Rabbi Sandra Berliner just concluded her third High Holiday season with the Congregations of Shaare Shamayim, which recently relocated to the longtime Jewish hotspot of Old York Road in Elkins Park from Northeast Philadelphia.
The unique name of the temple references the fact that what is now one congregation was previously 14 different congregations before various mergers. Those mergers have changed the nature of the synagogue, but the close-knit community feel and commitment to Judaism hasn’t changed. Berliner described a unique organizational structure.
“When the synagogue merged with another that was more egalitarian, Shaare Shamayim started hiring egalitarian rabbis and cantors in addition to Orthodox ones,” she said. “Now, when we pray on High Holidays, we pray in two different spaces — our egalitarian group meets in our new sanctuary, and there is a chapel right across the hall where the traditional group meets.”
Temple President Fran Gabriel said the diverse nature of the synagogue has not detracted from the bonds formed between congregants, whether they be egalitarian or traditional.
“Everybody has each other’s backs, and everybody welcomes people they don’t know. It’s a wonderful place,” she said. “Our volunteer group is so strong and so amazing, and so is our leadership.”
Gabriel said she was previously a member of Beth Emeth Synagogue. In 2007, Beth Emeth could no longer afford its building, and leadership decided to merge with Shaare Shamayim. Gabriel was not involved in temple leadership at that point, but she took to the new community quickly upon the merger.
“It didn’t take me long to find friends and community there. It wasn’t long before I was in the kitchen cooking with all the other guys and having so much fun,” she said. “I walked in [the] sisterhood [group] and I felt at home immediately. They were so inclusive, and it helped me become fully involved very quickly.”
Shaare Shamayim is especially proud of its sisterhood group, which is comprised of women of all ages who come together for activities like bingo, baby showers, Shabbat services, tea, dinners and fundraisers.
Gabriel said that the sisterhood group — and its peer, the men’s club — are just some examples of the various ways that new or prospective members can get involved. She calls these options “points of entry.”
“We have done a great job at engaging new people. We have sisterhood, men’s club, services and events,” she said. “We recently moved, and several days after that we had a community event with Israeli scouts. We’ve also had a formal open house — we try to keep a busy calendar.”
The move has made things busy for Shaare Shamayim in the last few months, but that’s not a bad thing. The first couple events in the new synagogue were definitely tough, though.
“My first service in this new building was on my birthday, Aug. 3. For a lot of people, it was very bittersweet. With change comes a lot of loss. Many people were there when the building on Veree Road was built,” Berliner said. “But bringing in our Torahs and putting the mezuzah up was a feeling of renewal.”
She recalled a quote from Rabbi Abraham Kook, the first chief rabbi of Israel, that is apropos for Shaare Shamayim’s situation.
“The new becomes old, and the old becomes sacred,” she said.
The synagogue has received new applicants in recent months, and Berliner said that it’s been refreshing to get to call up new members and welcome them to the community.
Shaare Shamayim has between 250-300 families as members.
Gabriel said the situation in Northeast Philadelphia was untenable.
“The cost of owning a 61-year building grows if you want to keep it in good shape — there is a lot to it, and it’s expensive,” she said. “So when we were approached by a local church and offered a substantial amount of money, that alone would have made us smile and walk away. But at the same time, we became aware of this wonderful opportunity in a fabulous building 15 minutes away.”
The offer from Keneseth Israel included a segment of the building that has its own entrance and sanctuary, which has allowed the two synagogues to operate independently in a shared space.
“KI has been a wonderful landlord, and it’s been great to be a part of the Elkins Park community,” Gabriel said.
The Congregations of Shaare Shamayim have an eclectic array of items in their possession. The doors of the ark at the synagogue are over 100 years old and come from one of the 14 congregations that united to form Shaare Shamayim.
“It’s a smaller space, but we brought some of our toys to make it feel like our home,” Gabriel said.
The literal translation of Shaare Shamayim is “the Gates of Heaven,” and while the gates may have moved across town, they’re just as open as they have always been.
