark was its president.
who wanted a place to worship on the High Holidays. Services were, for a number of years, held in various homes.
In 1915, when the membership reached 25, the congregation purchased a house on the southeast corner of Cumberland and Old Cumberland Streets. Beth Israel moved to the third floor of the Samler Building at Eight and Cumberland Streets in 1918, where they remained for over a decade. At the time of the move, the "rabbi
-cantor
" was Alter B. Freedman, the synagogue had 35 member families, and its annual income was $1,500 (today $). The religious school held classes five days a week, and had 25 pupils. By 1929 membership had reached 90, and Beth Israel purchased the empty Emanuel Evangelical Church at 624 Chestnut Street.
The congregation moved to its current location, at 4111 South Eighth Street, in 1953. The building, designed by synagogue architect Percival Goodman
, was intended to mirror the surrounding community; as Lebanon was a region heavily populated by Pennsylvania Dutch
farmers, he designed the synagogue as "a barn-style white building with Hebrew lettering on the facade."
. He served until 1977, when he moved to Temple Beth-El of Birmingham, Alabama
. At the time Beth Israel had 120 member families.
Louis Zivic joined as the congregation's rabbi and principal of the religious school in 1983. Psychologist Julie Allender, his former wife (they divorced in 1998), described the constraints involved in being a rabbi's wife in a Summer 1983 article in the Women's League of Conservative Judaism's Outlook magazine, and was cited in subsequent studies of rabbi's wives by Shuly Rubin Schwartz.
Zivic was a signator of an official protest letter in 2001 to President George W. Bush
regarding Faith-Based Initiatives
. In December of that year he also argued that the annual Holiday Concert at the local Cedar Crest high school was "too Christian in emphasis"; in response, "school officials decided to no longer ask visitors to stand while the chorus sings the 'Hallelujah Chorus' from 'Handel's 'Messiah'
." While an official from the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League
agreed with Zivic, stating the concerts were "pervasively religious" and consisted "almost entirely Christmas carols, most of which were sacred in nature", the Catholic League
included the incident in its 2001 Report on Anti-Catholicism.
In 2001, Beth Israel was also the recipient of the Solomon Schechter
Gold Award for libraries.
Zivic served until 2004. He was followed as rabbi by Jonathan Panitz, who served during 2005 and 2006. Panitz had previously retired as chaplain for the National Naval Medical Center
in Bethesda, Maryland.
. Reimers had converted
from Christianity
to Conservative Judaism in 1981, became one of the Jewish Theological Seminary's earliest female graduates in 1990, and subsequently served as rabbi for 13 years at congregations in Los Angeles
, Connecticut
and Arizona
before coming to Beth Israel. In Los Angeles she was the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Burbank, California
for seven years, but in 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, she became embroiled in controversy there. She had invited several Muslim
s to join temple members in the temple's sukkah
, and in order not to offend the guests, had Israeli flags
removed from among the sukkah decorations, which in turn offended some of her congregants. Though neither she nor the synagogue's board attributed it to this incident, it, along with her "extremely dovish politics", contributed to her contract not being renewed.
While serving as rabbi of Beth Israel, Reimers also served as the Jewish chaplain at Lebanon Valley College
, and ran an interfaith dialogue
program at the synagogue. In 2007 she protested the Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
, which, in her opinion, "clearly showed state endorsement of one particular religion (Christianity) and one particular sect within that religion (evangelical Protestantism), and even one particular Christian evangelical organization, Capitol Ministries
."
Until 2008, Congregation Beth Israel was affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
; that year it chose to resign from the organization. , it was the only synagogue in the Lebanon area. The rabbi was Paula Reimers
and the president was Judith Clark.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
congregation located at 411 South Eighth Street in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,477 at the 2010 census, a 4.2% increase from the 2000 count of 24,461...
. Founded in 1907 to provide services for the High Holidays, it was then, and remains today, the only synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in the Lebanon area.
The congregation's current building, designed by Percival Goodman
Percival Goodman
Percival Goodman was an American urban theorist and architect who designed more than 50 synagogues between 1948 and 1983. He has been called the "leading theorist" of modern synagogue design, and "the most prolific architect in Jewish history."-Biography:Percival Goodman was born in New York City...
to mirror the barns of the surrounding Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
community, was dedicated in 1953.
Steven M. Glazer was rabbi from 1970 to 1977, Louis Zivic from 1983 to 2004, and Jonathan Panitz in 2005. Panitz was succeeded by Paula Reimers
Paula Reimers
Paula Reimers is an American rabbi. As of 2008 she was the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel . Reimers is one of the first women to be ordained by the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary of America....
; , Reimers was Beth Israel's rabbi, and Judith Clark was its president.
Early history
Congregation Beth Israel was formed in 1907 by Jews in Lebanon, PennsylvaniaLebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,477 at the 2010 census, a 4.2% increase from the 2000 count of 24,461...
who wanted a place to worship on the High Holidays. Services were, for a number of years, held in various homes.
In 1915, when the membership reached 25, the congregation purchased a house on the southeast corner of Cumberland and Old Cumberland Streets. Beth Israel moved to the third floor of the Samler Building at Eight and Cumberland Streets in 1918, where they remained for over a decade. At the time of the move, the "rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
-cantor
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
" was Alter B. Freedman, the synagogue had 35 member families, and its annual income was $1,500 (today $). The religious school held classes five days a week, and had 25 pupils. By 1929 membership had reached 90, and Beth Israel purchased the empty Emanuel Evangelical Church at 624 Chestnut Street.
