Temple B'nai Synagogue Merger Complete

After two years of discussion, the merging of congregations from in Rockville Centre and in Lynbrook is officially complete, synagogue officials said.

Approvals from the New York State Attorney General and state Supreme Court were received this month, officials said, completing a two-year process that moves Beth David's congregation to Temple B'nai.

"It makes Temple B'nai stronger," said Rabbi Howard Diamond, who was Beth David's rabbi before coming to Temple B'nai in August. "It's more people attending events and services. It's like having a blood transfusion; we got new blood. Socially and economically, it's a shot in the arm for Temple B'nai."

Congregation Beth David brings around 115 people to Temple B'nai, some of whom were congregants at the Lynbrook synagogue for more than 50 years, Diamond said.

"On one hand, we're giving up our home after many years and that's hard to do," Diamond said of those long-time congregants. "It's a little bit of a tear-jerker, but I think Temple B'nai has been acceptive and rolled out the red carpet for us. This is a new beginning for both communities."

The merger process, however, was quite arduous, according to attorney Michael Gerber, who led the merger for Congregation Beth David. Gerber said both synagogue boards needed to approve the merger, as well as two-thirds of both congregations, which was then followed by an immense amount of legal paperwork. "It was way more legal work than I thought," he said. "But we had a well-orchestrated team, so it went extremely well."

Gerber, a Beth David congregant for years, said he worked with a team of four other lawyers to complete the process.

He explained that though merger discussions started two years ago, it took about seven months to get legal approval, which he said is fairly quick. He added that since Diamond used to be the rabbi at Beth David, it was a smooth transition for congregants moving to Temple B'nai.

"We have the same rabbi and the services are almost exactly the same," he said. "This was one of those mergers made in heaven."