, image = , image_upright = 1.4 , caption = , map_type = Pennsylvania , map_size = 250 , map_relief = 1 , map_caption = Location in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, location = 411 South Eighth Street,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, country = United States , geo = , religious_affiliation =

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

, rite = Unaffiliated , region = , province = , territory = , prefecture = , sector = , district = , cercle = , municipality = , consecration_year = , status = Synagogue , functional_status = Active , heritage_designation = , leadership = Rabbi Samuel W. Yolen , website = , architect =

Percival Goodman Percival Goodman (January 13, 1904 – October 11, 1989) 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, Philip N ...

, architecture_type = Synagogue architecture , architecture_style = , general_contractor = , facade_direction = , established = 1907 , groundbreaking = , year_completed = 1953 , construction_cost = , capacity = 200 worshipers , length = , width = , width_nave = , height_max = , dome_quantity = , dome_height_outer = , dome_height_inner = , dome_dia_outer = , dome_dia_inner = , minaret_quantity = , minaret_height = , spire_quantity = , spire_height = , materials = , nrhp = , added = , refnum = , designated = , footnotes = Congregation Beth Israel ( he, בית ישראל) is a Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 411 South Eighth Street, in

, in the United States. 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

to mirror the barns of the surrounding Pennsylvania Dutch community, was dedicated in 1953. Rabbi Samuel W. Yolen, a graduate of The Academy of Jewish Religion in New York, is the current spiritual leader.

Early history

Beth Israel was formed in 1907 as a Conservative Judaism, Conservative congregation by Jews in Lebanon, Pennsylvania who wanted a place to worship on the High Holidays.About Us
, Synagogue website.#refBrener1979, Brener (1979), p. 156. 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.#refShenk1930, Shenk (1930), p. 161. At the time of the move, the "rabbi-hazzan, cantor" was Alter B. Freedman, the synagogue had 35 member families, and its annual income was $1,500 (today $).#refAJYearBookV21, ''American Jewish Year Book'', Vol. 21, p. 544. 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.A Bit of History
, Synagogue website. The building, designed by synagogue architect

, 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."#refGoodman2001, Goodman ''et al.'' (2001), p. 175.

1970 to 2006

Steven M. Glazer joined the synagogue as rabbi in 1970, upon his graduation from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He served until 1977, when he moved to Temple Beth-El (Birmingham, Alabama), Temple Beth-El of Birmingham, Alabama. At the time Beth Israel had 120 member families.Rabbi Steve's Corner: Bio
, About Us, Beth Emeth of Herndon, Virginia website. Louis Zivic joined as the congregation's rabbi and principal of the religious school in 1983.#refRubinSchwartz2006, Rubin Schwartz (2006), p. 269, footnote 39. Psychologist Julie Allender, his former wife (they divorced in 1998),#refRubinSchwartz2006, Rubin Schwartz (2006), p. 270, footnote 48. 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.#refRubinSchwartz2006, Rubin Schwartz (2006), pp. 179-180.#refRubinSchwartz2001, Rubin Schwartz (2001), p. 261, footnote 1. Zivic was a signator of an official protest letter in 2001 to President George W. Bush regarding White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Faith-Based Initiatives. In December of that year Dr Allender 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 Messiah (Handel), 'Handel's 'Messiah'." The Catholic League (U.S.), Catholic League included the incident in its ''2001 Report on Anti-Catholicism''.Education
, ''2001 Report on Anti-Catholicism'', Catholic League (U.S.), Catholic League. In 2001, Beth Israel was also the recipient of the Solomon Schechter Gold Award for libraries.The Solomon Schechter Awards Program
, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website. Zivic served until 2004. He was followed as rabbi by Jonathan Panitz, who served during 2005#refNYT20050403, ''The New York Times'', April 3, 2005.#refRifkin2005, Rifkin (2005). and 2006.#refLVCNews20060303, Lebanon Valley College News, March 3, 2006. Panitz had previously retired as chaplain for the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Recent events

Panitz was succeeded by Paula Reimers. Reimers had Conversion to Judaism, converted from Christianity to Conservative Judaism in 1981,#refGoldsmith2001, Goldsmith (2001). 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.A Bit About Me
, From the Study of the Rabbi, Synagogue website. In Los Angeles she was the rabbi of Burbank 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 Muslims to join temple members in the temple's ''sukkah'', and in order not to offend the guests, had Flag of Israel, 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.#refGruenbaumFax2002, Gruenbaum Fax (2002). While serving as rabbi of Beth Israel, Reimers also served as the Jewish chaplain at Lebanon Valley College, and ran an Jewish views of religious pluralism, interfaith dialogue program at the synagogue.Meet the Staff
Spiritual Life, Lebanon Valley College website. 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, Ralph Drollinger, Capitol Ministries.""The 2007 Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast"
Capitol Ministries: Making disciples for Jesus Christ in state legislatures, JewsOnFirst website.#refReimers2007, Reimers (2007). Until 2008, Congregation Beth Israel was affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism;Affiliated Congregations
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website. that year it chose to resign from the organization. , p. 3. , it was the only synagogue in the Lebanon area.Beth Israel Today
, Synagogue website. The rabbi was Paula Reimers and the president was Judith Clark.Synagogue website

Notes

References

Synagogue website
Accessed February 28, 2010.

Synagogue website. Accessed February 28, 2010.

Synagogue website. Accessed February 28, 2010.

Synagogue website. Accessed February 28, 2010.

From the Study of the Rabbi, Synagogue website. February 28, 2010.

About Us, Beth Emeth of Herndon, Virginia website. Accessed February 28, 2010.

, Heska Amuna of Knoxville, Tennessee website. Accessed February 28, 2010.

Capitol Ministries: Making disciples for Jesus Christ in state legislatures, JewsOnFirst website. Archived at the Internet Archive. Accessed February 28, 2010. * , Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, House of Representatives website, May 16, 2001. Accessed October 26, 2008.
Meet the Staff
Spiritual Life, Lebanon Valley College website. Accessed August 18, 2009.
Affiliated Congregations
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website. Archived at the Internet Archive. Accessed February 28, 2010.
The Solomon Schechter Awards Program
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website. Accessed August 18, 2009. * , United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism website. Accessed February 28, 2010. * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links