In 1942, 7 Jewish couples got together and formed two clubs. The women formed the Whittier Jewish Women’s Club and the men formed the Whittier Jewish Men’s Club. In 1947, the Women’s and Men’s clubs voted to combine and create the Whittier Jewish Community Center. After a few years they decided to become a synagogue. There were discussions on whether the new synagogue would be Reform or Conservative. After presentations by Rabbi’s from both, they held a vote. The result was 50 to 48 in favor of the Conservative view. Had it been a 49 to 49 tie, the President, Alan Schneiderman, said he would have voted Reform. Some of the people who preferred to be Reform, later established Beth Ohr in La Mirada. They had been meeting at the YMCA, the Plymouth Congregational Church, The Whittier Women’s Club and other locations. They began a search to find land on which to build a synagogue. On September 8, 1953, they signed escrow papers to purchase the land on Hawes Street for the sum of $10,000.
They started with 100 people and over the years increased in number to between 400 and 500 members. The name was changed to Beth Shalom of Whittier (BSW). A building was built and then enlarged. As the demographics of the area changed, other synagogues opened in the area and people moved away, the numbers had declined to about 50 by 2017. The time came when we could not afford the upkeep or need the space of our 17,000 square-foot building. However, we still wanted to keep BSW active to serve our community.
After exploring many options, the Board determined that the only way we could stay together was to sell the building and use the proceeds to allow us to stay open for our members, for as long as possible. After looking at many options to buy or lease in the area, it was decided to lease space from First Friends Church of Whittier and we have been here since 2019. We are very happy here and have office space as well as a beautiful space for our services and a large space for luncheons, dinners, meetings and educational programs.
Beth Shalom strives to meet the needs of Jewish people of all ages and interests. We value the beautiful, time-honored traditions of Jewish life. Yet we are always evolving, adding new programs and activities to ensure that we provide the best possible Jewish community to our members. Member involvement and participation is always sought out. From members' collective ideas, Beth Shalom shapes its practices and priorities. We invite you to join our growing community, to worship with us on Shabbat, to celebrate Jewish holidays and Simchas with us, and to participate in our many educational and cultural programs.
Through the ages, Jewish religious and spiritual life has flourished most within a nurturing community. Our commitment to the practice of Judaism extends beyond the doors of our synagogue. We support the regional and national Jewish community, the State of Israel, and Jews around the world. Locally, we participate in the Whittier Interfaith Council, the Interfaith Food Center, Whittier Area Clergy Association, City of Hope, and other social programs which assist the less fortunate and improve our community.
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