Project number: [Memorial, USA-00115]

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The SUBURBAN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER BNAI AARON in HAVERTOWN, PA, USA

Suburban Jewish Community Center Bnai Aaron, 560 Mill Road, Havertown, PA, USA. 2994 plaques total.

Another photo of synagogue

Third photo of synagogue

The following history of Bnai Aaron of Wynnefield, Suburban Jewish Community Center- Temple Tel Or, SJCC-Bnai Aaron, Havertown was compiled by Eleanore Besser, z”l, and was originally published in a fund-raising President's Ball Program Booklet for the event held November 11, 1989. The history of Yeadon Jewish Community Center-Beth Tefilah, Yeadon, was added to the document in 1993. The history of the years from 1993 to 2011 were added to the document upon the dissolution of SJCC-Bnai Aaron in 2011 joinder into Adath Israel of Merion Station, PA.

HISTORY OF CONGREGATION BNAI AARON OF WYNNEFIELD

The first rabbi, Rabbi Archie Davidson, came to B'nai Aaron in time for services in 1929. The original group of women became the Sisterhood of B'nai Aaron and the men at that first meeting founded a Men's Club to complete the organization of the new congregation. In May of 1937, at Shavuoth services, the first Confirmation service was held. In addition to the Sisterhood and the Men's Club, there was an active Parent Teachers Association, a Boy Scout Troop and a choir.

The congregation had been warmly received by the community, and the neighboring synagogues frequently supported each other's activities. Rabbi Jacob Hurwitz came to join the congregation in 1939 and the synagogue continued to prosper through its Bar Mitzvah year. As before, the Sisterhood and the Men's Club raised money through musical shows, dinners, dances, and picnics on the grounds. In 1937 burial grounds at Mt. Sharon Cemetery in Springfield, Pennsylvania were dedicated in the name of Congregation B'nai Aaron. In November of 1945, young men returning home from the war renewed the Men's Club; the school was growing and the neighborhood came into full flower. The farmhouse had long been outgrown and the need for a more substantial facility was urgent. The architect presented plans for a new complex in April of 1946 and fund raising for a new building began. In 1948 the farmhouse was burned in a fire and gutted. The need was now more urgent; religious school classes were moved to the local public school, the Mann School and the other activities became 'boarders' in the neighboring synagogues. Har Zion Temple offered its help and Rabbi David Goldstein and Rabbi Simon Greenberg co-chaired the fund raising committee with Rabbi Max Forman of B'nai Aaron. In the spring of 1946 a new arm of the synagogue, The Women's Club, filling the needs of the younger women members, was formed and together with a rejuvenated Parent Teachers Association and a larger school community brought new life to the congregation. The new Men's Club sponsored the first annual Blood drive and took on the sponsorship of the Boy Scout Troop.

The new sanctuary and the first floor of the new building were completed for use in the High Holy Days of 1950. The building now included a rabbi's study, a daily chapel, offices and a modern kitchen. In 1951 the Simon Rockower Religious School was dedicated on the second floor of the new building. It included classrooms, a small auditorium and another smaller kitchen.

The congregation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a weeklong celebration and the entire community of Wynnefield was involved.

Rabbi Morris V. Dembowitz and his family came to the congregation in 1959 and he too, involved the community in the activities of the congregation. A Golden Age group was formed and the Sisterhood and the Women's Club were merged to become the Sisterhood of B'nai Aaron. In 1961 the daily chapel was renovated and renamed the Samuel Biron Chapel. The community continued to change. In 1964 the congregation mourned the death of Cantor Elias Beller. Cantor David Lebovic, an Israeli, was welcomed to the community. In the late 1960's the leaders of the congregation began to examine the realities of the changing communities and overtures were made to move the congregation.

In June of 1969, the land and buildings of the congregation were sold to the School District of Philadelphia with the understanding that the facilities would continue to be used by the congregation through the High Holy Days and the Succoth holidays before being turned over to the District.

