About SJCCBA

Suburban Jewish Community Center was founded in 1951 to serve the spiritual needs of its Jewish neighbors. Likewise, Bnai Aaron was founded in 1926 in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and merged with SJCC in 1969, bringing with it additional maturity, wisdom and stature. In 1991, Yeadon Jewish Community Center joined our growing congregation.

Our shul membership of 300 families is made up of people of all ages. While many of our adult members work in Center City Philadelphia, Havertown, and Lower Merion Townships, our shul also consists of retired people and stay-at-home parents with small children. We have an active cadre of teenagers in the shul, many of whom are active in United Synagogue Youth (USY). Some of our teens have been active participants in our High Holydays services- either as Junior Congregation leaders, as singers in the choir, or as the Sh’lichat Tzibur (Prayer Leader).

At SJCC-Bnai Aaron, we value participation in all aspects of synagogue life. The cantor and rabbi infuse our Shabbat and holiday services with ruach-filled melodies, encouraging everyone to actively participate in davening. Two Fridays per month, we have a Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat service. We also offer many opportunities for congregants to lead davening, read Torah, Haftarah, Megillot and deliver Divrei Torah. In daily minyan throughout the year and on Shabbatot in the summer, most of our services are lay-led.

Our shul encourages and provides opportunities for lifelong learning. Our extensive Adult Education program includes classes taught by the rabbi, cantor, congregants, and other teachers in the areas of Torah, Tefillah, Tradition, Talmud, Mishnah, and Hebrew. We also have a popular Torah and Megillah Readers' Circle, led by the cantor.

Our active Men's Club and Sisterhood offer many programs (including political debates and fashion shows!) that further enrich synagogue life. The synagogue is also proud to offer many other social, cultural, and social actions tikkun olam programs. We are a community of people who care about each other; we feel blessed to be able to share in each other's lifecycle events- from baby namings to shiva minyans. SJCC-BA is not a place where congregants are anonymous; we are proud to be a shul where everyone’s name, life story, and unique skills and contributions are valued. We welcome you to visit our shul any time and would consider it a privilege to have you join our community. For further information, please contact us at (610) 446-1967.