About Us

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Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) is a warm, friendly and vibrant synagogue located in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In addition to Scotch Plains, many members of our community come from other nearby towns across Union County, including Clark, Cranford, Fanwood, Mountainside and Westfield. These communities offer strong school districts, easy commutes to Manhattan, multiple active Jewish organizations and they are great places to call home!

Originally founded as Temple Israel in 1957, the synagogue merged with Temple Beth El of Plainfield in 1994 to create Congregation Beth Israel. Today, CBI serves the needs of a diverse community, providing religious services and educational and social programming for people of all ages and backgrounds. As a fully egalitarian synagogue, CBI is a proud member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, balancing traditional liturgy and practices with modern innovations and perspectives.

The CBI Religious School offers instruction for students beginning in pre-kindergarten and continuing through high school. Additionally, we regularly feature informal family education programs, and we provide youth programs for students in middle school and high school through Kadima and USY.

As a partner of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, CBI frequently works with other Jewish agencies right in our own backyard and across the region to create a strong and united Jewish community.

Mission

Our mission is to meet the diverse spiritual, religious, educational, and social needs of our community within the framework of Conservative Judaism and to further the causes of the Jewish People and the State of Israel. We will work to include and accommodate all members so that Congregation Beth Israel can be:

a Bet T’fillah (House of Prayer) - We will strive to provide high quality, inspiring, accessible religious services in an egalitarian atmosphere in which all members may participate to the degree that they are comfortable.
a Bet Midrash (House of Study) - Our goal is to provide high quality educational experiences for our community by participation in the Religious School and study sessions with clergy and guest speakers. We provide opportunities for all our members to grow Jewishly and celebrate their Judaism.
a Bet K’nesset (House of Assembly) - We encourage participation of our entire community to create a warm, embracing, and caring atmosphere, available and inclusive to everyone. We wish to facilitate Jewish growth through our programs and activities and to provide an environment that encourages the development of an extended caring congregational family.