In August of 1969, at a special Congregation meeting, the merger of-Congregation B'nai Aaron with Suburban Jewish Community Center - Temple Tel Or of Havertown was approved. The rabbi of the merged congregation was to be Rabbi Morris V. Dembowitz. Many of the children of the members were already affiliated with the Havertown synagogue and so it was with a feeling of family that the merger was accomplished. Arrangements were made for bus service and car pools to bring the members of the Wynnefield synagogue to Havertown.

Another chapter had been closed in the history of the Jewish Community in the Philadelphia community.

HISTORY OF SUBURBAN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

High Holy Day services in 1953 were held at the Llanerch Presbyterian Church in Havertown, Pennsylvania and the members of the Church worked with the members of the new congregation to make the surroundings and ambiance of the Church appropriate to these Holy Days. Rabbi Samuel Berkowitz of the Hillel Foundation at the University of Pennsylvania served as Rabbi that year with the assistance of Cantor Morris Hass, the father of one of the founding members. Al Kass became president that year and responding to the growing needs of the Congregation rented a store on Darby Road to which the Ark and the Torahs were moved together with the records of the congregation previously stored in a member's garage. A secretary, Alice Ferry, was hired and classes were moved from their several sites to the storefront synagogue. Membership continued to grow and a committee was formed to search for a suitable site for a permanent synagogue. In January of 1954 a special congregational meeting was held to discuss the authorize acquiring a five and a half acre site on Mill Road in Havertown. Within a week the $5,000 option money had been raised and plans began for building the new synagogue. The first Bar Mitzvah was held at the Llanerch Fire Hall in October of 1954. The first Bat Mitzvah was held in November of 1954, again at the Llanerch Fire Hall.
In August of 1955 Rabbi Israel E. Botwinick and his family came to join the congregation. The holidays that year fell on a weekend and the Fire Hall was not available so the services were held in the Chapel of Bryn Mawr College which had been decorated by members of the congregation to fill the requirements of Judaism. Lionel Kroll, brother of another founding member, joined Rabbi Botwinick as Cantor for these services.

As plans for the new building progressed, so did the life of the synagogue. Sisterhood and Men's Club were formed and a Youth Group developed. Plans for the new building consisted of a small auditorium to be known as Founders Hall, six classrooms, and offices (or the rabbi and one secretary. A small kitchen facility was added. A Boy Scout Troop came to the synagogue and a Parent Teachers Association developed to support the growing school. High Holy Day Services in 1955 were held in a tent with the Children's services in Founders Hall. Immediately plans began for a 1000 seat auditorium-sanctuary and expanded office facilities.

High Holy Days in 1956 were held within the 'walls' of the new Sanctuary. The supports were still visible, the floor was mud and sand and the roof was a huge, flapping tarpaulin. Cantor Levi Halperin and his family joined us that year and Cantor Sidney Barratz conducted our volunteer-member choir. The plans for the new building included a tower with the Ten Commandments illuminated rising high at the front of the new building. When it was completed, Cantor Halperin suggested the synagogue be renamed Suburban Jewish Community Center - Temple Tel Or, the hill of light; and so it was. The tower was dedicated to the memory of the original architect, Morris Greenberg, by his family.

In 1961, the congregation prepared to celebrate its tenth anniversary. A three-year high school had been added to the religious school. The Sanctuary-Auditorium was air-conditioned, the offices renovated, a small library was housed in cabinets in the main cloakroom of the auditorium and a Children's Chapel was dedicated. This was used for the daily minyan and, in 1963, Reverend Solomon Schnall and his family joined the staff of our congregation. He was not only the Sexton but also the Baal Korah. In the midst of our celebration and joy, we learned that Congregation Agudath Israel of Darby and Collingdale was about to close its doors. The children of some of their members were now members of our congregation. We invited them to leave their memorial tablets with us. They also gifted us with several Torahs and a sum of money. The remaining members of that congregation were offered life membership at our synagogue, and many of them joined us. They sent their remaining Torahs to Israel for use there.

