wfn.org | Reform Growth Continues as Seven Congregations Join UAHC

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Union of American Hebrew Congregations
Contact: Emily Grotta
(212) 650-4227
Egrotta@uahc.org

Reform Growth Continues as Seven Congregations Join UAHC
Largest Movement in North America Has 902 Congregations

The Reform Movement grew to more than 900 member congregations in June as
seven new synagogues were admitted to the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations.  This marks the first time in its 127-year history that the
Union, which represents 1.5 million Reform Jews across the United States and
Canada, has counted more than 900 congregations as members and continues the
steady growth seen since its beginning.

"In just twelve months, sixteen congregations have joined the UAHC," said
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the UAHC. "Clearly, the strength of our
programs and the power of our religious philosophy are important attractions
to today's Jews, who feel welcome under the broad tent of Reform Judaism."

Founded in 1873 with only 28 member congregations, the UAHC has grown
steadily and consistently over its history. By 1925 it had grown to 247
congregations, and by 1960 the UAHC included 610 affiliated synagogues. It
surpassed 800 congregations in 1987. The 900 mark is a true benchmark for
the Union, and one that reflects its status as North America's foremost
Jewish organization.

The new congregations are:
·       Free Synagogue of Flushing, Flushing, NY
·       Congregation Bet Aviv. Ellicott City, MD
·       Congregation Am Shalom, Bowling Green, KY
·       Temple Beth Hatikvah, Minerville, PA
·       Congregation Shalom Aleichem, Kissimmee, FL
·       Congregation Tikvah Chadashah, Seattle, WA
·       Congregation Shir Shalom, Bradenton, FL.

Three of the seven congregations are relatively new organizations, formed
over the past few years to serve the needs of the burgeoning Jewish
communities in their respective areas. Am Shalom began as a loosely
organized worship group, with members meeting in each others' homes for
prayer discussions and bagel brunches. Bet Aviv has about 75 members and is
already planning to build its own facility. Shir Shalom began with a 1998
Chanukah party by a group of interested families living in Bradenton.

Shalom Aleichem and the Free Synagogue of Flushing are both older
congregations, and both rejoined the UAHC to better establish themselves as
voices in the Jewish community. Shalom Aleichem was affiliated with the
Union in the early 1990s, but broke away when its membership began to
dwindle. As the ethnic flavor of the once largely Jewish community of
Flushing, NY changed, the Free Synagogue found its numbers shrinking as
well. After nearly 50 years of Union affiliation, it left the UAHC in 1994.
Now, however, it has rejoined, and hopes to provide the Jewish children of
northeastern Queens with a place to learn about their heritage.

Three other congregations joined under more unusual circumstances.

Temple Beth Hatikvah's 25 members are inmates at the Federal Prison Camp in
Minersville, PA. The UAHC's third member congregation located within the
walls of a correctional facility, Beth Hatikvah holds services every
Thursday and Friday, has a Jewish library, and even holds bar mitzvahs for
its members. The members bake challah every Shabbat and build a sukkah
during Sukkot.

"An affiliation with the UAHC would broaden the horizons of our little
group," said Bernard Levy, President of Beth Hatikvah. "Many of the inmates
have been away from religion for many years, and we provide a
re-introduction to Judaism at a time when spiritual help is needed."

Congregation Tikvah Chadashah was founded with the purpose of providing
outreach to the Jewish gay and lesbian community. According to Jack
Fackerell, the congregation's president, Tikvah Chadashah's members "find
fellowship in a Jewish environment which supports and celebrates both
[their] lifestyles and [their] Jewish heritage." Chartered in 1981 with only
six congregants, the congregation's membership has grown steadily over the
past 19 years. It now includes 46 members.

The UAHC is the congregational arm of the Reform Movement in North America,
representing 1.5 million Jews in 900 synagogues across the United States and
Canada. Its services include music and book publishing, camps, educational
programs, and outreach to unaffiliated and intermarried Jews.

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