Beth Am Temple sits on East Madison Avenue in Pearl River, a hamlet in Rockland County, New York, where it has served as a Reform Jewish congregation since 1963. Members come from across Rockland County and from neighboring communities in Northern Bergen County, and the congregation's Hebrew name, Beth Am, translates to "House of the People," a phrase that captures the temple's welcome to Jewish and interfaith families, couples, and singles.
From Twenty-Three Families to a Full Campus
Reform Judaism in Pearl River took shape in April 1963, when a small group of couples, inspired by Rabbi Louis Frishman of Temple Beth El in Spring Valley, gathered to plan a new congregation. Rabbi Davis of the Union for Reform Judaism offered guidance and literature, and the community's first public meeting drew an enthusiastic response. After considering several names, the founders chose Beth Am, Hebrew for "House of the People." Rabbi Milton Weinberg became the congregation's first spiritual leader, the Religious School opened its doors, and committees on Ritual, Building, and other areas quickly formed. The first service was held in September 1963 with twenty-three families, and by November that number had grown to seventy-six.
Membership soared in the late 1970s, and in 1979 the sanctuary that still anchors the building was completed. The 1980s and 1990s brought continued growth, especially after Rabbi Daniel Pernick arrived, and a significant influx of families from Bergen County extended the temple's reach across the state line. In 1998 the congregation formalized its long relationship with Rabbi Pernick through a long-term contract, and in 2001 a major building project added a banquet hall, a new school building, offices, and a library. The sanctuary was later enhanced with a Jerusalem stone bimah wall and, in 2009, permanent seating, the realization of a long-held dream.
Shabbat Services and the Worship Calendar
Beth Am Temple gathers for Shabbat on Friday evenings at 7:45 pm throughout the year. Saturday morning services are held at 10:15 am twice a month from September through June. Torah reading is part of both services so worshippers at either gathering can benefit from the weekly portion. The congregation follows the Israeli calendar for holiday observance: two days of Rosh Hashanah and one day of all other festivals. Yizkor services are held on Yom Kippur, Simchat Torah, the seventh day of Passover, and Shavuot.
The congregation uses Mishkan Tefilah as its Shabbat prayer book and Mishkan Hanefesh as the High Holy Day prayer book. Both are fully transliterated, allowing worshippers who do not read Hebrew to participate fully. There is no differentiation in participation by gender in services or ritual life. The rabbi speaks openly on all subjects without limitation or censure, and discussion is encouraged. Since May 2021, every sanctuary service has also been livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.
Students celebrate becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah at Shabbat morning services. The ceremony is identical regardless of gender, reflecting the movement's commitment to equality. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah conducts the entire Shabbat morning service and leads the Friday evening service on the preceding week. Beth Am Temple treats the milestone as the beginning of a new stage of Jewish learning rather than its conclusion, and students are expected to continue their studies through Confirmation in tenth grade.
The Rabbi and the Cantorial Soloist
Rabbi Daniel Pernick has served Beth Am Temple since July 1985. A native of Detroit, he earned a BA in Sociology from Oakland University before his ordination at Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, in Cincinnati in 1982. He served three years as Assistant Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he met his wife Ruth, who now teaches in the Religious School. Rabbi Pernick is a past president of the Rockland Board of Rabbis and the Pearl River Interfaith Council, and Hebrew Union College honored him with a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2007. His religious philosophy emphasizes a love of tradition paired with creative worship. Among the innovations he has brought to the temple are a weekly Torah Study group, an annual Group Naming ceremony on Shabbat Shmot, an annual Tu B'Shevat Seder, and a weekly congregational email called BATeeMail.
Cantorial Soloist Alex Schecter joined Beth Am Temple after serving as Interim Cantorial Soloist at Temple Judea of Palm Beach Gardens. A graduate of Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music, he has performed professionally in New York at Lincoln Center, Sony Hall, Birdland, 54 Below, and other venues, and has worked on television, film, and a sitcom pilot in development. His musical life began at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, where he performed on the bimah from an early age.
Cantor Emerita Marcy Kadin served as Beth Am Temple's only ordained Cantor from 2009 to 2023, following studies at Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion. A graduate of the Hartt College of Music with graduate work at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, she also conducts HaZamir Rockland, a chapter of HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir.
