Congregation Beth Israel (San Diego, California)

For other synagogues named "Beth Israel", see Beth Israel.
Beth Israel
Basic information
Location 9001 Towne Centre Drive,
San Diego, California,
 United States
Geographic coordinates
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Status Active
Leadership Senior Rabbi: Michael B. Berk
Assistant Rabbi: Michael Satz
Cantor: Arlene Bernstein[1]
Website www.cbisd.org

Congregation Beth Israel (Hebrew: בית ישראל‎) is a Reform synagogue located at 9001 Towne Centre Drive in San Diego, California. Formally incorporated in 1887, Beth Israel traces it roots back to 1861. It is San Diego's largest and oldest Jewish congregation.[2][3][4]

Contents

History

Jews first came to San Diego in 1850, and organized High Holiday services each year. In 1861, led by Marcus Schiller, the organized a congregation called "Adath Yeshurun". In early 1887 they formally incorporated under the name "Beth Israel".[3]

Beth Israel's first building still stands in Heritage Park, which is adjacent to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. The wooden building was erected in 1889 at Second Avenue and Beech Street, in the wake of a boom in economic activity and population that resulted from the November 1885 completion of the California Southern Railroad connecting San Diego to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in Barstow, California. One of the oldest synagogue buildings in the American West,[5] it was used by the Congregation until 1926, when the Congregation moved to its second, larger building at Third and Laurel.[3] At the time the congregation numbered around 60 families.[3]

The Third and Laurel site occupied a full city block, and included a number of structures. In addition to the synagogue building, there was an adjacent social hall, a school building, and number of small apartments. When the congregation moved in early 2001, it retained the school and social hall.[3]

Beth Israel purchased a 3 acres (1.2 ha) lot in University City in 1993. Construction on new facilities there began in January 2000 and were dedicated in October 2001. The site comprises five buildings totaling more than 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2).[3]

Current status

Beth Israel has a membership comprising almost 3,800 individuals in nearly 1,260 households, making it San Diego's largest and oldest Jewish congregation.[2] As of 2010, the Senior Rabbi was Michael B. Berk, the Assistant Rabbi was Michael Satz, and the Cantor was Arlene Bernstein (who was recently ordained as a Rabbi as well).[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Rabbis and Cantors, Synagogue website, About CBI. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  2. ^ a b About CBI introduction, Synagogue website, About CBI. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f History of CBI, Synagogue website, About CBI. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  4. ^ Eroles, Maricarmen. "San Diego's Oldest Jewish Temple Will Get Face Lift", Los Angeles Times, July 16, 1989, p. Metro 1.
  5. ^ Schwartz, Henry. "Temple Beth Israel", The Journal of San Diego History, Fall 1981, Volume 27, Number 4.

External links

Official web-site for Heritage Park, which includes a photo and information for Temple Beth Israel (1889)