Richmond’s Temple Beth Hillel Celebrates 80th Anniversary

Current and former congregants of Temple Beth Hillel gathered Saturday in Richmond to celebrate the Reform congregation’s 80th anniversary with a shared meal, live music, circle dancing, and a presentation of archival photographs, videos, and oral histories, according to Richmond Confidential.

Founded around 1945 as the Richmond Jewish Community Center by Jewish families—including Holocaust survivors—who settled in Richmond during the city’s World War II shipbuilding boom, the community formally became Temple Beth Hillel in 1959 and today counts roughly 75 families.

Preserving Generational Memories and Immigrant Roots

Longtime member Maggie Jacobs, who joined the congregation in 2001, welcomed returning families at the door, while co-president Anna Stein—who emigrated from Moscow in 1989 and joined Temple Beth Hillel after moving to Richmond in 2012—said members collected written accounts and oral histories to honor the founders who sustained the synagogue across eight decades.

“Eighty years is a remarkable milestone for this congregation. When you look back at all the people who came before us, the families who built this community and the traditions they passed down, you realize how much it means to keep it going,” Jacobs told Richmond Confidential.

Religious School Education and Tikkun Olam

Longtime member Larry Fox, who joined as a child around 1983 and teaches teenagers in Beth Hillel’s religious school about Jewish history before, during, and after the Holocaust, highlighted the congregation’s commitment to tikkun olam—repairing the world—including an annual December interfaith food drive supporting local families during the winter school break.