Religious School K-7
The Religious School serves students from kindergarten through seventh grade with a small student-to-teacher ratio, a well-defined curriculum, and extracurricular activities designed to foster a lifelong love of being Jewish. In addition to Hebrew reading and the ritual prayers, the school offers classes in Jewish music, history, culture, and ethics. The K-2 program uses differentiated age groups and hands-on, multi-sensory activities. Third and fourth graders begin illustrating Mitzvahs of the Week and learning to chant the Shema and the opening of the V'ahavta. Fifth grade introduces the Prophets. Sixth graders deepen their analysis and connect lessons to Tikkun Olam, the Jewish concept of "repairing the world." Seventh graders focus on chanting the Ashrei in Hebrew while continuing their mensch work. A Special Education program called Keshet supports students with diverse learning needs.
The faculty is led by Principal Karen Herskowitz and includes long-serving teacher Ruth Pernick, Ellen Silber, Rebecca Freimann, and Abigail Trent.
Hebrew High School
Hebrew High School serves students in grades 8 through 10 and meets every Tuesday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The evening begins with pizza from 6:00 to 6:30 pm, followed by two 45-minute classes. Each trimester, eighth and ninth graders take one core class with their peers and choose one elective; tenth graders take one core class and one elective in the fall and then spend the second and third trimesters with the rabbi. Core classes include Comparative Judaism, Holocaust Writings, Modern Israel, Resistance and the Righteous During the Holocaust, Pirke Avot, Comparative Religions, and the MTV Challenge. Recent electives have included Cooking Jewish Foods, Israeli Dance, Jews in Sports, Jewish Film, and the Purim Shpiel.
Students whose attendance and classroom performance meet the standards participate in a Confirmation service on Erev Shavuot at the end of tenth grade. Tenth through twelfth graders are also offered the four-day L'taken Seminar of the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C., where they meet with legislative assistants, visit the Holocaust Museum, celebrate Shabbat and Havdalah with Jewish teenagers from across the country, and lobby their elected officials on legislation before Congress. A monthly post-Confirmation group continues for eleventh and twelfth graders. Hebrew High students are expected to complete a minimum number of community-service hours through the Social Action Committee or at hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, or food banks.
Adult Education
Beth Am Temple offers adult programming for both members and the wider community, with the goal of deepening knowledge of Jewish religion, culture, and heritage. Recent programs have included movie nights, discussion groups, conversational Hebrew, ethics, and topics in local and Israeli current events. Rabbi Pernick also leads a weekly Torah Study group.
Lifecycle Events
The congregation walks with families through the milestones of Jewish life, and Rabbi Pernick is available for counsel at every stage. Brit Bat and Brit Ben ceremonies welcome baby girls and boys into the covenant, sometimes on the eighth day and sometimes much later, around the first birthday, and may be held in the temple or elsewhere. Weddings are a particular specialty: the rabbi encourages couples to consult him before setting a date, and the sanctuary and social hall can accommodate large crowds for the celebration. Rabbi Pernick also guides adults through the conversion process, which generally takes close to a year and can be paused at any point. For Bar and Bat Mitzvah, all students become eligible at age thirteen, though the public celebration at Beth Am is limited to students who have fulfilled Religious School expectations. For death and mourning, the congregation helps families plan funerals and offers the use of the temple's cemetery in Blauvelt, New York, about ten minutes from the sanctuary.
Czech Torah and Holocaust Memory
Beth Am Temple is the custodian of a Czech Torah on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. The scroll originates from the Jewish communities of Bohemia and Moravia, whose centuries-old culture was destroyed under the Nazi occupation. The temple periodically introduces the Torah in services, telling the story of how it came to the congregation.
Sisterhood, Men's Club, and Social Action
The Sisterhood brings together the women of the congregation for social, educational, and fundraising programs that support the temple, the wider community, and personal growth. The Men's Club offers the men of the temple a brotherhood and a volunteer network that supports temple programming and fosters Reform Judaism in the community. The Social Action Committee is among the largest and most active committees in the congregation, focused on aiding immigrants and people without sufficient food or clothing. Members participate in RISA, the Rockland Interfaith Social Action Network, hold Social Action Shabbat services, and seek new ways to live the Jewish ideal of being "a light unto the nations."
Bingo and Community Gatherings
Beth Am Temple hosts Bingo every Wednesday evening. The last Wednesday of each month features Pull Tabs and Specials only. Beyond Bingo, the congregation's communal life includes Sisterhood and Men's Club gatherings throughout the year, an Israel trip, menorah lighting in downtown Pearl River, and the annual Purim Spiel.
Visiting Beth Am Temple
The temple is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, and on Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm on Religious School days. Summer office hours run from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Worshippers and visitors are warmly welcomed at any gathering, and parents are encouraged to bring children to all services. Young children's services are offered on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for children age eight and under. For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed. Membership and Religious School registration forms are available from the temple office, and donations are accepted online or by check.