Congregation Etz Chaim (Unaffiliated)

Information about this center is no longer updated. This data was last updated on 20 September 2004.

Phone: 207-284-5771
Email: mail@etzchaimme.org
Website: http://www.etzchaimme.org/
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Note

The following information on Congregation Etz Chaim was taken directly from the community's website at www.etzchaimme.org/.

Description

Congregation Etz Chaim is an unaffiliated synagogue that uses conservative, gender sensitive prayer books. They offer morning Shabbat services at 9:30 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month; they hold High Holiday services and holiday celebrations; they host Friday night community potluck dinners; and they offer weekly Hebrew School for children and monthly Sunday School for families. Additionally, they house the Samuel Osher Memorial Library, offering a multitude of Jewish reference materials. The library is open on Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and during potluck dinners.

History

"Congregation Etz Chaim was founded (as an Orthodox congregation) in 1906 in a former Episcopal church on Bacon Street. Congregation Etz Chaim, Hebrew for 'Tree of Life,' flourished for decades through the 1950s, when it served more than 125 families in Biddeford and Saco alone.
"By the 1970s, however, membership had dwindled to about 25 families, and the synagogue no longer had a rabbi or offered Hebrew school.
"Things started looking up at Etz Chaim about 20 years ago, when lifelong member Arnold Shapiro of Biddeford became president of the synagogue. He nudged the Orthodox congregation toward the less-strict Conservative movement. At the time services were long and few young people attended. Children were going to Hebrew school in Portland.
"With the formation of the York County Jewish Community Council a decade ago, Etz Chaim began offering Hebrew school and reaching out to more than 260 Jewish families in the area. Now the congregation counts 75 families among its membership.
"Today the congregation is branching out, and its roots are growing stronger as different generations work together to revitalize the largest of York County's two synagogues.
"The latest evidence of this renaissance is the synagogue's recent renovation. The congregation made a variety of structural and cosmetic improvements, including new stairs and a ramp out front, an elevator inside, new paneling throughout the foyer and new carpeting and drapes in the social hall. The work was financed by the late Alfred Osher and his wife, Susan, who lives in Saco.
"The renovations show how the congregation is working together to meet the varied needs of its members, whether they are senior citizens who have a difficult time negotiating stairs, or youngsters who need a comfortable place to study Hebrew.
"Still without a rabbi, members of the congregation lead monthly family services throughout the winter. They also hold monthly potluck suppers. Each autumn a rabbi from another congregation comes to celebrate the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Casco Bay Tumblers, a traditional klezmer band, pack the family Hanukkah party held at the synagogue each December."

Education

"The primary goal of the York County Community Hebrew School is to teach Hebrew & Jewish studies to children in York County. [They] are committed to providing a local school community that fosters an excitement for learning and a positive Jewish Identity for each child.
"[The] school is designed for peer groups of children between the ages of six and 13 years. The curriculum follows a two year cycle and focuses on age appropriate learning in these areas:
1. Hebrew: reading & comprehension
2. Prayer
3. Bible: Torah study & G-d
4. Jewish life cycle & holidays
5. Israel
"Classes meet each Thursday afternoon from 3:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Congregation Etz Chaim in Biddeford. Classes are not held during scheduled school vacations or Jewish holidays."