Congregation Beth Am (Or Ami) Records

On October 12, 1972, a group of young Jewish people met for the first time in the Kendall Branch Public Library on Memorial Drive to discuss the possibility of starting a Congregation to serve the needs of the increasing number of Jewish families settling in the Memorial-Northwest area of Houston. The need for a West Houston synagogue was recognized at that first meeting.

Interest in forming a synagogue spread quickly and by January 1973, seventy people had already formed committees, held a Hanukkah service and agreed that a religious school was a necessity.

the first Board election was held in April 1973, and that month the members voted to become a conservative congregation. Within a six-month period both a Sisterhood and a Men's Club were formed, an ark was built to house the newly acquired Torah and Rabbi Irwin Halpern became the congregation's first spiritual leader and school administrator. Jerard Y. Cohen became the first President of the congregation.

In 1975 Beth Am purchased a facility on Brittmoore Road. As the membership continued to grow a new sanctuary, kitchen, and offices were added. The youth group, Beth Am Synagogue Youth, was also created around this time.

As the years passed the members decided that further growth was hampered by the somewhat industrial location of the synagogue. As a part of that decision, Congregation Beth Am merged with Congregation Or Hadash in 2001 and became Congregation Or Ami.

Sandra Block was elected president of Congregation Beth Am in the 1979.