History of Beth Sholom of Amityville and Massapequa

Beth Sholom Center of Amityville and the Massapequas, originally named the Amityville Hebrew Congregation, was built in the 1950s with the cornerstone of the temple dated 1958.

"When Beth Sholom was built, there were nearly 500 member families" said Ben Rosenbaum, the son of a congregant and a graduate of Amityville Memorial High School. "The origin of synagogues dates back to the first temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Over the centuries the function of the temple has changed. In addition to being a house of worship, it also became a community meeting hall and an educational institution."

Rosenbaum said Jews came to the Amityville area at the turn of the century when immigration from Europe was at its highest. "Being Jewish in Amityville in the early 1900s was not easy," he said. "There were few Jewish families in the area besides the Jacobs who came here from Salem, Massachusetts." It was at the home of the Jacobs at 200 Broadwat that the first bar-mitzvah held in Amityville took place.

The closest synagogue was in Lindenhurst, according to Rosenbaum. "They had to go there for sabbath services as there weren’t enough Jews in Amityville to form a minyon," he said. "Jewish law requires at least 10 men (minyon) to hold services."

In the late 1920s a skirt factory opened in the Amityville area which attracted more Jews to the Village.

"Rabbi Leon Spielman moved to Amityville about 40 years ago," said Rosenbaum. "This was during a time when the population of Long Island was dramatically increasing." This increase is credited with attracting many young people to Beth Sholom. The center now has a variety of activities including Hebrew school, Sunday school, a youth group, a sisterhood and a men’s club.

"No mater what the year, 1957 or 1994," said Rosenbaum. "People come to Beth Sholom Center for the same reasons. They wanted a place to pray and enjoy the fellowship of other Jewish families."