A Short History of Temple Beth El
On a warm July evening in 1947, more than 100 men and women gathered at the Jewish Community Center in Portland, Maine to address the feasibility of organizing a Conservative congregation. Portland's Jewish community, established after the Civil War, had flourished until 1920, then experienced a gradual decline until the 1940s. The desire to establish the first Conservative congregation in a city and state with a strong Orthodox orientation was powerful. The group which met that evening was eager to act. They decided to hold High Holiday services that fall, seek a temporary home, and name the new congregation Beth El, House of God. In a borrowed hall, with a visiting rabbi, Congregation Beth El became a reality on Rosh Hashanah, September 14, 1947.
More than sixty years later Temple Beth El has become the major regional center of Conservative Judaism north of Boston. With more than 350 member families and a religious school serving over 100 children, the Temple has stood the test of time. A pioneer on issues ranging from social action to the equal participation of women, Temple Beth El made its mark under the leadership of Rabbi Harry Sky in the 1960s with its involvement in human and civil rights issues, and in the 1970's when it installed one of the first female congregational presidents in the country.
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