Congregation Beth El | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
Leadership |
|
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | 8000 Main Street, Voorhees, Camden County, New Jersey |
Country | United States |
Location in
Camden County,
New Jersey | |
Geographic coordinates | 39°52′03″N 74°56′44″W / 39.867637°N 74.945447°W |
Architecture | |
Date established | 1921 (as a congregation) |
Completed |
|
Capacity | 1,200 worshippers |
Website | |
bethelsnj |
Congregation Beth El is a Conservative synagogue located in Voorhees, Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States.
As of 2023 [update], the clergy include Senior Rabbi David Englander, Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro, and Rabbi Emeritus Aaron Krupnick. [1]
The mission statement of the congregation is: [2]
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]