 |
|
|
|
|
HISTORY
OF THE CONGREGATION
Quick
Links:
History Exhibit
Read the History of CBI
History of Congregation Beth Israel Exhibit
 |
|
| Moving the first CBI synagogue building from Beech Street to its final home in Heritage Park in Old Town. |
"Beth Israel In Three Centuries" is an exhibition that has been prepared under
the auspices of the San Diego Jewish Historical Society. It is the story of the
Congregation as viewed through our three "homes" spanning three centuries.
It is believed that Congregation Beth Israel is unique in the western United States as the only known synagogue that has occupied three separate buildings that are all still standing and continue to be in use today.
This exhibition is installed in display cases
in the Glickman-Galinson Sanctuary entry lobby. Each display case contains historic
photographs, documents and valuable papers related to each of our Congregation's
facilities: Second & Beech, built in the 1800s, Third & Laurel, built in the
1900s and Towne Centre & Golden Haven, built in 2000.
| |
 |
| The Third & Laurel Sanctuary showing use of the choir loft. |
This exhibition was curated by CBI historian Stan Schwartz, Jewish Historical Society of San Diego Archives Curator Laurel Schwartz, Archivist Bonnie Harris, History Planner Linda Canada and professional exhibit installer Karie Dzenkowski-Castillo, with assistance from CBI Executive Director Stuart Simmons, Debbie Simmons and other volunteers.
The exhibition will remain up indefinitely and interested individuals or groups
are invited to view the cases during regular hours of operation.
For further information on the history of the congregation, please
contact Stanley Schwartz, curator for the exhibition.
go to top
The History of Congregation
Beth Israel:
Frontier Years
Congregation Beth Israel is San Diego's oldest and largest Jewish congregation with roots dating to 1861 when San Diego was a frontier settlement.
Jewish pioneers first came to San Diego in 1850 and, although very few in numbers, gathered each year to observe the High Holy Days. According to the late historian Henry Schwartz, San Diego Jewry, led by Old Town merchant Marcus Schiller, first met in 1861 to form the congregation they called Adath Yeshurun (Assembly of Israel). Congregation Beth Israel traces its origins back to the formation of Adath Yeshurun in 1861.
 |
|
| Beth Israel's first synagogue is now located in Heritage Park in Old Town and is a historical landmark. |
During the boom and bust economy of San Diego between the 1850s and 1886, Schiller worked to keep the Jewish community together. In 1871 he and others formed the first Hebrew Benevolent Society to assist the needy, attend to the sick and bury the dead.
Schiller's big opportunity came in 1886. Secure that enough Jews were in San Diego following the completion of a railroad line to the east, Schiller and others formally organized as Beth Israel (House of Israel) in January 1887. The group incorporated under the name Congregation Beth Israel in February 1887 for purposes of buying land to build a synagogue.
go to top
The First Synagogue
In 1889, the first Temple Beth Israel was erected at Second Avenue and Beech Street. It was used by the Congregation until 1926, when the Congregation moved to its second, larger building at Third & Laurel.
In the 1970s, the original Temple Beth Israel was slated for demolition,
but Past President Jim Milch together with many congregants and organizations
worked to rescue it. The structure, which is now a San Diego Historical
Site, was moved to Heritage Park in 1978. Although it bears the Beth Israel
name, it is owned by the County of San Diego and is used for weddings
and other gatherings.
The Second Synagogue
| |
 |
In recent years, Congregation Beth Israel outgrew the much beloved Third & Laurel facility.
|
The second sanctuary and adjacent social hall were brought to fulfillment and dedicated by a congregation of fewer than 60 Jewish families. Third & Laurel, as it became known, occupied a full city block in downtown San Diego, a large portion of which comprised a school building built in the 1960's and several small apartments.
Once Beth Israel moved to its third and current location, the Congregation sold its former property. The former sanctuary, social hall and school building will continue to be used by a Jewish congregation, while the remainder of the block will be redeveloped for other uses.
Our Congregational Home
 |
|
Beth Israel's new synagogue, dedicated in October 2001.
|
In 1993, Congregation Beth Israel purchased a 3-acre site about 12 miles from
the downtown location, in University City, just east of La Jolla. We broke ground
in January 2000 and dedicated the Congregation's new home in October 2001.
Beth
Israel's current facility consists of three acres with five buildings totaling
more than 65,000 square feet, which is twice the size of the previous site.
go to top
San Diego's Jewish History
Until World War II, there were only three Jewish houses of worship in San Diego: Congregation Beth Israel, Reform; Tifereth Israel Synagogue, a Conservative congregation, originally an Orthodox congregation, organized in 1905; and Orthodox congregation Beth Jacob Synagogue, which was formed in 1939 when Tifereth Israel became Conservative. Children of Tifereth Israel members attended Sunday School at Congregation Beth Israel until the early 1940s.
As Beth Israel grew, some congregants, seeking a smaller congregation, left
in 1960 and formed their own congregation called Temple Solel. In
1967, the two congregations merged back into one entity. Many other
synagogues have been formed in San Diego in the intervening years, including
one called Temple Solel (but not related to the Solel that merged back with
Beth Israel), and today there are more than 30 congregations located throughout
San Diego County. The Jewish community has grown continuously; it is estimated
that there may be close to 100,000 Jewish people living in the County today.
Senior Rabbis who have
led Congregation Beth Israel have included: H. Cerf Straus, 1930-1934; Moise
Bergman, 1934-1946; Morton J. Cohen, 1946-1962; Melvin Weinman, 1962-1966;
Joel Goor, 1966-1973; Michael Sternfield, 1973-1993; Jonathan A. Stein, 1994-2001;
Ben Kamin, 2001-2004; and Paul Citrin, 2004-2007. In July 2007, Rabbi Michael
Berk became Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel.
Our Congregation Today
Congregation Beth Israel is composed of nearly 1,350 households and 3,750
individuals who live throughout San Diego County. We maintain an active affiliation
with the Union for Reform Judaism (formerly the Union of American Hebrew Congregations),
the national Reform movement.
go to top
|
|
|
|
