synagogue spotlight
What’s happening at ... Temple Brith Achim
Temple Brith Achim Remains the
Only Synagogue in King of Prussia
T emple Brith Achim in King
of Prussia had two founding
moments, according to Rabbi
Eric J. Lazar.

In the late 1960s, a few couples met
under a tree in Valley Forge National
Park and decided to establish “a Jewish
presence in the area,” says the history
section on the synagogue’s website.

Then, more than a decade later, in
September of 1982, the congregation
bought its home at 481 S. Gulph Road.

Today, the Reform synagogue
remains the only one in the Upper
Merion-King of Prussia area. Jews come
from nearby towns like Collegeville,
Wayne, West Chester, Spring-City and
Royersford to worship, according to
Temple Brith Achim President Steve
Kantrowitz. He said the community was born
to give local Jews a place to worship,
to celebrate holidays and joyous occa-
sions, to get people through tough
times and to teach children and others
to be happy and comfortable being
Jewish. And as it celebrates its 50th
anniversary, it is still playing that role.

“After 50 years, that’s still something
special,” Kantrowitz added.

But half a century in, the synagogue,
like so many others, is hanging on.

Lazar is in his 19th year leading the
congregation and, when he arrived, it
included almost 300 households. That
number rose to about 305 by 2007.

But the financial crisis and The Great
Recession hit members hard, dropping
the household total to around 270. And
ever since, it has steadily declined.

Lazar attributes the drop to “people
not wanting to connect with houses of
worship” anymore. He said that people
often do not see the worth “until there’s
some need.” And when there is a need,
“many people will reach out, even if
they’re not connected.”
The members' ages range from new-
born to almost 100, according to the
rabbi. One-third of the 200 member
households have children in the tem-
28 ple’s religious school. But that means
that two-thirds do not.

Lazar called maintaining a hub for
Jewish life in the Valley Forge area
“a huge obligation” and “something
we take very seriously.” A handful of
founding families in the congregation
remind members of that, too. There
also is a picture of a founding member
named Linda Rice hanging outside of
the shul’s library.

“We’ve been able to stand on our
own,” the rabbi said.

To try and continue to do that, syna-
gogue leaders are focusing on relation-
ship-building. During the pandemic,
Kantrowitz started a new routine in
which he goes through the synagogue
directory and calls every congregant.

He does that twice a year.

“People feel appreciated,” Lazar said.

Temple leaders are also working to
make the outdoor portion of their prop-
erty an active part of synagogue life.

They recently beautified their garden by
adding trees and vegetation. They also
made the entrance handicap-accessible.

Now, if three or four people want to
have a meeting there, they will be more
likely to do so, Kantrowitz said.

But leaders don’t want to stop with
the garden. Kantrowitz mentioned that
there’s a plan to build a pavilion that
will host services, meetings and other
shul activities.

“We’re making better use of the out-
doors,” he said. “People enjoy that.

It was brought to the forefront with
COVID. It was healthier. Obviously,
the air circulation was better. But also I
think people like it. It’s a nice environ-
ment to be in. To hear the birds. People
enjoy communing with nature.”
Kantrowitz sees the outdoor
upgrades as part of the temple’s long
tradition of adding to its facility. As
he put it, the congregation started by
using other people’s facilities. Then it
bought a home with a few classrooms
and a sanctuary. Over time, it added
a social hall, a kitchen and a lifelong
Jewish learning center.

There are still families in the area
“that want to have that opportunity” to
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Temple Brith Achim is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Temple Brith Achim at 481 S. Gulph Road in King of Prussia
become part of a synagogue, Kantrowitz
added. And in today’s world, “it’s nice
to not have to drive an hour.”
“We’re right there,” he said.

For interested families, Temple
Brith Achim tries to make member-
ship affordable. Every year, leaders
send congregants a bare-bones budget
that explains how much each member
needs to pay to reach that bigger num-
ber, according to Lazar. But congre-
gants can fill in whatever number they
can afford to pay.

Other shuls have adopted similar
systems in recent years. But Temple
Brith Achim started with the approach
a decade ago. It’s just a reality of syna-
gogue life today.

“We’re still making it happen,” Lazar
said. JE
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com Courtesy of Temple Brith Achim
JARRAD SAFFREN | STAFF WRITER