By Morris Malakoff, JTNews Correspondent
A marriage that lasts 50 years is generally considered a success.
No one is doubting that is the case for Tacoma’s Temple Beth El, a product of the 1960 merger of the Conservative Sinai Temple and the Reform Temple Beth Israel that resulted when the two struggling congregations came together for mutual survival.
According to Rabbi Bruce Kadden, as with any marriage, there have been disagreements and rough spots, but that the congregation has persevered and thrived during the last five decades.
Kadden says the disagreements were small ones, often centering on elements of services such as music and the extent of the use of Hebrew.
“This congregation was formed by individuals and families with long roots in their communities and traditions,” he said. “Those disagreements were bound to happen but were easily ironed out and the community is harmonious.”
According to Kadden, Beth El may have been decades ahead of its time. The merger of two congregations is more common today when economic forces often mean making a choice between compromise or dissolution.
“Combining these two congregations at that time was probably a lot harder than would be now,” Kadden said. “The differences between Reform and Conservative were greater and not as easily meshed as they are today.”
Kadden says he cannot foresee Beth El ever splitting back into its two original pieces.
“Most of the membership knows only Beth El in Tacoma,” he said. “The number of people who remember a time before Beth El is a small number.”
In the past 50 years, Beth El has become a leading Jewish congregation in Pierce County, with the only other nearby synagogue being the Orthodox Chabad House. Beth El is a part of the Union for Reform Judaism.
The membership of Beth El has stabilized at about 300 families, after a few years of slowed growth, which Kadden attributes to the economic downturn.
“We had people who left the area to seek jobs and that seemed to impact our steady growth, but it seems to be coming back,” he said.
If there is another obstacle to growth at Beth El, it is one that could be seen in a positive light.
“As the population in the area grows, there may be communities where people feel there is enough of a Jewish population to establish a congregation away from Tacoma,” he said. “We saw that happen on Vashon Island. We had members who came over from there who now attend that congregation.”
Beth El draws its members primarily from throughout Pierce County as well as some from south King County.
While the synagogue will mark its Golden Jubilee at a dinner on April 17, the community is firmly looking to the future.
“It is important to mark the success of our community over the past 50 years,” Kadden said, but we know the work is building for the future.”
One of the highlights of that future comes to fruition this May when Beth El will name a new cantor who will also serve as the education coordinator for the congregation.
The position has existed on an interim basis, but a new person will fill the position permanently later this spring.
“It will allow us to have solid leadership and offer a vibrant school program as well as a professional cantorial program,” Kadden said.
Looking further ahead, Kadden believes that Beth El will continue to be a major part of the Jewish community in Pierce County for decades to come.
“We have a thriving and healthy community,” he said. “We have set a path forward that will allow us to flourish and develop and continue to serve the Jewish community in Pierce County.”