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Central, Beth Emeth to hold joint services on Fridays
Following services on Sept. 6, Central Synagogue and Congregation Beth Emeth announced a partnership on a number of new initiatives, including the merging of their Shabbat programs.
The two congregations, which share space at 430 DeMott Ave., will combine Friday night services, and plan to collaborate on a number of programs on those evenings. The decision comes a little over a year after Beth Emeth, the Reconstructionist Synagogue of the South Shore of Long Island, sold its building in Hewlett and began leasing space from Central, a Reform congregation that is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism.
According to Beth Emeth Rabbi Elliot Skiddell, the congregations intend to provide programming to fulfill the needs of those who think of themselves as culturally or spiritually Jewish, but not religious. “We’re trying to provide a broad spectrum of activities,” Skiddell said. “We don’t check people’s credentials or make any kinds of distinctions between who can join and who can’t.”
The programs will vary widely — Skiddell mentioned meditation, poetry readings, concerts, children’s events and film screenings as possible options — but will run concurrently with Friday services. They will be scheduled to end at the same time as the service, allowing those taking part in each activity to come together for Oneg Shabbat, an informal post-service gathering where refreshments are served.
According to Skiddell, the two congregations have been discussing combining programs for the benefit of both communities since Beth Emeth began leasing space. “We began trying to envision what the Jewish community of the South Shore might look like in the future, and how we could build a community where Jews — and others who are interested — of the South Shore might find the right home,” Skiddell said.
He and Rabbi Marc Gruber, of the Central Synagogue congregation, plan to alternate between presiding over services and running the programs. The two announced the initiative together last Friday, and Skiddell said they received almost universal support from both communities.
