Beit Luria started its journey in 2016 at the home of Rabbi Julia Margolis, her husband Greg and their two daughters. The family had received great encouragement from many members of the community who had indicated that they were looking for an alternative service and many felt that it was time for a Synagogue to be led by a female Rabbi in Johannesburg.
From Kabbalat Shabbat services, to weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, baby namings, study discussions and more, the Rabbi’s home simply couldn’t accommodate large number of all the people.
The community decided to look for a bigger venue and we found a beautiful and tranquil clubhouse in the Willows Estate in Johannesburg.
We are currently holding two Friday evening services a month and a Shabbat Shacharit service.
The number of congregants has been slowly but steadily increasing over the past year. We are now a community of approximately 40-50 people with around 25 members attending each service.
As a result of the number of members increasing, we felt that it was time to formalise the arrangement we have had in the past.
In February of this year, we applied to join the SAUPJ.
The vote took place on Sunday, 14 July 2019, and we are proud to announce that we are the youngest and newest Progressive congregation in Southern Africa.
