Congregation Am Tikvah | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Judaism |
Rite | Conservative and Reform |
Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
Leadership | Rabbi Chayva Lehrman |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | 625 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco, California 94132 |
Country | United States |
Location in San Francisco Bay Area, California | |
Geographic coordinates | 37°42′49″N 122°28′29″W / 37.713723°N 122.474835°W |
Architecture | |
Type | Synagogue architecture |
Date established | 2021 (merged congregation) – 1949: B’nai Emunah – 1969: Beth Israel-Judea
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Completed |
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Website | |
amtikvah | |
[1][2] |
Congregation Am Tikvah (transliterated from Hebrew as "People of Hope") is a combined Conservative and Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 625 Brotherhood Way in San Francisco, California, in the United States.[3][4] The congregation was formed in 2021 as the result of the merger of the Conservative B'nai Emunah and the Reform Beth Israel Judea congregations,[5] with the latter formed in 1969 through a merger of the Conservative Congregation Beth Israel and the Reform Temple Judea.[6]: 62–63 The congregation is affiliated with both the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Beth Israel was founded in 1860 as an Orthodox congregation.[7]: 188 Members worshiped in leased premises, first on Sutter Street, and then a larger space on Mission Street.[6]: 62 In 1879 the congregation completed its first building on Turk Street, but soon outgrew it, and in 1891 constructed a new synagogue building on Geary Street. In 1908 it constructed a larger synagogue building on Geary Street, where it remained until 1969. By this time the congregation had moved to Conservative Judaism.[6]: 63 [8]: 212–213 The congregation's rabbis were M. Wolf (1860–1874), A. (Nahum) Streisand (1874–1878), Aron J. Messing (1878–1890), Meyer Solomon Levy (1890–1916), Herman Lissauer (1916–1926), and Elliot M. Burstein (1927–1969).[6]: 63 [9] Joseph Rabinowitz was cantor from 1891 to 1943.[8]: 212–213
B'nai Emunah was founded in 1949 by mostly German Jews who had fled to Shanghai in the late 1930s. After World War II, some of the Shanghai Jews settled in San Francisco.[10]
Temple Judea was founded in 1953, the first Reform synagogue built in San Francisco in almost 125 years. Its first rabbi was Robert W. Shapiro, and he was succeeded by Irving Reichert and then Herbert Morris in 1962. In 1964 Temple Judea completed a synagogue building at 625 Brotherhood Way.[2][6]: 63
Beth Israel and Temple Judea merged in 1969 as Congregation Beth Israel-Judea, adopting practices from both congregations, and moving to Temple Judea's building. Morris became the rabbi of the combined congregation, and Burstein became rabbi emeritus.[6]: 63 Morris retired in 1998, was succeeded by Evan Goodman. Goodman left in 2006, and was succeeded by Rosalind Glazer.[2][11]
Beth Israel-Judea and B'nai Emunah congregations merged in 2021, affiliating with both the Conservative and Reform organizations and worshiping in the former Beth Israel-Judea synagogue building, located on Brotherhood Way. Rabbi Sami Barth was appointed as interim rabbi during the merger;[5] and, in 2023, Rabbi Chayva Lehrman was appointed to lead the merged congregation.[1]
History
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