The congregation moved to its current location, at 4111 South Eighth Street, in 1953. The building, designed by synagogue architect Percival Goodman
Percival Goodman
Percival Goodman was an American urban theorist and architect who designed more than 50 synagogues between 1948 and 1983. He has been called the "leading theorist" of modern synagogue design, and "the most prolific architect in Jewish history."-Biography:Percival Goodman was born in New York City...
, was intended to mirror the surrounding community; as Lebanon was a region heavily populated by Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
farmers, he designed the synagogue as "a barn-style white building with Hebrew lettering on the facade."
1970 to 2006
Steven M. Glazer joined the synagogue as rabbi in 1970, upon his graduation from the Jewish Theological Seminary of AmericaJewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
. He served until 1977, when he moved to Temple Beth-El of Birmingham, Alabama
Temple Beth-El (Birmingham, Alabama)
Temple Beth-El is a synagogue located in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1907, Temple Beth-El is a member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Temple Beth-El is the only Conservative-affiliated synagogue in Birmingham, and one of only four Conservative synagogues in Alabama.The current...
. At the time Beth Israel had 120 member families.
Louis Zivic joined as the congregation's rabbi and principal of the religious school in 1983. Psychologist Julie Allender, his former wife (they divorced in 1998), described the constraints involved in being a rabbi's wife in a Summer 1983 article in the Women's League of Conservative Judaism's Outlook magazine, and was cited in subsequent studies of rabbi's wives by Shuly Rubin Schwartz.
Zivic was a signator of an official protest letter in 2001 to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
regarding Faith-Based Initiatives
White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, formerly the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is an office within the White House Office that is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.-Under George W. Bush:OFBCI was...
. In December of that year he also argued that the annual Holiday Concert at the local Cedar Crest high school was "too Christian in emphasis"; in response, "school officials decided to no longer ask visitors to stand while the chorus sings the 'Hallelujah Chorus' from 'Handel's 'Messiah'
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
." While an official from the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
agreed with Zivic, stating the concerts were "pervasively religious" and consisted "almost entirely Christmas carols, most of which were sacred in nature", the Catholic League
Catholic League (U.S.)
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organization...
included the incident in its 2001 Report on Anti-Catholicism.
In 2001, Beth Israel was also the recipient of the Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter was a Moldavian-born Romanian and English rabbi, academic scholar, and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the United Synagogue of America, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and architect of the American Conservative Jewish...
Gold Award for libraries.
Zivic served until 2004. He was followed as rabbi by Jonathan Panitz, who served during 2005 and 2006. Panitz had previously retired as chaplain for the National Naval Medical Center
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
in Bethesda, Maryland.
Recent events
Panitz was succeeded by Paula ReimersPaula Reimers
Paula Reimers is an American rabbi. As of 2008 she was the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel . Reimers is one of the first women to be ordained by the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary of America....
. Reimers had converted
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
from Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to Conservative Judaism in 1981, became one of the Jewish Theological Seminary's earliest female graduates in 1990, and subsequently served as rabbi for 13 years at congregations in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
before coming to Beth Israel. In Los Angeles she was the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
for seven years, but in 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, she became embroiled in controversy there. She had invited several Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s to join temple members in the temple's sukkah
Sukkah
A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes...
, and in order not to offend the guests, had Israeli flags
Flag of Israel
The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment. It depicts a blue Star of David on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes...
removed from among the sukkah decorations, which in turn offended some of her congregants. Though neither she nor the synagogue's board attributed it to this incident, it, along with her "extremely dovish politics", contributed to her contract not being renewed.
While serving as rabbi of Beth Israel, Reimers also served as the Jewish chaplain at Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College is a small, liberal arts higher education institution situated in the heart of Annville in Lebanon County, east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
, and ran an interfaith dialogue
Jewish views of religious pluralism
Religious pluralism is a set of religious world views that hold that one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus recognizes that some level of truth and value exists in other religions...
program at the synagogue. In 2007 she protested the Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, which, in her opinion, "clearly showed state endorsement of one particular religion (Christianity) and one particular sect within that religion (evangelical Protestantism), and even one particular Christian evangelical organization, Capitol Ministries
Ralph Drollinger
Ralph Kim Drollinger is an American clergyman and retired professional basketball player. He was a 7'2" and 250 lb center and played collegiately at the University of California, Los Angeles...
."
Until 2008, Congregation Beth Israel was affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is the primary organization of synagogues practicing Conservative Judaism in North America...
; that year it chose to resign from the organization. , it was the only synagogue in the Lebanon area. The rabbi was Paula Reimers
Paula Reimers
Paula Reimers is an American rabbi. As of 2008 she was the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel . Reimers is one of the first women to be ordained by the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary of America....
and the president was Judith Clark.
External links
- Synagogue website
- Rabbis: Readers Letters, September 1985 letter to the editor of Commentary (magazine)Commentary (magazine)Commentary is a monthly American magazine on politics, Judaism, social and cultural issues. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee in 1945. By 1960 its editor was Norman Podhoretz, a liberal at the time who moved sharply to the right in the 1970s and 1980s becoming a strong voice for the...
by Louis Zivic (then-rabbi of Beth Israel), regarding the role of a rabbi.