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About BZBI

TEMPLE BETH ZION-BETH ISRAEL (BZBI)

Where You Belong

Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel is a Conservative synagogue located in Center City Philadelphia. We are affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. We were founded in 1840.

BZBI is an open, inclusive, and egalitarian Conservative Jewish center of worship, learning, and acts of good deeds. We welcome the entirety of Center City’s Jewish community: people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and abilities; interfaith families; people who are single and partnered; and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Whether you are new to the liturgy, have grown up with it all your life, are returning to observance, are seeking to learn more or wish to start or build a new relationship with Judaism, BZBI is a place where you belong.

Fulfilling the three essential pillars of Judaism, BZBI is a:

• Beit T’fillah-a House of Prayer, gathering in worship on Shabbat, Holy Days, and every day.
• Beit Midrash–House of Study, a place of learning for all ages.
• Beit Knesset–House of Assembly, celebrating our Jewishness through acts of mitzvoth (good deeds).
  

Worship with us. Learn with us. Engage with us to repair the world.

BZBI is: 

• an ADL Signature Synagogue  – ADL’s Signature Synagogue program ignites congregation-wide commitment to challenging antisemitism and hate through community education and engagement
• an ADL Kulanu Synagogue – Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism – a national synagogue engagement program
• a Grinspoon Life and Legacy Synagogue – LIFE & LEGACY provides training, support, and monetary incentives to motivate Jewish organizations to secure after-lifetime commitments with the aim of building permanent endowments that will sustain vibrant Jewish communities for years to come

BZBI At a Glance

Membership households: 385

% Membership by age:

• Young Singles: 20%
• Families without Children: 20%
• Families with Children: 20%
• Families with Children no longer at home: 20%
• Older adults (single and partnered): 20%

A golden anniversary as a member of BZBI brings back many wonderful memories. My husband Ernst, a Dutch Holocaust survivor, and I came to Philadelphia in 1966 and joined the synagogue at the High Holy Days. Thank you, BZBI, for half a century of inspiration and deep religious meaning here in Philadelphia.

—Barbara Presseisen

Photos on this website were taken by BZBI congregants:
Harry Roth, Cara Levinson and Lisa Weinberger.
Event photography by Shira Yudkoff photography.

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Permission to record
BZBI records all adult events and often makes them available for viewing by members and non-members.  By participating in our events, you consent to having your image recorded. Events involving children may be recorded but are not shared except with permission of parent or guardian.

Consent to email
BZBI keeps records of the names and email addresses of those who register for our Zoom events, and we may add you to our mailing list as a result.  You are welcome to tell us that you do not want to receive emails from us by writing to Feedback@bzbi.org or calling the Temple office at 215-735-5148.  You can also click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email we send.

Inclusion Statement
BZBI welcomes the entire spectrum of Center City’s Jewish community: people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and abilities; interfaith families; people who are single and partnered. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We are committed to disability justice and universal accessibility. We will do our best to provide accommodation. To request assistance in breaking down barriers to joining our community, please call us at 215-735-5148 or email us.