User:Jdg california/Congregation B'nai Chaim

Congregation B'nai Chaim is a Jewish synagogue in Murrieta, California. Founded in 1972, the synagogue serves a Jewish community which is small in number but has deep historical roots dating back to the 1850s when early pioneers to the Temecula Valley included prominent Jewish settler Louis Wolf, whose wife is thought to have been the prototype for Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel, Ramona.

Congregation B'nai Chaim is a Conservative Jewish congregation though it is not officially affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Its website identifies it as "a liberal Jewish congregation."

History

Congregation B'nai Chaim was founded by 20 residents of what was then known as Murrieta Hot Springs. The founders were owners and residents of a mobile home park called "The Estates" located a quarter-mile up a hill from the synagogue property on the corner of Murrieta Hot Springs Road and Via Princesa, adjacent to the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort.

On the day of the founding, they walked down the hill together carrying the Torah, which is still used at Friday night and Saturday morning religious services as well as on holidays.

Current Membership and Board of Directors

Other Jewish Congregations in the Temecula Valley