Temple Beth Tikvah History
Temple Beth Tikvah was founded in 1964 with the vision of creating a center for Jewish life in North Orange County. We moved from the Fullerton YMCA in 1966/67 to a fraternity house in in Brea that we made our own. Then in 1971 we moved to our current building at the top of Acacia hill. The Temple was envisioned to be a place where Jews would gather to worship, celebrate our traditions, and teach our children about their heritage. The 25 founding families hoped that Temple Beth Tikvah would become a lasting center where we and our children could flourish and our community would grow, bound together by our shared traditions and achievements. Over the years, we have accomplished much together from one generation’s vision to the next.
The Jewish education of our children has always been a top priority. Three generations have learned the basics of our heritage here, and many have become leaders of our own congregation and in Jewish communities around the country. In fact, over the years some of the graduates of our Early Childhood Learning Center (our nursery school/kindergarten) and our other educational programs have even returned to teach in our Hebrew/Religious School and help lead our congregation.
Our children participate with us in many ways to include occasionally leading evening or morning Shabbat services, leading services and chanting Torah and Haftarah for their B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmations, and under the guidance of our Cantor, a group averaging 60 post-B’nai Mitzvah through college age students combine to chant all Torah and Haftarah portions for our High Holy Day worship services.
In 1980, we added a new sanctuary to our original building and in September 2007, we embarked on a capital campaign to build a new school building for our children and our adult education classes. When we break ground for Project Legacy in 2009, we will add the classrooms and administrative spaces we need to continue forward with the beautiful Jewish legacy of inspirational programs and increased participation in our school with young and old alike learning about our traditions and sharing in our rituals. While we grow older as an institution, we will continue to grow younger each year by introducing the joys of a Jewish life in a warm, welcoming, and inclusive atmosphere that is the hallmark of and long standing tradition at Temple Beth Tikvah, our House of Hope.
“As my parents planted for me, so do I plant for
future generations.”
-Talmud Ta’anit 23a
