Long Beach Congregation to Merge with Island Park Temple

Congregation Beth Sholom has become something of a nomadic congregation since the temple was sold last year, but its officials expect to settle into a permanent home soon in a neighboring town.

The Long Beach congregation will join the Island Park Jewish Center and adopt a new name pending a court decision to approve the merger, according to Steve Diamond, president of Beth Sholom.

“I think the new congregation will offer the community a lot of opportunities, considering that we have a strong financial foundation,” Diamond said. “We’re probably one of the strongest synagogues with over $1 million in the bank and with not that many members. So, we’re in a good position to do things."

Diamond deems the merger a good fit since both congregations are conservative and egalitarian, which means women count for the minyan and are allowed to get honors. Last summer, when Congregation Beth Sholom sold their property at the corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and East Park Avenue, they signed a one-year lease with Temple Emanu-El on Neptune Boulevard, but have opted not to renew.  

“The problem was their synagogue is used a lot on Saturday for bar mitzvahs, and that put us into a small room which really didn’t work out very well,” said Diamond, who owns an insurance company on East Park Avenue.

Meanwhile, Beth Sholom held their High Holiday services at the Sands at Lido Beach with nearly 200 worshipers in attendance. The congregation has some 80 families who are members that will now worship alongside about 70 families at the temple in Island Park on Long Beach Road.

Jan Rothman, a co-president of Island Park Jewish Center, said the two congregations had discussed the possibility of merging in recent years. Both are part of a wider trend of South Shore synagogues with declining memberships.

“People get older and the younger generations are not replacing them,” he said.

Rothman expects the merger will benefit both congregations. “It will help extend their longevity and enhance the services and programs that we offer,” he added.

Beth Sholom was demolished during Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish High Holy day, in late September. Diamond said the developer, David Shokrian of the Long Beach-based Sun America Development, who was not immediately available for comment Tuesday morning, probably did the demolition then due to time constraints.

“It was never going to be a good time, but I believe that it was just a matter of permit timing,” Diamond said.

Shokrian plans to build four high-end houses — three two-family homes and one a single-family home, according to Diamond. 

About five years ago, Shokrian built four two-family houses at the southeast corner of the Roosevelt-Park intersection, which previously housed Beth Sholom’s school and offices.

“They’ve only been up and up with us and done the right thing,” Diamond said.