Beth Am

Conservative synagogue in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

39°18′53″N 76°38′16″W / 39.31472°N 76.63778°W / 39.31472; -76.63778ArchitectureDate established1974 (as a congregation)Completed1922Websitebethambaltimore.org

Beth Am is a Conservative Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Reservoir Hill community of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. It is one of two non-Orthodox synagogues in Baltimore's inner city.[1] Beth Am is an urban, egalitarian congregation affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and it is known for balancing traditional prayer and learning with innovative and intellectual critique.[citation needed]

Beth Am strives to be, in Isaiah's words, “a house of prayer for all peoples”. Beth Am is known for its warmth, its open embrace of children, and its pluralism.[citation needed]

History

The building currently known as "Beth Am" was first founded as Chizuk Amuno Congregation,[2]: 181  which has since moved to a new suburban location in Pikesville, Maryland. Chizuk Amuno first occupied the building in 1922 and moved to Pikesville in 1958.[3]

Following the move of Chizuk Amuno, services continued in the building, led by Cantor Abba Weisgall. Then, in 1974, the current Beth Am congregation was founded as Dr. Louis L. Kaplan's shul.[2]: 51  Kaplan's wife Etta Jenkins suggested the name, which translates to "House of the People".

The congregation is one of the city's historic synagogues.

Leadership

Kaplan served informally as the congregation's spiritual leader until 1981, when the congregation hired its first full-time rabbi. The first rabbi was Efrem Potts, Louis L. Kaplan's son-in-law through his marriage to Deborah Kaplan Potts.[4][5]

The congregation had no full-time rabbi in the years 2000–2002, when they were served part-time by Rabbi Sheila Russian, who in 1979 had become the first female rabbi in Baltimore.[6]

The current[when?] rabbi is Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg, who joined the congregation in 2010. The Rabbi Emeritus is Jon Konheim,[7] who has been with the congregation since 2002.

See also

  • flagMaryland portal
  • Judaism portal

References

  1. ^ Weiss, Anthony (February 13, 2008). "The Shul that Stayed in Baltimore". The Forward. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Sandler, Gilbert (2000). Jewish Baltimore: A Family Album. JHU Press. ISBN 0801864275.
  3. ^ Olitzky, Kerry M. (1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 161–162. ISBN 0313288569.
  4. ^ "Forty years later, an urban synagogue celebrates its birth". The Baltimore Sun. December 16, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Beth Am's Gem: Efrem Potts". The Baltimore Jewish Times. November 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "File unreadable" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "Conservative Judaism Thrives in Baltimore, but Troubled Nationwide". The Baltimore Jewish Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 26, 2009.

External links

  • Official website
  • v
  • t
  • e
  Synagogues in the United States  
By state
Alabama
  • Beth-El (Anniston)
  • Knesseth Israel (Birmingham)
  • Beth-El (Birmingham)
  • Emanu-El (Birmingham)
  • B'nai Sholom (Huntsville)
  • Sha’arai Shomayim (Mobile)
  • Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem (Montgomery)
  • Beth Or (Montgomery)
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Los Angeles
San Francisco
and Bay Area
  • Beth Israel (Fresno)
  • Chabad (Poway)
  • B'nai Israel (Sacramento)
  • Beth Israel (San Diego)
  • Temple Israel (Stockton)
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
  • Ahavath Beth Israel (Boise)
Illinois
Chicago
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
  • Adath Israel (Cleveland)
  • Beth Israel (Jackson)
  • Beth Israel (Meridian)
  • B'nai Israel (Tupelo)
Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
The Bronx
Brooklyn
Long Island
Manhattan
Queens
North Carolina
  • Beth Israel (Asheville)
  • Temple Israel (Charlotte)
  • Temple Israel (Kinston)
  • Emanuel (Statesville)
  • Temple of Israel (Wilmington)
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
  • B'nai Israel (Oklahoma City)
  • Temple Israel (Tulsa)
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
  • Agudas Achim (Austin)
  • Beth Israel (Austin)
  • Emanuel (Beaumont)
  • B'nai Abraham (Brenham)
  • Emanu-El (Dallas)
  • Beth Jacob (Galveston)
  • B'nai Israel (Galveston)
  • Beth Israel (Houston)
  • Beth Yeshurun (Houston)
  • Sinai (Houston)
  • Beth-El (San Antonio)
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Territories
  • Oldest U.S. synagogues
  • History
  • Category
  • People
  • US places of worship
United States Stub icon

This article about a synagogue or other Jewish place of worship in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e