By the early 1970s, Portland’s social barriers for Jews had largely, but not entirely, fallen. Jews were not only able to join once-exclusive and discriminatory country and social clubs, they now provided important leadership roles for numerous civic and philanthropic organizations in the greater community.
Additionally, Portland’s Jewish community had become more suburban— part of a national trend. Between 1945 and 1965, one third of America’s Jewish population had moved from the inner cities into the outer suburbs. In Portland, historian Ben Bandt estimated that by 1942, almost half of Portland’s Jews had moved the two miles from Munjoy Hill (on the Eastern tip of the Portland peninsula), to the Woodfords area (a neighborhood north and west of downtown). As the 20th century went on, this trend continued.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the growth of Conservative Judaism in Portland—through its representative institution, Temple Beth El (Stop W02), located near Woodfords Corner—meant that the synagogue could now offer numerous social as well as religious activities for younger Jews. It could also attract Jews who wanted women and men to be treated equally in the service. Shaarey Tphiloh, the Orthodox shul, followed its membership from the East End to Noyes Street, and retained a large membership into the 1970s (Stop W04). These synagogues, now sited near the suburban areas where Jews had moved, began to replace the downtown JCC as the focus of a large portion of the community’s Jewish identity, reversing a trend of previous decades.
More recently, this function has been extended by Bet Ha’Am, the Reform temple in South Portland that opened in 1985. Now the largest Jewish congregation in the area, Bet Ha’Am welcomes interfaith couples and more progressive Jews who are interested in social action and social justice issues (Stop W11). Chabad—the outreach-focused ultra-Orthodox sect of Hasidic Judaism—also found its way to Maine, and now offers a lively range of programming through its centers in Portland, Bangor, and Brunswick (Stop W09).
Jewish social welfare organizations like the former Jewish Home for Aged (Stop E09), now known as The Cedars (on Ocean Avenue), and the Jewish Community Center, now part of the Jewish Community Alliance on outer Congress Street (Stop W10), offer an impressive range of services to the broader community. The Levey Day School also moved towards a more secular model and offers services for all (Stop W03).
At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of this one, wealthy Portland Jewish philanthropists made substantial contributions to the city of Portland and beyond, particularly in culture, education, social welfare and healthcare. Some of these can be seen in the several major contributions made to and at the University of Southern Maine (USM) Portland campus.. You can see these driving up Bedford Street from Forest Avenue (Stops W05 - W08).
At the start of the 21st century here in Portland, the tension between being a Jew and being an American seemed to diminish—translating into an understanding that being a better Jew was important in becoming a better American. In 2025, this tension is once again being tested, and the next generation of Jewish leaders are being called to respond.