For 78 years, Temple Beth-El on 75th Street in North Bergen has been servicing the conservative Jewish residents of northern Hudson and southern Bergen counties.
But in recent years, the membership started to dwindle.
“For the past seven or eight years, the board realized that there was a severe drop in members,” said Emma Lebowitz, who is the new program director at Temple Beth-El. “We had to do something to attract new members.”
In recent months, the temple has experienced a rebirth.
“We’re coming alive again,” Lebowitz said. “The Temple is rejuvenating itself, getting new people to come, getting younger people to come. We’re reaching out to a younger crowd.”
For one, Temple Beth-El Rabbi Moshe Fetman recently performed the first traditional Jewish wedding in the synagogue in 20 years.
“It was a last-minute impromptu celebration,” Lebowitz said. “But it turned out to be wonderful.”
As the Jewish faith prepare to celebrate Hanukah and its festival of lights this weekend, Temple Beth-El has perhaps more of a reason to celebrate this holiday than any other. There is life in the community.
“I’m excited about the potential,” said David Kronick, a long-time North Bergen resident and a former New Jersey state assemblyman and a member of Temple Beth-El for more than a decade. “There’s a distinct change in the direction we’re moving. We treasure the older members of our Temple and the contributions they made in the past, but we felt like there were so many things that we had to do.”
With the help of Lebowitz, who was brought into work at the Temple to coordinate activities last July, the Temple is once again alive.
For example, on Sunday morning, Dec. 1, at 10:30 a.m., a breakfast called “Latkes,” featuring traditional potato pancakes and donuts, will be served after Sunday’s services. Violinist Esther Fishman will also perform.
According to Lebowitz, the pancakes and donuts are served because they are prepared in oil, which symbolizes the miracle of the days of the Holy Temple and the victory of the Jewish people, when the last bit of oil managed to last through the eight days of Hanukah.
Each night of the eight days, which began Friday, a candle is lit to symbolize that miracle.
Also, as part of the Hanukah celebrations, there will be a free Israeli Dance Hanukah party being held at the Temple on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 8 to 11 p.m.
Renowned Israeli dance instructor Sara Burnbaum, highly respected in the field of Israeli dance in New York and New Jersey, will offer a wide array of traditional and contemporary folk dance instruction.
Just having the dance classes scheduled is a step that the Temple Beth-El is growing.
“We never had anything like that here before,” said Kronick, who serves on the Temple’s advisory board. “Of course, we are first and foremost a place for Jewish people to have a place of worship. But there’s also a struggle for membership. We have a wonderful facility here that is underutilized. It’s a great experience to have these activities.”
Day care, elder care
Kronick said that it’s just the beginning.
“We want to hopefully offer day care and elder care here,” Kronick said. “We want it to be a place of learning for computer classes, to bring people together, bring people of all faiths in the community together. We want to reach out to the Hispanic Jewish community, the Puerto Rican and Cuban Jewish, who we know are out there. The doors are always open. You’re welcome. We need you. That’s the message that has to be sent out. Young people are the key.”
Lebowitz said that there are plans to offer Jewish services for the beginners.
“They will be designed for people who can’t follow the services in Hebrew,” Lebowitz said.
Other programs are planned for the future.
Zelman Weinstein, the president of the Temple, believes that there is joy to celebrate this year.
“It’s important to celebrate Hanukah every year,” Weinstein said. “Hanukah time is always important. But we see more people now and we’re happy. We’re having a different generation of people now, and that generation will change us.”
Temple Beth-El offers services on Thursday morning at 8 a.m., Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. For further information, contact the Temple at (201) 869-9149.