Beth Tfiloh Congregation history

In 1948, a small group of nine laymen, then all leaders of Beth Tfiloh Congregation, did not want to leave their synagogue but sought some changes in the style of the religious service.

In the early 1960’s, the growth and movement of the Baltimore Jewish community from Forest Park to the northwest suburbs created a clear mandate for the congregation to find a new home.

By the time he retired in 1972, Beth Tfiloh had acquired its first permanent home, grown its membership to about 600 people and added an elementary school with 300 students.

Wohlberg wasted no time doing just that when he was hired in 1978.

The first service in the Epstein Chapel took place on Rosh Hashanah, September 18, 1982, as the culmination of the dream of Samuel and Sidney Epstein, visionary leaders and benefactors.

Continuing a tradition begun by Rabbi Rosenblatt, Rabbi Wohlberg led the first of many congregational trips to Israel in 1985, which were touted by many as a transformational Jewish experience which deepened their commitment to Israel and the Jewish people.

Under her direction, the school grew from 320 students to a total enrollment of nearly 1,000, including the addition of the High School in 1986.

In 1990, the 22 graduates of Beth Tfiloh’s first high school class were accepted to an impressive list of colleges, Yeshivot and Israel programs.

Rabbi Wohlberg was honored in 1992 for passionately promoting the Zionist ideals of love of one’s fellow Jews and the centrality of Israel to the Jewish people.

Hazzan Avi Albrecht joined the Beth Tfiloh clergy in 1996.

MERCAZ: The Beth Tfiloh Center for Jewish Life and Learning, opened in 1998 under the direction of Sandy Vogel and was later renamed the Mercaz Dahan Center, created pathways for increasing Jewish literacy and enriching the knowledge of Beth Tfiloh members.

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Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg of Beth Tfiloh Synagogue demonstrated in 2003 how swinging doors could form a symbolic wall between men worshipping in one section of pews and women in the other.

Marvin H. Weiner and Haron Dahan cut the ribbon to dedicate the new Lower School at Old Court on January 5, 2009.

After starting a nationwide search for his replacement, Beth Tfiloh leaders say, they realized they had the ideal candidate on hand — a man they’d hired in 2010 for his intelligence, down-to-earth personality and cheerful feel for young families.

A union with Winands Road Synagogue Center was approved in 2018.