Congregation Bet Ha'am

81 Westbrook Street, South Portland

www.bethaam.org/

It’s easy to miss Congregation Bet Ha’am (House of the People), which is located just off South Portland’s commercial Main Street. But passing by this beautiful temple, with its sweeping concave roof line, garden walls and reflecting pool, would be a mistake. In 2013, the Huffington Post selected Bet Ha’am as one of 50 “stunning” synagogues and temples around the world – alongside acclaimed houses of worship such as the Neue Synagogue in Berlin, the Jubilee Synagogue in Prague, and the Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center in Tel Aviv.

Founded in 1985 by local Jews looking for an alternative to Portland’s Orthodox and Conservative synagogues, this Reform congregation has always offered an open-door community for Jewish ritual, connection, and engagement. Bet Ha’am welcomes Jews from all backgrounds, embraces interfaith families, emphasizes the creation of community, and maintains an open and progressive approach to ritual. It encourages participation in the repair of our world through both social action and social justice.

Before congregants had their own space, Bet Ha’am held services at Etz Chaim (Stop E02) in downtown Portland, and the temple you see here was completed in 2009. Rabbi Jared Saks has led the congregation since 2011. With 350 member households and a religious school with 150 students, Bet Ha’am is now Maine’s largest Jewish congregation.