Beth Shalom Congregation (Columbia, Maryland)

Last updated

Beth Shalom Congregation
Synagogue entrance.jpg
Beth Shalom synagogue, in 2019
Religion
Affiliation Conservative Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
LeadershipRabbi Jennifer Romano Greenspan
StatusActive
Location
Location8070 Harriet Tubman Lane, Columbia, Maryland
CountryUnited States
USA Maryland relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Maryland
Geographic coordinates 39°11′04″N76°52′45″W / 39.1845534°N 76.8790482°W / 39.1845534; -76.8790482
Architecture
Date established1969 (as a congregation)
Website
beth-shalom.net
[1]

Beth Shalom Congregation is a Conservative Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 8070 Harriet Tubman Lane, in Columbia, Maryland, in the United States. It is the only Conservative congregation in Howard County.

Contents

History

When the town of Columbia was formed in the 1960s, in accordance with an idea of James Rouse, an Interfaith Center was created where all places of worship in the town would initially share a hall. [2] :97

The attempt to first organize a Jewish community in the Columbia area began in 1967. Temple Solel (now known as Temple Isaiah) became the area's Reform temple, and Beth Shalom became the area's Conservative congregation. [2] :98 Both have since obtained their own buildings.

Beth Shalom was founded in 1969. It has since grown to approximately 250 families. [3]

Rabbinical leaders

The following individuals have served as rabbi of Beth Shalom:

OrdinalOfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
1Noah Golinkin197819867–8 years [3]
2Kenneth Cohen1986199710–11 years
3Susan Grossman1997202224–25 years [1]
4Jennifer Romano GreenspanJuly 1, 2022incumbent1 year, 210 days

Grossman was ordained in 1985 at a time when female rabbis in the Conservative movement were considered to be unusual. [4] Grossman is known for authoring works on the Conservative view of ritual purity. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Judaism</span> Role of women in Judaism

The role of women in Judaism is determined by the Hebrew Bible, the Oral Law, by custom, and by cultural factors. Although the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature mention various female role models, religious law treats women differently in various circumstances. According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, women are slightly more likely to identify with Judaism. They account for 52% of the worldwide Jewish population.

Jewish feminism is a movement that seeks to make the religious, legal, and social status of Jewish women equal to that of Jewish men in Judaism. Feminist movements, with varying approaches and successes, have opened up within all major branches of the Jewish religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem</span> Orthodox synagogue

Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem, transliterated from Hebrew to mean the Congregation of Israel Tree of Life, is a Conservative Jewish synagogue located at 3525 Cloverdale Road in Montgomery, Alabama, in the United States.

Menachem Creditor is an American rabbi, author and musician. He is the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar-in-Residence at UJA-Federation New York and the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence. His work has appeared in the Times of Israel, the Huffington Post, the Jewish Week, the Jewish Daily Forward, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

Capers C. Funnye Jr. is an African-American Conservative rabbi, who leads the 200-member Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation of Chicago, Illinois, assisted by rabbis Avraham Ben Israel and Joshua V. Salter.

Congregation Beth Israel is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 989 West 28th Avenue in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was founded in 1925, but did not formally incorporate until 1932. Its first rabbi was Ben Zion Bokser, hired that year. He was succeeded the following year by Samuel Cass (1933–1941). Other rabbis included David Kogen (1946–1955), Bert Woythaler (1956–1963), and Wilfred Solomon, who served for decades starting in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Scottsdale, Arizona, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 10460 North 56th Street in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. Incorporated in 1920, the congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1935.

Congregation Beth Israel is a Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 411 South Eighth Street, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 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.

Beth Shalom, formally Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, is a Black Hebrew Israelite synagogue in Chicago, Illinois. The congregation leader is Rabbi Capers Funnye. Assistant rabbis are Avraham Ben Israel and Joshua V. Salter. Beth Shalom is affiliated with the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.

Temple Israel located in Charlotte, North Carolina is a large, urban Conservative synagogue located in the Shalom Park district of South Charlotte. As one of six synagogues in Charlotte, it serves more than 650 member families. The rabbi since July 2020 is Michael Wolk, who took over from interim Rabbi Howard Seigel. Seigel succeeding the long serving rabbi of 24 years, Murray Ezring. The cantor since 2018 has been soprano Shira T Lissek, previously of Park Avenue Synagogue, New York.

Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is the first woman to have been ordained a rabbi in Reconstructionist Judaism. She was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, on May 19, 1974. She is also the author of many children's books on religious topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denise Eger</span> American rabbi

Denise Leese Eger is an American Reform rabbi. In March 2015, she became president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in North America; she was the first openly gay person to hold that position.

Har Sinai – Oheb Shalom Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 7310 Park Heights Avenue, in Pikesville, Baltimore County, Maryland, in the United States. Established in 1842 in Baltimore and known as Har Sinai Congregation, and in 1853 near Camden Yards as Temple Oheb Shalom, the two congregations merged in 2019 and is the oldest Reform congregation in the United States that has used the same prayer rite since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Kol Ami</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in New Jersey, US

Congregation Kol Ami is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 1101 Springdale Road, in Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1950 on the western side of Cherry Hill, and moved in 1992 to Cherry Hill's east side. Its first rabbi was Herbert M. Yarrish, who served from 1956 to 1975. As of 2022, the senior rabbi is Jennifer L. Frenkel and the cantors are Rhoda J. Harrison and Neil Schnitzer.

Shaarey Tphiloh is a Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 400 Deering Avenue, in Portland, Maine, in the United States. The congregation claims it is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Portland. The name of the synagogue literally means "Gates of Prayer" in Hebrew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beit Shalom Jewish Community</span> Reform synagogue in Davenport, Iowa, US

Beit Shalom Jewish Community is a Reform Jewish shared synagogue located at 2215 East Kimberly Road, on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, in the United States. The shared community facility was established in 2019 and is home to two congregations, Temple Emanuel, established in 1861, and Congregation Beth Israel, established in 1936. Temple Emanuel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Iowa and both congregation are affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism.

Steven Blane is an American rabbi, cantor and recording singer-songwriter.

This is a timeline of women rabbis:

Adath Shalom, officially Adath Shalom Congregation of Ottawa, is a Conservative synagogue located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It has been egalitarian and lay-led since 1978. It is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. All Adath Shalom members - men, women and teenagers - lead the services as well as weekly discussion of the Torah portion.

References

  1. 1 2 "Meet Our Clergy and Programming Staff". Beth Shalom Congregation. Retrieved October 9, 2016.[ self-published source? ]
  2. 1 2 Mitchell, Joseph R.; Stebenne, David (2007). New city upon a hill: a history of Columbia, Maryland. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN   978-1-59629-067-9 via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 Ross, Gabe (February 21, 2007). "Celebrating past, contemplating future, Beth Shalom marking 36 years". Washington Jewish Week. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  4. Lampman, Jane (July 19, 2006). "Women clergy bring a new sensibility to an old calling". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  5. Spence, Rebecca (September 22, 2006). "Liberal Rabbis Calling on Women To Take the Plunge for Ritual Purity". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  6. Umansky, Ellen M.; Ashton, Dianne, eds. (2009). Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality. Lebanon, New Hampshire: Brandeis University Press. p. 194 via Google Books.