B’resheet – In the Beginning
During the summer of 1993 two couples met downtown and discussed the absence of a Reform Jewish congregation in St. Augustine. They visited congregations in surrounding communities hoping to find their new Jewish home. After it became apparent that such a congregation did not exist, they joked, “We may have to start our own congregation!”
After contacting the Union of Reform Judaism (then the Union of American Hebrew Congregations) for advice, a meeting was scheduled in October with community members interested in a Reform congregation. From that meeting, a list of goals were created and those became today’s mission and goals.
The first service was held in December 1993, at a nursery school. Services were held again in January.
By February, 1994, after outgrowing 2 nursery schools, the group moved to the Unitarian Fellowship Hall. Papers were filed, the name Temple Bet Yam (“Temple By The Sea”) was chosen, and 14 families committed to become founding members. Soon the congregation received an ark and our first Torah which was ceremoniously brought to the synagogue after being paraded through the oldest city in a horse drawn carriage, with police escort.
By 2003 we purchased land on Wildwood Drive and began a five year building campaign. Our 70 members raised the money to build and we dedicated the building on June 8, 2008. It is still our home today.
As we look at Temple Bet Yam now, we have about 100 family members from not only the St. Johns County community but from surrounding counties. We have built a “Home of Our Own,” and one could say “And the rest is history!”
Rabbi Mark Goldman, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Bet Yam
Rabbi Mark was ordained in 1967, was a U.S. Army Chaplain during the Vietnam War, was Assistant Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of New York City, then Senior Rabbi at Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati until 2004 when he “retired”. He then became the first permanent Rabbi of Temple Bet Yam. Rabbi Mark served as our Rabbi until 2013 when he re-retired. Rabbi Mark now lives in Cincinnati, OH. It was under Rabbi Mark that we built our first synagogue (pictured above).
ABOUT THE IMAGE: Jerusalem Stone
Both these plaques are made from a special type of material. Rabbi Mark, the first Rabbi of Temple Bet Yam, wanted the material for the plaques to be Jerusalem stone. Maury Kaiser met an Israeli man at Fort Castillo San Marco in St. Augustine. After some discussion during which TBY’s search for Jerusalem Stone came up, this Israeli gentleman put Maury in touch with a man from Thomasville, Georgia. The Georgia man just happened to be using Jerusalem Stone as pavers at his house. The man was only too happy to give TBY four of his stones which Maury went and picked up. Our Jerusalem stones originally came from Hebron in Israel where our sages are buried along with the tomb of the patriarchs. (Author – Bernie Levy)