Beth Israel Synagogue (Hamilton, Ohio)
Beth Israel Synagogue is a Conservative synagogue located at 50 North 6th Street in Hamilton, Ohio, in the United States. It was founded in 1901 as an Orthodox alternative to Hamilton's existing Reform synagogue, and completed its current building in 1931. The congregation moved to the Conservative movement, and became egalitarian in the 1980s. Eric R. Slaton became rabbi in 1999.
Early history
Beth Israel Synagogue per week, and his contract was concelled. He left in 1933, and was replaced by Bernard Kalchman. The congregation opened a religious school in 1939.Post World War II
Kalchman left in 1946, and was succeeded the following year by Murray Garson. Garson initiated late Friday night services, but left the following year, and was replaced by Joseph Krickstein, who served until his retirement in the 1960s. He was followed by Rabbis Dworkin, Max Newman, Portnoy and Seth Phillips. Phillips was followed by Mark Warshofsky.An addition to the synagogue building, started in 1960 and completed in 1961, included offices and classrooms. In 1964, a chapel/multi-purpose room was added. The synagogue eventually moved away from Orthodox Judaism, and joined the Conservative Judaism.
In 1984 the congregation voted to count women in the minyan. That year Bruce Adler joined as rabbi; he had previously served for one year as rabbi of Temple Beth Israel of Niagara Falls, New York, following his ordination at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. In 1985, Beth Israel elected its first woman president and voted to call women to the Torah.
Adler left in 1997, and Eric R. Slaton joined as rabbi in 1999. He had previously served for eleven years as rabbi of Lexington, Kentucky's Ohavay Zion Synagogue.
In 2011, the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary. Activities included extracting a time capsule filled with documents and artifacts buried in the cornerstone of the synagogue building, and replacing it with copies of the existing material and new artifacts.