At Beth El-Ner Tamid in Broomall, a synagogue that has been rooted in progressive, inclusive ideas since it was founded in 1956, an old tradition has been buoyed by a new addition to the clergy.
Rabbi Michal Morris Kamil joined Beth El-Ner Tamid last summer, but she said that she has already been embraced by the community as much as she has embraced them. One event in particular typifies the congregation, she said.
This year, around the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens, the Beth El-Ner Tamid community held what they very purposefully called a learning vigil and not a commemoration, Kamil explained.
“It cannot be a commemoration until every hostage has been returned home,” she said.
In addition to candle lighting, prayer and singing, the community gathered for workshops on breaking the cycles of violence, how to discuss the issue within multiple generations of a family and more. They talked about how Jewish values align with the situation and what we can glean from moments in our past. They discussed the importance of peacemaking within a Jewish context.
“[Older] people came up to me and said they had never been able to speak [constructively] with their grandkids before,” she said in reference to part of the event. “We have to find ways to talk to each other.”
Founded by members of Beth El in West Philadelphia who moved to the suburbs and wanted to start a synagogue of their own, Beth El-Ner Tamid is a Conservative shul whose members have always believed that their vision was important. Previous Jewish Exponent reporting cites the fact that when founding members lacked the funds to provide insurance on the synagogue, they offered their homes as collateral.
Today, that spirit is the same.
“We celebrate all the beautiful variations of what it means to be Jewish today. There are different cultural backgrounds and multiple languages in our synagogue, as well as LGBTQ and interfaith members,” Kamil said. “And also just Jews who want to discuss our legacy in a contemporary perception in spaces that welcome and celebrate conversation.”
Marc Belitsky is the president of the synagogue and a nephew of one of its founders. He said that one of the things that exemplifies the synagogue is the fact that, while it has under 200 members, its calendar is packed.
There is a program for toddlers and community outreach in the form of food drives and cooking for the less fortunate. There are conversations focused on philosophy and ethics.
There’s even a program where the elderly are matched with teens, and the older generation is given a chance to impart wisdom to the younger one, he explained.
There is a men’s club, a knitting club and more. Once a month, an alternative service is held during the week in which a live band consisting of congregants plays music to accompany prayer. The event is always anticipated and well-attended, Belitsky said.
But there is also minyan. Make no mistake: This is still a Conservative synagogue.
“We’re welcoming and comfortable, and we want to meet the needs of our congregation,” Belitsky said.
Kamil moved to the congregation from California, and she said it’s been a great marriage so far. A synagogue that is progressive in mindset yet traditional in practice is just the environment she thrives in.
“I understand what contemporary Jewish families and potential members experience in this context, but still appreciate that it all comes through the foundations of our tradition. So yes, we have a love for Conservative Judaism, but we’re not bound by the bindings of the brick building,” she said.
Another event that Kamil saw as a bright spot in her short time at the shul was an alternative Shabbat service held recently. Next door, a familiarly Conservative service was held for those from Beth El-Ner Tamid who wanted one. The alternative Shabbat was wonderful for curious congregants, though.
There was music, including some by kids. There were also reenactments of Talmudic events by congregants and conversations about overarching themes.
“The building was filled with the voices of Judaism and of the gorgeous mosaic of different ways to engage with our tradition,” she said.
Belitsky said he thinks the congregation’s willingness to embrace change has yielded results.
“We’re not your grandfather’s Conservative synagogue. With the general Jewish population becoming more progressive and with a lot more interfaith families now, you have to be open-minded enough to make people feel welcome and comfortable,” he said. “Our goal is to not only have them connect to our Jewish community now but in the future. We’re a little more open-minded and a little more flexible and not as stringent on some of the traditional rules and regulations, but we did not lose our identity as a Conservative synagogue.”