Suburban Jewish Community Center - Temple Tel Or had become a recognizable force in our community. The Sisterhood had invited the churchwomen of the local community to many of their activities and programs. The Men's Club had established a Civic Award for members of the community. Rabbi Botwinick was a member of the Havertown Ministerium. The local library had received books and held special displays of Judaica. Our religious school was rated among the best in the area and our students ranked high in regional exams. We co-sponsored, with five other synagogues, the Joint Forum Series which presented programs by Rabbi Dr. Abraham Heschel, Donald Barnhouse and also notable concert performers.

The Bar Mitzvah Year of the congregation,1965-66, was an exciting one and climaxed with a Gala Ball and Ad book to enrich the coffers of the congregation and help make future dreams feasible. In 1966, the new administration formed a long range planning committee to study the future growth and needs of the synagogue and develop plans for a permanent Sanctuary. The monies raised by the Bar Mitzvah year functions were escrowed for the fulfillment of the dream.

By January of 1967 an architect had been retained and plans developed for the new Sanctuary as well as renovations to the existing plant to serve the needs of the school now serving the children of our more than 400 members. In June of 1967 all activities came to a halt with the SIX DAY WAR in ISRAEL. Teachers left their posts to go to Israel to fight, students left their schools and the congregation mobilized to support our fellow Jews in Israel. Again, the High Holy Days saw a tent on the property and this time it was the children who worshipped in the tent. On the Sunday before Chanukah, December 24,1967, the congregation and community were devastated by the death of Rabbi Israel E. Botwinick at 42. Everyone rallied to the support of the family: his wife, Dorothy and his three sons, Chaim, Moshe & Avram. The following months were tumultuous ones, but the congregation stood together and grew in strength.

Members of the Botwinick and Shestack and Poupko rabbinic families came to help as did the larger Philadelphia community. Knowledgeable members of the congregation made certain the religious commitments of the synagogue were maintained. ln August of 1968. Rabbi Herman Horowitz with his wife. Simone, and his three daughters came to join the congregation. In the spring of 1969, Rabbi Horowitz returned from a Rabbinical Assembly Convention and informed the Board of Directors that a congregation in Wynnefield was looking for a suburban congregation with which to merge. A committee was immediately appointed by the President with an eye to the arrangement of a 'shiddach' with the representatives of Congregation Bnai Aaron.

At a special meeting of the Congregation in the summer of 1969, the recommendation of the Board of Directors that Suburban Jewish Community Center - Temple Tel Or merge with Congregation B'nai Aaron of Wynnefield was approved. The new spiritual leader would be Rabbi Morris V. Dembowitz and the name of the new congregation would be SUBURBAN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER - BNAI AARON.

High Holy Days of 1970 found the merged congregation worshipping in the then existing auditorium-sanctuary in Havertown. The need for a formal Sanctuary as well as a separate auditorium and a school with appropriate offices and a Daily Chapel became more apparent. In 1971 groundbreaking was held for the new Sanctuary.

The previous two years had been difficult ones. An annual Blood Bank Drive had been established. Additional cemetery grounds at Mt. Jacob Cemetery in Glenolden, Pennsylvania were dedicated. The congregation had continued to hold annual musical shows, dances and other activites in the community. The two congregations worked together to become one. Shavuoth Services in 1972 were held in the partially completed Sanctuary. The new chapel had been furnished with the pews and pulpit from the Samuel Biron Chapel at Congregation B'nai Aaron and the ark was a design copied from an ark hidden during the Holocaust and later rediscovered.

The school had now expanded to require a full time administrator, and Marvin Zukerman joined the staff of the congregation. A Torah was sent to a village in Israel, carried by some of our young people and dedicated there. Activities included expanded programs, both athletic and communal, for our young people. The Sisterhood's annual Churchwomen's program and the Men's Club annual Civic Award had become a part of the community as a whole ... and we continued to grow.

