by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

May 12, 2009

Members of Temples Beth El and Beth Torah will vote next month on the proposed unification of the two Conservative synagogues into a single house of worship.

Congregants will vote at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Beth El members will vote at the synagogue in Oakhurst, while Beth Torah congregants will vote at the temple building in Ocean. The target date for unification is July 2010.

Should the merger be approved, the congregations will then decide in which of the two buildings — which are about three miles apart — the new congregation will be housed. Rabbis at both synagogues have contracts set to expire in 2010 and are expected to apply, along with the other candidates, for the leadership post of the consolidated congregation.

Beth Torah was founded in 1951 and has 390 member families. According to its executive director, Pam Cardullo, membership was at its highest in the mid- to late ’90s, with about 460 families.

Beth El was established in 1921. When it was at its peak in the late ’70s, said Larry Lorman, CEO and a past president of the congregation, there were about 500 families; current membership stands at 300 families.

The unification process has been arduous, but the project’s steering committee, which comprises representatives from both temples, felt the move deserved careful study, said committee member Maddy Cohen of Wayside, president of Beth El.

“Besides practical considerations, this is an emotional issue,” said Cohen. “Congregants deserve a proposal that reflects their concerns and interests, and the steering committee has taken this responsibility very seriously.”

Proposals to merge the two congregations were discussed several times in the past 30 years, but differences in philosophy kept them apart, said Friedman. The current effort began last spring, when representatives from Beth El requested a meeting with Beth Torah’s lay leaders to explore the option, said Friedman.

The community can no longer afford to maintain the two congregations, which also have become closer in their practices, said Cohen.

“There was a mutual awareness that unification was in the best interests of the Conservative Jewish community,” Donner said. “The interests and concerns of both congregations have been the committee’s guiding principles.”

The unification also will strengthen the Conservative Jewish community, Friedman said.

“The economy and demographics have changed, and I think unification will help preserve Conservative Judaism,” he said. “It will build a foundation for a strong, vibrant Conservative shul for future generations.”

‘Great potential’

Synagogue mergers have become common among Reform and Conservative congregations in the Northeast in recent years. As demographics change, congregations move to save money and consolidate their shrinking memberships. In 2002, Temples Beth El and B’nai Sholom of Long Branch merged, and in 2008 Congregation Ahavat Achim/Jewish Community Center of Howell and Congregation Ahavat Shalom of Lakewood became Congregation Ahavat Olam. There have been similar mergers in Union and Middlesex counties.

As in all such consolidations, approval to move forward is often only one part of a series of delicate negotiations over personnel, real estate, and even the artifacts displayed at the separate synagogues.

Rabbi Michael Goldstein is the religious leader of Beth Torah, and Rabbi Gordon Yaffe fills the post at Beth El. Both rabbis’ contracts expire July 31, 2010. A search committee will be formed this July, and Goldstein and Yaffe, along with other applicants, are expected to apply for the rabbinic post of the consolidated congregation. A new rabbinic contract would likely take effect on Aug. 1, 2010, committee members said.

Cantor Bruce Siegel of Beth Torah has a contract that expires July 31, 2012; Cantor Marcia Lane’s contract with Beth El ends on July 31, 2010. Each contract will be honored by the unified congregation.

The committee also anticipates that Cardullo will remain as executive director of the new congregation.

Pending approval, the religious schools will become one entity by Sept. 1, 2009. Independent consultants and architects are reviewing the two temples’ suitability for the unified congregation. Either choice will require interior and exterior renovations, Cohen said, adding that all sacred objects from both temples, such as Torah scrolls, plaques, and artwork, will be housed in the building that is eventually chosen.

The new congregation will get a new name that reflects the heritage and dignity of both groups, said Stern. The steering committee is reviewing suggestions from congregants; one name under consideration is Congregation Beiteinu (“our house”). The choices will be included on the June 7 ballot, he said.

The economic benefits of unification will allow the membership dues structure to remain stable, said Cohen. A revised constitution will be developed and the steering committee anticipates equal representation from both congregations in the new governing structure, Cohen said.

Of course, all plans depend on the outcome of the June 7 vote, said Stern.

“We can emerge with a congregation that’s about what we can do, rather than what can’t be done,” he said. “There is great potential in a new, dynamic place where people can reconnect with tradition.”

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