Congregation Shir Chadash's Metamorphosis

Congregation Shir Chadash’s Metamorphosis

Congregation Shir Chadash Board

In the summer of 1952, a group of Lakewood residents gathered informally to discuss the state of the local Jewish community. This meeting would lead to the formation of Lakewood’s first congregation. Fifty-five charter member families helped open the doors of what was then known as Temple Beth Zion-Sinai, and together they held services for 71 meaningful years. The congregation had many names over its existence, most recently among them was Congregation Shir Chadash. Even though Shir Chadash formally closed its doors in July 2023, its impact on Jewish life in Greater Long Beach continues, with a new and invigorated purpose. Congregation Shir Chadash’s board of directors has generously decided to utilize the proceeds of its building sale to fund and support local Jewish agencies, programs, and congregations, in partnership with Jewish Long Beach & the Jewish Community Foundation. Details and more information will be announced in early 2024. A note from the Congregation Shir Chadash’s board, and their president, Pat Spievak:

“Putting a place of worship on the real estate market is like selling your family. It is the people and the history that makes it a home, not the building itself. Our membership had dropped so low that it wasn’t feasible to maintain the building any longer. We were able to sell it to another religious organization that we knew, so that was somewhat of a comfort for some of us. For me, it was. I knew they would respect things.

Once we entered escrow many people did not understand the words, escrow is closing. We had to find homes for so many items besides the Torahs and the arks. We were fortunate that other groups in the area stepped up and helped gather and distribute all items. Needless to say, July and August were indeed a blur of work and sweat.

We are now in a place where we can grant money to other local Jewish organizations yearly. We have completed our initial donations for this year and look forward to helping fellow Jews next year. I found it to be a pleasure to give money away. It helps people and places continue their good works. From now on, Congregation Shir Chadash will be loosely based at the Jewish Community Center; we will be open after January for grant applications. From generation to generation.

It has been my honor and pleasure to serve on the Board of Directors for Shir Chadash all these years.”