The new Sanctuary and the renovated facility were dedicated on May 20,1973. The Frank Chapel, the Winig Library, the Liss Auditorium, the Succah Garden and the Rabbi's Study as well as the many magnificent stained glass windows and other Judaica in the building were dedicated. The congregation now included not only our own religious school but also a regional Hebrew High School in which five neighboring synagogues participated, a Boy Scout Troop, AZA and BBG groups, and USY and Kadima groups.

High Holy Days in 1973 were beautiful and tranquil in our new setting, and then came the news of the YOM KIPPUR WAR. Again our congregation rallied. Over $100,000 was raised in State of Israel Bonds and Israel Emergency Funds within days. Sisterhood phone squads and Men's Club street teams were out early and late. Many of our religious school teachers left to return to Israel. Some of our students and older children also went to Israel to serve wherever needed. Monies were raised, packages made up. Israel remained first in our hearts and minds ... and the life of the congregation went on.

The Sisterhood accepted the responsibility of repairing the Torahs of the congregation. Among them was found one not completed and Sisterhood was honored with the privilege of completing the writing of a Torah.

On a Shabbat morning in May of 1974, our congregation suffered the loss of our beloved Shammas, Reverend Solomon Schnall. His younger son, Irving, had been a Bar Mitzvah in our synagogue. His older son, Ira, had given us much joy as we watched his progress through rabbinical school. Reverend Schnall had been with us since 1965 and he was buried, as was appropriate, from our Sanctuary.

Our children grew and celebrated simchas with us. Some went to Israel after the massacres at Maalot and Kiryat Shimoni; some made aliyah. We lost family members and friends. Babies were born and grew up.

In September of 1975, the Board of Directors approved plans for a SILVER &
GOLD ANNIVERSARY YEAR - 50 years for Congregation B'nai Aaron and 25 years for Suburban Jewish Community Center -- Temple Tel Or. Past Presidents of the congregations and of the arms were honored; founding members of the separate congregations were honored. Memories were recalled, anecdotes told, and we laughed.

In 1981, Rabbi Morris V. Dembowitz retired. The Testimonial Dinner and weekend were memorable events. He had served in the rabbinate for some 50 years and over 20 years with Congregation B'nai Aaron.

Rabbi Martin I. Sandberg and his wife, Jeanne, and three children, Jonathan, Ruth and Shelley came to the congregation. A new generation of Seminary rabbi, he introduced egalitarian services to the congregation, and both men and women learned much from the experience. His involvement with all of the educational areas of the congregation and in the general community reflected to the credit of our congregation.

In 1988 the Board of Directors approved plans for a PRESIDENTS' BALL honoring all of the Past Presidents of the congregation and this evening, November 11, 1989, is the culmination of that program.

HISTORY OF YEADON JCC – BETH TEFILAH 1945-1990

In February of 1946 the Women's Group was formed with dues of $1.00. The Men's Group had evolved from that first group of interested Jews. In April of 1946, the first FUN NITE was held and the munificent sum of $3,500 was raised. The School grew, the youth groups grew and new membership committees formed to contact new families moving in. How to determine who was Jewish? Ask the milkman who ordered sour cream! The Sunday School met in the American Legion Hall. Religious School classes continued to meet in homes and the new instructor/principal was A.B. Wolf.

On March 2, 1947, the members met to approve the contracts for the construction of the first building in what would be the synagogue complex. Groundbreaking was in May of 1947 with plans limited to a shell - four walls and a roof. The first choral group was organized in June of that year - the Children's choir had been meeting since Rabbi David Neiman was selected as the first spiritual leader and religious school classes continued to be held in the American Legion Hall and private homes. In April of 1948, work began to turn "the shell" into a synagogue. Members provided the expertise and fund raising programs ranging from "the show", a Gay Nineties Review, to a Dedication Book were developed to raise monies to complete the building in time for the High Holy Days. Religious services were held in the barely completed building that year.

