| Temple Beth-El | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Beth-El synagogue in 2022 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
|
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 5 Old Mill Road,Great Neck,Long Island,Nassau County,New York |
| Country | United States |
  Location inLong Island,New York | |
| Coordinates | 40°47′53″N73°44′10″W / 40.797923°N 73.736117°W /40.797923; -73.736117 |
| Architecture | |
| Established | 1928(as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1932 |
| Website | |
| tbegreatneck | |
Temple Beth-El is aReformJewishsynagogue located at 5 Old Mill Road in the village ofGreat Neck,Long Island,Nassau County,New York, in the United States. Founded in 1928, it is the oldest synagogue in Great Neck.[1]
In 2025 it had 400 members according to its senior rabbi is A. Brian Stoller. Their cantor emerita is Lisa Hest, mother of singer-songwriterAri Hest.[2]
The temple was founded in 1928 when 86 organizing members began meeting at local church. Rabbi David Goodis served as the congregation's first rabbi, but only briefly before he died in 1930. His successor, Rabbi Jacob Phillip Rudin, served for four decades establishing the temple as one of the most prominent synagogues in the United States.
The temple erected its original building on Old Mill Road in 1932. The original Temple building was enlarged three times over 60 years once in 1950 and again in 1970.
The 1970 main sanctuary addition is a large, windowless box in the brutalist style. Seating 1100 in three levels, it features a tall open lobby, gallery and stairwell adjoining the worship space. A large pipe organ is lofted above the front of the all white space. Spanning the entire back wall of thebima and incorporating the Torah ark is an installation by artist Louise Nevelson entitled, "White Flame of the Six Million."
Rabbi Rudin retired in 1971; Rabbi Jerome Davidson, who had been assistant rabbi since 1958, took over[3] and served as senior rabbi until 2007.[4] Rabbi Davidson's son, RabbiJoshua Davidson, born in the Great Neck congregation, went on to leadCongregation Emanu-El of New York.[5]
Some members of the congregation left in 1940 to form aConservative synagogue, Temple Israel of Great Neck, which was led for many years by the prominent rabbiMordecai Waxman. A Reform spinoff, Temple Emanuel of Great Neck, formed in 1953.[3]
In 1994 the congregation hired Karen Bender, alesbian, as an assistant rabbi.[6] When she and her life partner decided to celebrate acommitment ceremony in California, Davidson agreed to officiate at a blessing ceremony at Temple Beth-el.[7] Controversy within the congregation over this decision led to Davidson's well-publicized decision not only to continue to officiate for gay unions, but also to begin officiating atinterfaith weddings[8] and to push for the Reform rabbinate to pursue means of Jewish support for mixed marriages.[9]
Temple Beth-El of Great Neck has a richcantorial tradition.[citation needed] Cantors who have served at the temple include: John P. Hardt, Robert Harmon, Robert Bloch,[10]Barbara Ostfeld, the first woman to be ordained a cantor and more recently, Vlad Lapin and Adam Davis. It currently does not have a Cantor.
The building underwent drastic renovation following a fire in 2001 that significantly damaged the property. Since the fire, Temple Beth-El has continued to go through renovations, including those to repair flood damage fromHurricane Isaias in 2020.
At its height, the synagogue membership boasted over 1500 families, though the trends of aging membership and demographic changes on the Great Neck peninsula halved it to 875 families by 2009 and 620 in 2018.
The COVID crisis in 2020 and shrinking enrollment led Temple Beth-El of Great Neck's Religious School to merge with that of Temple Israel of Great Neck to form theKulanu Religious School led by Rabbi Amy Roth.
That same year, co-Senior Rabbis Meir and Tara Feldman announced they would leave the congregation mid-contract in 2022 after serving 11 years in order to move to Israel.
In May of 2024, avisioning team was formed to plot out it's future.
Temple Beth-El of Great Neck's once award-winning Early Childhood Education Center, last led by Karen Wasserman, was closed after six decades, asannounced to the congregation on March 5, 2025 and in a June 3, 2025sermon by which time membership had fallen to 400 units.
AnApril 29, 2025 announcement to the synagogue membership shared the decision to sell its building to a Sephardic community yeshiva. AJune 3, 2025 update to the congregation announced a possible merger with Temple Tikvah of Hyde Park would not move forward.
