Temple Beth Am (Los Angeles, California)

Temple Beth Am (formerly: Olympic Jewish Center) is a historic Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1935, it moved into a new building designed by one of the earliest African-American architects in Los Angeles, Ralph A. Vaughn, in 1959. In recent years, it has received significant donations from Holocaust survivor Sigi Ziering and his wife, Marilyn, whose names are on the building.

Temple Beth Am
Religion
AffiliationConservative Judaism
Location
LocationLos Angeles, California
Geographic coordinates34.05823°N 118.37658°W / 34.05823; -118.37658
Architecture
Architect(s)Ralph A. Vaughn
TypeModernist

Location

The synagogue is located on the corner of Olympic Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, just South of Beverly Hills.[1]

History

Temple Beth Am was founded in 1935 as the Olympic Jewish Center.[2] It is the third oldest Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles.[3]

Jacob Pressman served as its rabbi from 1950 to 1985.[2][4] Under his leadership, the synagogue took its current name, Temple Beth Am in 1957.[2] It moved into a new building designed by the African-American architect, Ralph A. Vaughn, in 1959.[5] In 1990, it celebrated its 55th anniversary.[1]

In recent years, it has received significant donations from Holocaust survivor Sigi Ziering and his wife Marilyn, whose names are on the building. The current cantor is Rabbi Hillary Chorny. In 2012, the Sefer Torah nearly fell to the ground during a service.[6] As this is seen a traumatic event in the Jewish faith, rabbi Adam Kligfeld requested that members of the congregation share among themselves forty days of fasting to recover.[6]

Notable members
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References
  1. Fairfax : Temple Beth Am Reunion, The Los Angeles Times, October 11, 1990
  2. Pamela Susan Nadell, Conservative Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook, ABC-CLIO, 1988, pp. 202-203
  3. Temple Beth Am: Building Our House Archived 2015-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Los Angeles, Jewish Virtual Library
  5. Dreck Spurlock Wilson, African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945, New York City: Routledge, 2004, p. 666
  6. Julie Gruenbaum Fax, A Torah falls, a shul bonds, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, September 27, 2012
  7. Dennis McLellan, George Konheim, 84; Leading Developer, Philanthropist, The Los Angeles Times, December 09, 2001
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