On November 20. 1949, Yeadon Jewish Community Center was officially dedicated with Judge Louis E. Levinthal as guest speaker. The religious school met in the Synagogue as did meetings of all types, but there were no separate classrooms and crowding and confusion were still present. Rabbi Matthew Kanig was installed in 1950 and the Yeadon Jewish Community Center added Beth Tefilah to its name . . . indeed a house of study and worship.

The Ark was dedicated in March of 1952. Screens were used to separate sections of the auditorium for use as classrooms and meeting rooms. In February of 1953, Cantor Sidney Karpo came to the congregation with his wife, Sylvia and the congregation choir, trained by Cantor Samuel Appel, made its debut. In June of 1953, the congregation took on a $50,000 mortgage to build a school building. Groundbreaking ceremonies were beautiful and the work went on. Rabbi Solomon Poupko became the spiritual leader of the congregation; the school building was completed and dedicated and YEADON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER-BETH TEFILAH celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The musical comedies became an annual affair with members competing to participate with the whole community.

In September of 1955, Rabbi Charles Lacks and his family arrived to inspire the congregation and the community. Expanded Adult Education programs, hobby programs, and a Nursery school became part of YJCC. In October of 1957, the first Blood-Drive was held and more than sixty members contributed so that all the members would be covered as needed. In February of 1958, the fourth classroom was dedicated.The mortgage signed in June of 1953, was retired in May of 1959 and the congregation continued to welcome members and children to its programs.

Cantor Samuel Appel was named Cantor of the congregation for the High Holy Days in 1977. With the High Holy Days of 1977, Rabbi Lacks took his leave of Yeadon Jewish Community Center-Beth Tefilah and Rabbi Charles Kraus and his family came to join the congregation.

With the passing of time, communities change and members leave through death or move. The congregation began to dwindle and the leaders understood that the time had come to look for a friendly neighbor to welcome them. In the fall off 1990, the search began and in May of 1991 the congregation voted to join with Suburban Jewish Community Center-Bnai Aaron in Havertown. Friendships had been formed between the members of the two congregations and the Memorandum Agreement was signed on July 1, 1991. High Holy Days that year were celebrated together in Havertown.

With the success of the PRESIDENT'S BALL, the long range planning committee was once more activated. When Yeadon Jewish Community Center-Beth Tefilah members came to Suburban Jewish Community Center-B'nai Aaron, they brought with them their dedication to the concept of the synagogue and the monies which accrued from the sale of the properties in Yeadon. A committee, with members from both synagogues actively participating, began to study the uses of the existing building and plans were made for a two year renovation program including such needs as roof repairs, the heating and air conditioning system repairs and the renovations to the auditorium and reception rooms. The Bride's room and the adjacent hallways were also included.

Tonight we celebrate the completion of that program and look to the future with continued anticipation. The combined ages of our synagogues now total over 100 years... and we've just begun. A synagogue is a BET TEFILAH, a BET HAKNESSET, a BET MIDRASH ... it is a house of prayer - a house of meeting - and a house of study. It is NOT a building ... it is the people in the building who cherish it and use it... who study together. . . who meet together and ... who pray together. Over the years of their separate and quite different evolutions, Congregation B'nai Aaron of Wynnefield and Suburban Jewish Community Center - Temple Tel Or of Havertown and Yeadon Jewish Community Center have served well over one thousand families. In many instances, children and grandchildren have rejoined the "family" to worship and learn together again. Each congregation, in its individual histories, held special celebrations. Together we have celebrated also; we have laughed together and prayed together and learned together. We have dreamed together for the future of our children and our heritage. We have built together a Sanctuary to the Lord.

"To everything there is a season and a time
to every purpose under the heaven."