| Congregation Beth Israel | |
| Image Upright: | 1.3 |
| Religious Affiliation: | Reconstructionist Judaism |
| Festivals: | --> |
| Organizational Status: | --> |
| Leadership: | Rabbi Linda Potemken[1] |
| Status: | Synagogue |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Location: | 542 South New Middletown Road, Media, Pennsylvania |
| Country: | United States |
| Map Type: | Pennsylvania |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Map Relief: | 1 |
| Coordinates: | 39.889°N -75.404°W |
| Date Destroyed: | --> |
| Elevation Ft: | --> |
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reconstructionist synagogue located at 542 South New Middletown Road in Middletown Township in Delaware County, near Media, Pennsylvania, in the United States.[2]
Formed in 1925 and granted a charter by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1929, Beth Israel is the first Jewish congregation founded in Media, the second-oldest in Delaware County, and the oldest Reconstructionist congregation in Delaware Valley.[3] In 1935 the congregation bought the old Quaker school on Gayley Street in Media.[4] Originally Orthodox and led by lay members, Beth Israel allowed mixed seating in the 1940s.[3]
The congregation started hiring part-time rabbis from the Yeshiva University Synagogue Council in 1948, and in 1957 it hired its first full-time rabbi, a Yeshiva University graduate. Jewish families became attracted to local Conservative synagogues in the 1960s, and demographic changes and a deteriorating building led to a significant membership decline, with the synagogue almost failing. In 1972, Beth Israel affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement, and by the 1980s it had hired its first full-time Reconstructionist rabbi, and had outgrown its building. It moved into its current building on Middletown Road in 1997.[3]
, the rabbi was Linda Potemken.[1]