© 2008 Congregation Beth David of Lynbrook

In the early 1920's, a group of seven men and their families were determined to start a traditional house of worship in Lynbrook. On March 11, 1924, the dream became a reality when the certificate of incorporation was received. The House of David of Lynbrook, Inc. was formally established, and on May 24, 1927, the name was officially changed to Congregation Beth David. Originally, the congregants met in one another's homes, but as the membership grew, so did the need for more space. In August 1928, the beautiful two-story brick synagogue on Vincent Avenue (with the twin onion domes, each topped with the Star of David) was proudly and lovingly dedicated. This was truly a dream come true!

In 1938, the property adjacent to the original building was acquired, and the first addition was constructed. This housed four classrooms, and presently is the site of the Vincent Avenue lobby. With many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and an active Hebrew School, Beth David outgrew the classroom space once again, and plans were made to replace the little "school  In its place, a one-story modern brick building was built in 1950, which featured additional classrooms, a chapel, and a spacious Social Hall, including a kitchen, vestry and foyer. In 1957, a second floor was added, now giving us a Rabbi's study, a library, a permanent chapel for daily services and an apartment for a full-time caretaker.

Once again, there was a need for both a larger Sanctuary and room for increasing numbers of social events, and so in 1966 ground was broken on Denton Ave. for the last addition - the current beautiful Sanctuary, Ballroom and Smorgasbord Room, formally dedicated in 1968. Many gala affairs were and still are enjoyed within these beautiful walls. To help defray the costs of all this construction, our Bingo games were begun in 1969; other events that helped this venture included testimonial dinners, bazaars, Cantor's concerts and weekends at Catskills hotels.

In the 1980's, there was a huge exodus from Lynbrook. Children grew up and moved to other communities while their parents were retiring and moving to warmer climates and so, for a period of time, Beth David seemed to falter with no evident growth, a decline in membership, and the Hebrew School no longer operational. Despite this, in 1984 we celebrated 60 years of history with a rousing birthday party. We weren't giving up our hope for growth; once again, ten years later we celebrated our 70th anniversary. In 1997, a revolutionary vote changed Congregation Beth David to an Egalitarian Traditional Conservative Synagogue. For the first time, women had the privilege of equality in all our religious services.

When Rabbi Howard Diamond joined us in 1998, Congregation Beth David received a new lease on life. Rabbi Diamond's aim has been to rejuvenate our synagogue. He has encouraged many new young families from neighboring communities to join our ranks. This led to the re-establishment of our Hebrew School and to some 80 Bar and Bat Mitzvahs that have been celebrated since his arrival. We are once again so proud of our students; Shabbat services on Friday nights and Saturday mornings are vibrant, the number of participants at our Shabbat dinners has steadily grown, and Purim, Chanukah, and other holiday celebrations are enjoyed by all. New ongoing children's and teen programs and special events have been created, including a recent and historic Adult Bat Mitzvah group of 15 women.

 

 

A Brief History of Congregation Beth David

GARY BERGMAN

JUDITH PERLMAN

Co-Presidents

HELEN MURRAY

ALICE PURUS

1st Vice Presidents

LENORE ISAACS

2nd Vice President

JAY ABRAHAMS

MURRAY RECHT

3rd Vice Presidents

SHOAL GREENSTEIN

ETTA RECHT

Co-Treasurers

DONNA REDLER

Financial Secretary

CARYN MORGENBESSER

Recording Secretary

LARRY ABRAHAMS

DORIS ABRAMS

BARBARA BARCHAT

LARRY COHEN

RUTH COHEN

RANDI DANIELS

CAROL DRUCKER

WAYNE ELLIS

ROBERT HOBERMAN

SAMPSON ENGOREN

MICHAEL GERBER

RENEE GLASS

LINDA GROSSMAN

JOSEPH LEVINSON

ALVIN LIPSKY

FLORENCE LUBITZ

HELENE PARSONS

JONI SELETSKY

ROBERT SELETSKY

MIRIAM SHAFRAN

PAUL STARGOT