The seed for what became Temple Bat Yam began in the late 1970s when Dr. Jeffrey Applebaum and a group of about 20 people began meeting to celebrate Shabbat and holidays in private homes. Soon the founding group realized that with the addition of young families moving into the area, they needed to become more organized and Temple Bat Yam was officially founded in 1983. The group began meeting regularly at Lake Tahoe Presbyterian Church with services led by lay leadership. Creation of the Religious School became a quick priority and soon classes were held twice a month for the primary grades, Bar and Bat Mitzvah preparation and Hebrew.
Temple Bat Yam became affiliated with the Union of Reform Judaism in the late 1980s and services were led by student rabbis from Hebrew Union College. In the late 1990s, Temple Bat Yam hired its first full time rabbi who served the community for nearly a decade. We are now fortunate to be led by Rabbi Evon Yakar and have a growing membership and Religious School. Temple Bat Yam remains the only Reform synagogue in the South Lake Tahoe and Carson City areas.
While Temple Bay Yam has grown in size since its founding, we have never lost the feeling of commitment, warmth and havurah of the founding group.
Timeline and Photos from Temple Bay Yam’s History: Celebrating 30 Years of Jewish Life
1983 to 1985
1988 to 1990
1991 to 1993
1994 to 1996
1997 to 1999
2000 to 2002
2003 to 2008
2009 to 2011
2013
