DECADE 7, Part I
The Short, Vital Life of Bellevue's Congregation Ner Tamid

This article could not have been written without the congregational “archives” preserved so thoroughly and lovingly by Ellis Corets. All of us who belonged to Congregation Ner Tamid owe him a major debt of historical gratitude. Thanks also to Roberta Corets, who designed the Hi-Lites newsletter masthead flame (Ner Tamid) used at the top of this article, as well as most other Congregation Ner Tamid artwork.

On May 30, 1965, Murray Beckenstein, Jerry Birch, Ellis Corets and Julius Skolnick met to discuss the viability of forming a congregation to serve the needs of the Seattle area’s growing Eastside conservative Jewish population. Two more meetings followed quickly, and it became clear that there was a definite need and desire for an Eastside congregation, as expressed by the over 75 people attending the meetings. And thus began Congregation Ner Tamid. With Murray Beckenstein leading the new congregation and 65 charter families, Ner Tamid was up and running in less than four weeks after the initial May meeting.

The first Shabbat service was held on Friday evening, July 23, 1965, at the Crossroads Theatre in Bellevue, with more than 100 people attending. Subsequent services were held at the El Nido Inn at Eastgate in Bellevue (thanks to the generosity of its owner, Abie Labl). The first issue of the monthly synagogue publication, Ner Tamid Hi-Lites, was published that month.

Also in July 1965, the first annual meeting and election of Officers and Board was held at the Puget Sound Power and Light Auditorium in Bellevue. Rabbi Joseph Stampfer of Congregation Neveh Shalom, Portland, was the guest speaker. Elected were President, Murray Beckenstein, Vice-President, Jerry Birch, Secretary, Norm Dobinsky, and Treasurer, Herb Lobl. Mike Bovarnick, Ellis Corets, Ron Kaufman, Phil Lemchen, Jerry Rogoway, and Marv Turck were elected as Board members. The average age of the Board and the membership was 39 for the men and 35 for the women.

During the next few months, Ner Tamid was elected to membership in United Synagogue of America, and USJ and USY chapters were formed as well as a Sisterhood and a Brotherhood. High Holiday services were held at Glendale Country Club. Religious school started in September – Ashwood Elementary School on Sundays and Bellevue Congregational Church on Mondays and Wednesdays.

In December 1965, an installation dinner was held at Glendale Country Club. The main speaker was John J. O’Connell, Washington State Attorney General. Dr. David Lieber, President of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, presented the United Synagogue membership charter, and Rabbi Stampfer installed the Officers and Board members.
 
In March 1966, congregational Bylaws were adopted. Membership was expanding rapidly, due in large part to Membership Co-Chairs Jerry Birch and Ellis Corets. Realizing that a permanent house of worship was necessary for the ever-growing congregation, an agreement was entered into in July 1966 to purchase a building from the Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, located in Bellevue on Lake Hills Blvd. at 159th Place S.E. For a year there was joint tenancy with the church. When Ner Tamid held Shabbat services, a very large white cloth was placed over the cross in the front of the sanctuary. The first year was a busy one – first annual auction, the start of a gift shop, a moonlight cruise, bridge tournament, rummage sale, New Year’s Eve dance, and the practice of a different member family hosting each week’s Oneg Shabbat.
 
In May of 1967, Gilbert Kollin was hired as rabbi and school principal. Those who were students at the time will remember the spirit of the rabbi as he would lead them in a cheer – “Give me a nun!” – until they had spelled out N-e-r-T-a-m-i-d. At the second annual meeting, Murray Beckenstein was re-elected as President, Jerry Birch as Vice-President and Norm Dobinsky, Second Vice-President, Lillian Maslin, Secretary, and Fred Adler, Treasurer. That month students Randi Beckenstein, Dennis Birch, Beth Dobinsky, Peter Friedmann, Karen Mednick, Elisa Newman and Mirelle Zack were confirmed.
 
In July 1967, Cantor Norman Migdal was hired as school principal and Cantor Joseph Frankel served as school consultant. In addition to the many events mentioned above that took place each year, the Sisterhood published a cookbook and sponsored a six-week introductory cooking class for girls in grades 3-7, and the Brotherhood sponsored a fund raising stag dinner, a congregational New Year’s Eve party, Friday forums featuring guest speakers after services, and a Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast.

Leading the congregation in 1968-69 were Mike Bovarnick, President; Larry Halpern and Dick Willner, Vice-Presidents; Bruce Florsheim, Secretary; and Alec Shapiro, Treasurer. In 1969-1970, Officers were Alec Shapiro, President; Marv Kaplan and Bruce Florsheim, Vice-Presidents; Minnie Feldman, Secretary; and David Bloch, Treasurer.
 
Sisterhood Presidents were: Florence Beckelman (1965-67), Ann Lee Rogel (1967-68), Joan Florsheim (1968-69), and Lana Finegold (President-elect, 1970.) The Sisterhood, which was a vibrant part of the fledgling congregation, organized an annual fund-raising auction. Auction chairs were: 1966, Auction A-Go-Go, Florence Beckelman; 1967, Auction In The Round, Ruth Bovarnick; 1968, Third Annual Auction, Yona Kollin; 1969, Fourth Annual Auction, Frankie Halpern and Ruth Bovarnick; and 1970, Bubbles, Bangles & Bids, Lorraine Dreiblatt and Babette Schiller. The auctions were all very successful, not only due to the efforts of so many Ner Tamid members, but also to the generosity of Mike Arons and Jim Greenfield, who donated their professional services as auctioneers, and Marv Turck, who served as M.C. for the evenings.

During the five years of its existence, Ner Tamid celebrated the B’nai Mitzvah of 26 students: 1968- Alan Mednick, Deborah Skolnick, Danny Friedmann, Joyce Brody, Mark Rosenberg, Jeffrey Altaras, Gloria Rice, and Wendy Shultz (the first female to be called to the Torah); 1969 - Barry Kaplan, Robin Rogel, Michael Becker, Deborah Katz, Joseph Bernstein, Alexis Adler, Steven Dobinsky, Nick Lehv, Joanne and Joel Birch, Robert Klein, Larry Zepper, Danny Willner, Mark Shapiro, Gary Altaras, and Steve Bovarnick; and 1970 - Richard Brody, David Skolnick and Robert Coe.

In April 1968, less than three years after its founding, Congregation Ner Tamid was approached by Seattle’s Herzl Conservative Congregation to enter into discussions about the possibility of a merger. Merger talks continued for many months, and in May of 1970, both parties agreed to the merger. And thus began the era of Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation.

Though five years is not a long time in the life of a congregation, those who were members of Congregation Ner Tamid shared a very special bond to Judaism, to the congregation, and to each other. A bond that, forty years later, still remains strong.