Beth Am Israel was founded in 1924 in Southwest Philadelphia, an area that held a vibrant Jewish community. As local residents started moving to the Main Line, BAI moved too, erecting its first building in Penn Valley in 1973.
The original Penn Valley structure served us well into the late 1990s when our burgeoning community outgrew the original facility. In 2003, we proudly opened our new, award-winning building on the same spot as the original Hagys Ford Road address.
Our sanctuary sits at the heart of our space, with classrooms surrounding it — encouraging intergenerational worship and learning as inseparable parts of Jewish experience. Our building’s architecture also connects us to the beauty of the world around us. Large windows invite light and views of nature, helping us contemplate the wonder of the universe.
“We wanted a building that would meet our functional needs and more. In character with our community: warm, welcoming, modest, responsible and solid. Basic materials, used well, beautifully composed. A building that made distinctions between sacred space and space for other uses, as we distinguish between Shabbat and the rest of the week, bein kodesh l’chol. A building that would inspire, evoke and teach. A work of Architecture. A work of Art.””
Bill BeckerDesign Team Leader |Building Project Chair | Past President
Ya’ar (Woodlands)
BAI is fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful woodlands, or Ya’ar in Hebrew. We take our stewardship of the earth seriously, as reflected in the design, creation, and maintenance of an indigenous natural habitat. This curated outdoor space allows for our members to explore their spirituality and our children to experience outdoor Jewish learning through our Jewish by Nature education program.
Working with the student leaders of our Jewish Youth Climate Movement, we created a space that includes a pollinator garden — planted in memory of Pecki Witonsky — which is also a certified way-station along the Monarch Migration Trail. In addition, BAI is proud to be a certified wildlife habitat, providing food, water, and shelter for local wildlife.
