A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONGREGATION BETH EL
העבר הוא מבוא
He-avar hu ma-vo
The past is prologue
Congregation Beth El was founded during the 1940’s at a time when being Jewish in Berkeley meant having limited choices. The only Reform synagogues were in San Francisco and Oakland. Two Jewish organizations existed in Berkeley; the B’nai B’rith Lodge and the Hebrew Center, started by a small group of Orthodox men who played poker together. Whenever a sufficient number of players showed up to form a minyan, the group held services. The Berkeley Jewish community expanded dramatically after World War II with an influx of European émigrés.
HISTORY OF THE OXFORD STREET SITE
CONGREGATION BETH EL LEADERSHIP THROUGH TIME
Historical records compiled in 2010 by Susan Austin, with assistance from Robinn Magid and Rabbi Yoel Kahn, using the following sources:
- original documents (early Builders, dedication programs booklets, board minutes)
- interviews with founders Robert Fisher, Odette Blachman, past presidents (Frances Alexander & Lois Marcus), former Beth El program directors of Kee Tov and Nursery School
- extensive research on the synagogue from the files of Robinn Magid
- material on the construction of the Oxford site provided by Alex Bergtraun