Temple Beth Sholom (

abbreviated An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing per ...

as TBS) is a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located at 1901 Kresson Road in

Cherry Hill Cherry Hill often refers to: * Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a township in Camden County, New Jersey * Cherry Hill, Prince William County, Virginia, a census-designated place Cherry Hill may also refer to: Places Canada * Cherry Hill, Nova Scotia, a ...

, Camden County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, in the United States. TBS was founded in 1940 and moved to its current building in Cherry Hill in 1989.

History

A member of the

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) is the major congregational organization of Conservative Judaism in North America, and the largest Conservative Jewish communal body in the world. USCJ closely works with the Rabbinical Assembly ...

, TBS was founded in 1940 at its former location at 19 White Horse Pike in Haddon Heights, about west of Cherry Hill. Among the founders was S.H. Fastow, the owner of Fastow's Five & Ten Cent Store in Haddon Heights, which opened in 1936 and closed in 2001. The founders located the synagogue in Haddon Heights hoping that as Jews moved from Camden into the suburbs, they would settle around the synagogue, but that did not happen. As of 1948, the synagogue had 50 member families. While in Haddon Heights, it grew to over 600 families. In 1989, the synagogue moved to its current location in eastern Cherry Hill, at the corner of Kresson and Cropwell Roads. In January 1989, members of the congregation marched for carrying the synagogue's ten

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

s from their old location in Haddon Heights to the new synagogue in Cherry Hill. The Cherry Hill synagogue seats 2,000 people, has a school wing with 19 classrooms, and in 2002 expanded to include a Green Center for Jewish Learning, an expansion of , that contains a multimedia resource center and seven high school classrooms. The synagogue includes about 1,000 member families, and offers a variety of educational and cultural programs.

Clergy

Former staff include Rabbi Albert L. Lewis (1917-2008), who served for 44 years at TBS. Lewis was also a Rabbi Emeritus at the synagogue. Steven Wernick is a former Associate Rabbi of the synagogue. , the Senior Rabbi was Micah Peltz, the Associate Rabbi was Bryan Wexler, the Rabbi Emeritus was Steven Lindemann, and the cantor was Jen Cohen.

Notable members

As a child, celebrated Hollywood actor, producer, writer and director

Michael Landon Michael Landon Sr. (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on th ...

(born Eugene Maurice Orowitz) had his bar mitzvah at TBS., as did noted author

Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. As of 2021, he has sold 40 million books worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing inspi ...

and briefly (1953-1957) noted director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beth Sholom (Cherry Hill, New Jersey) Buildings and structures in Camden County, New Jersey Cherry Hill, New Jersey Conservative synagogues in New Jersey Jewish organizations established in 1940 1940 establishments in New Jersey Synagogues completed in 1989 20th-century synagogues in the United States