Congregational Life
Temple Brith Achim History
Temple Brith Achim, a Reform synagogue affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, began in 1971 as Brotherhood Temple Brith Achim, when a small group of families established a Jewish presence in the Valley Forge area. They dreamed of a place to worship, to celebrate the holidays and simchas together, to mourn their loved ones, and to teach their children about their heritage and to be comfortable with their Jewishness. They felt a deep love for Judaism and a high regard for its principles and traditions. But they also understood that a religion must be relevant to its people and the ever-changing world they live in. For the first eleven years, we met at the Valley Forge Presbyterian Church and the Upper Merion Cultural Center, while using other local venues for services and religious school. Then, on September 12, 1982, we dedicated our first “real home” at 481 South Gulph Road, King of Prussia. At that time, we changed our name to “Temple Brith Achim.”
With our own building came our first full-time Reform rabbi, Rabbi David Cahn-Lipman, and membership growth so rapid -- especially among families with young children -- that the religious school had to institute double sessions.
In 1986, Rabbi Robert Ourach became our rabbi. In 1987, we expanded the existing building to meet the new programming needs of our rapidly growing and increasingly diverse congregation.
Moving forward to stay vital and vibrant, supported and encouraged by Rabbi Eric Lazar (who became our rabbi in 2004), we built a new wing, in 2008, to house the Center for Lifelong Learning and made improvements to our existing building.
It’s an exciting time for Temple Brith Achim, and we invite you to join us as we continue to explore our Jewish heritage and become the best we can be.
Welcome to Temple Brith Achim
May the doors of our synagogue be wide enough to receive all who hunger for love, all who thirst for community.
May they welcome all who have cares to unburden, thanks to express, hopes to nurture, prayers to offer.
May our doors be open to all and its threshold not be a stumbling block to anyone.
Yet may the doors of our synagogue be narrow enough to shut out pettiness, jealousy and envy and its threshold be too high to admit complacency, selfishness and harshness.
May our synagogue be, for each of us and all who enter, the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.
Welcome to Temple Brith Achim, a Union for Reform Judaism congregation, serving Philadelphia's western suburbs.
TBA is a vibrant, energetic and diverse group of individuals who have built a warm and friendly community. We celebrate simchas and good times together and support each other during painful and sad times. We reach out to new members to join us, in the hope that they too will find friends and a Jewish home at Temple Brith Achim.
Along with our caring community, Tikkun Olam - repairing the world - is the foundation for what we do at TBA. It is a value that instills our worship services, educational and social programming, as well as our charitable and community outreach activities. TBA is committed to educating and instilling Jewish values in both our younger members and adult congregants through Lifelong Jewish Learning. Making new friends, building a community, and discovering the joys of spirituality are just a few things that TBA offers its members.
We invite you to learn more about TBA and the variety of our many programs. We are available to answer any of your membership or financial questions or concerns.
Please contact us at 610-337-2222, or join us for services on Friday nights or Saturday mornings at 481 South Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406. (See Worship for service times.)