| Congregation Beth El | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | 8000 Main Street, Voorhees, New Jersey, United States |
| Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
| Status | Active |
| Leadership | Senior Rabbi: Aaron Krupnick Assistant Rabbi: Noah Arnow Rabbi Isaac Furman Cantor: Alisa Pomerantz-Boro |
| Website | www.bethelsnj.org |
| Architectural description | |
| Completed | 2009 |
Congregation Beth El is a Conservative synagogue located in Voorhees, New Jersey. As of 2011, the clergy includes Rabbi Aaron Krupnick, Rabbi Noah Arnow, Rabbi Isaac Furman, and Cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro.
It was founded in 1921, in Parkside, Camden, at Park Boulevard and Belleview, opposite Farnham Park.[1][2][3] It was Camden's first conservative synagogue.[3] 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.[2] Its synagogue building was demolished in 2000, and a Boys and Girls Club was built in its location.[1]
Beth El relocated in 1967 to 2901 West Chapel Avenue in suburban Cherry Hill.[1][3] William Zorach's sculpture "Memorial to 6,000,000 Jews" (1949) was located at it.[4] Beth El was the oldest conservative synagogue in Cherry Hill.[5] In 2009, Beth El sold its Chapel Avenue property to a 2500-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.[5] 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.[6]