Our Story
Welcome to Beit Luria Progressive Synagogue!
We celebrate Judaism in our friendly, family-oriented synagogue and experience services that enhance our sense of community and inclusivity. After congregation services at her home since 2016, 8 September 2019 saw an amazing dream come true with the official opening of Beit Luria, the 11th Progressive Synagogue in South Africa and the first in Gauteng in almost 50 years. Through the efforts of like-minded people, friends, and sponsors, we were blessed to be able to have had a ceremony of the inauguration of the Torah scroll into the new Reform community in South Africa.
Beit Luria is the first house of worship based in Gauteng that has opened its doors for the first time in 50 years! Today we are an egalitarian congregation built on tradition while aspiring to innovation. We welcome interfaith families; our diverse community encompasses a broad spectrum of ages, political orientation and expression of Jewish observance, and we are all connected!
Our community is a dream come true, and when we were dreaming and discussing our congregation and how we saw it, we knew it would be a warm and friendly, family-oriented synagogue that celebrates Judaism. We wanted to experience services and festivals with a sense of community and inclusivity, and over six years in the making, we do.
G-d works in mysterious ways, and due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, we swiftly pivoted to online services, unexpectedly opening us up to the blessing of more congregants and friends of Beit Luria across the nation and world.
Among our congregants today there are people of different nationalities and religions. This has a special symbol and meaning and is intentional. Along with our proud membership of SAUPJ, our community is a spiritual, warm and cosy home for anyone who wants to come here and to be able to explore the great wisdom of our Torah, to know and understand the great tradition, amazing history and fate of the Jewish people!
“May G-d bless you and keep you;
May G-d make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
May G-d lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”
A Dream Come True
It is also the first Progressive Shul opened by female rabbi. Rabbi Julia Margolis persevered against all odds – with the assistance of a few friends including Steve Lurie, Honorary Life President of the South African Union of Progressive Judaism, and Leonard Singer, also a past member of the SAUPJ – built up a congregation which then applied successfully to the SAUPJ for affiliation as the 11th Progressive Shul.
Soon after, we saw the handing over of a Torah scroll donated to Beit Luria by Rabbi Hillel Cohn of San Bernardino in California, USA.
It was an emotional event and especially so for Rabbi Julia Margolis in fulfilling her dream, and for those who completed the journey with her.
Rabbi Julia Margolis and the management of Beit Luria embarked on a new journey together with SAUPJ and the World Union of Progressive Judaism, to advance and promote the traditions and values of Progressive Judaism within our community and by extension our country and the worldwide movement.
