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Congregation Beth Israel (Malden, Massachusetts)

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Coordinates: 42°25′40″N 71°04′45″W / 42.4279°N 71.0793°W / 42.4279; -71.0793
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For similarly named synagogues, see Beth Israel.
Congregation Beth Israel
Hebrew: בית ישראל
Beth Israel synagogue in Malden, 2019
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz
StatusActive
Location
Location10 Dexter Street, Malden, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
Congregation Beth Israel (Malden, Massachusetts) is located in Massachusetts
Congregation Beth Israel (Malden, Massachusetts)
Location in Massachusetts
Geographic coordinates42°25′40″N 71°04′45″W / 42.4279°N 71.0793°W / 42.4279; -71.0793
Architecture
Date established1904 (as a congregation)
Completed1966
Website
bethisraelmalden.org
[1]

Congregation Beth Israel (Hebrew: בית ישראל, lit. 'House of Israel', officially Beth Israel Anshe Litte – "House of Israel, people of Lithuania"[2]), is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 10 Dexter Street in Malden, Massachusetts, in the United States.[3] It was founded in 1904 by Jewish immigrants from Lithuania.[2]

Facing demographic decline in the early 2000s, the congregation undertook a number of efforts to attract Orthodox Jews to Malden and its synagogue.[4][5] In 2012 Beth Israel had roughly 100 member families and held services three times daily.[6]

Beth Israel's first (and longest-serving) rabbi was Dov Ber Boruchoff, who served the congregation from 1906 to 1939.[7] Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz joined as rabbi in 1997.[8]

History

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The congregation was founded in 1904 as Beth Israel Anshe Litte ("Children of Lithuania"). Their first home was a former Methodist church on Lombard Court in Malden.

In 1906, Beth Israel hired its first rabbi, Dov Ber Boruchoff, who would stay on for 33 years until his death on Passover in 1939.[7]

Beth Israel's second-longest-serving rabbi, Charles Weinberg, was a national leader in the Orthodox movement. He served as President of the Rabbinical Council of America, one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis, from 1960 to 1962.[9][10][11]

In 1993, the synagogue was targeted by a neo-Nazi group calling itself the Aryan War Council who threatened adverse consequences if an investigation into a recent desecration of a nearby Jewish cemetery was continued.[12] In 1997, Yitchak Zev Rabinowitz joined as rabbi. Before joining Beth Israel, Rabinowitz had studied at the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, the Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey, the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and had spent five years at the Kollel of Greater Boston.[8]

Beginning around 2000, Beth Israel began a unique effort to reverse the demographic decline in what had once been a thriving Orthodox community in Malden, receiving national attention for offering low-interest loans to Orthodox families wishing to move to Malden and join the synagogue. In 2005 the congregation intensified these efforts, advertising the loan opportunities in national publications,[5][13] and creating Malden's eruv.[4] The synagogue also offered scholarships for students to attend religious schools.[14] The congregation's financial capability to make such offers was credited in part to a sizeable "investment portfolio" derived from a donation of stock by congregant Morton Ruderman, a cofounder of the software company Medical Information Technology, Inc. (MEDITECH).[14][15][16] In 2011 the synagogue began construction of a new mikveh intended for the use by women within the Greater Boston Jewish community. It has since been completed and is currently in use.[17]

In 2012, Beth Israel had roughly 100 member families and held services three times daily.[6] As of 2016, the rabbi was Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz.[8]

Notable congregants

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Singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, who wrote and performed the 1969 rock-gospel hit song "Spirit in the Sky", attended Beth Israel as a child.[18]

Rabbinical leadership

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!Ordinal Name Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 Dov Ber Boruchoff 1906 1939 32–33 years [7]
2 Jacob Lifshitz 1939 1948 8–9 years
3 Charles Weinberg 1949 1976 26–27 years [11]
4 Harold Rabinowitz 1976 1980 3–4 years
5 Michoel Geller 1981 1997 15–16 years [19]
6 Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz 1997 incumbent 26–27 years

References

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  1. ^ Contact Us, Congregation Beth Israel website. Accessed May 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b The beginning Archived August 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Congregation Beth Israel website, About Us, History of the Congregation. Accessed August 29, 2009.
  3. ^ Synagogue website. Accessed August 29, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Malden's Eruv Archived August 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Synagogue website, About Us, History of the Congregation. Accessed August 29, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Katie Zezima, "A Rebuilding Congregation Seeks Members, and Its Incentives Abound", The New York Times, August 6, 2005.
  6. ^ a b Liu, Menghan. HOUSE OF WORSHIP SPOTLIGHT Congregation Beth Israel. Malden Observer. June 8, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Papers of Rabbi Ber Boruchoff, Collection # P-157, Box 1, Folders 1&2: Marriage Records of Rabbi Ber Boruchoff 1906–1939, Collections of the American Jewish Historical Society, Newton Centre, Massachusetts and New York, NY.
  8. ^ a b c About Us, Congregation Beth Israel website. Accessed May 15, 2016.
  9. ^ RCA Past Presidents
  10. ^ Anonymous. "Rabbinical Convention Calls for Closing Jewish Centers on Saturdays." Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jul 12 1962.
  11. ^ a b Eleff, Zev. "Mentor of Generations: Reflections on Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik." Yeshiva University 2008, p. 218.
  12. ^ Jordana Hart, "Two Malden synagogues targeted by hate letters", The Boston Globe, April 29, 1993.
  13. ^ Wallack, Juliette. "Synagogue works to build up small community; Low-interest home loans used to entice potential members", Associated Press in The Columbian, August 20, 2005.
  14. ^ a b Berger, Paul. "Malden synagogue pays members to belong", The Jewish Chronicle, June 3, 2010.
  15. ^ Schweitzer, Sarah. "In Malden, Synagogue Seeks to Reclaim Its Place", The Boston Globe, June 16, 2005.
  16. ^ Negri, Gloria. "Morton Ruderman, 75; devoted life to helping others", The Boston Globe, November 1, 2011.
  17. ^ Goldberg, Tana. "Malden To Unveil Magnificent Mikvah" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Journal, November, 01, 2013.
  18. ^ Benarde, Scott R. Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories (University Press of New England, 2003), ISBN 978-1584653035, pp. 186–187. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  19. ^ Pensak, Margie. "Making Those Golden Years Shine." www.wherewhatwhen.com, 2004.
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