Congregation Beth Israel (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Congregation Beth Israel is an egalitarian Conservative congregation located at 15 Jamesbury Drive in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1924 as an Orthodox synagogue, it formally affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in 1949, and describes itself as the "leading Conservative congregation in Central Massachusetts."The congregation first worshipped at a house on Pleasant Street; it constructed a synagogue building in its place in 1941. It completed its current location on Jamesbury Drive in 1959.The congregation hired its first permanent rabbi in 1938. Subsequent rabbis have included Israel Chodos, Herbert Ribner, Abraham Kazis, Baruch Goldstein, and Jay Rosenbaum . In 1994, the synagogue and Rosenbaum were the subject of the book And They Shall be My People: An American Rabbi and His Congregation by Paul Wilkes.Joel Pitkowsky succeeded Rosenbaum as rabbi in 2003. Pitkowsky left in 2011 and was succeeded by Rabbi Steven Schwarzman. Rabbi Schwarzman left in 2014 and was succeeded by Rabbi Aviva Fellman.Early historyBeth Israel was founded in 1924 as an Orthodox synagogue. The congregation initially worshiped at 835 Pleasant Street, in a house that had room for up to 75 worshipers. That same year it also founded a Sunday school.Beth Israel hired its first permanent rabbi in 1938, and constructed its first building, on Pleasant Street (replacing the existing house) in 1941, at a cost of $42,000. The new building's sanctuary could accommodate 450 people. After World War II the congregation grew rapidly, from 242 member families in 1945, to 451 in 1953; by then the Hebrew school had 261 children in it. In 1945 the congregation voted to become Conservative, and in 1949 formally joined the United Synagogue of America (now United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism).