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After signing a unification agreement last month, Temple Beth El of Oakhurst and Temple Beth Torah of Wanamassa are using the summer to launch programming that they hope will ease the transition before they combine.

The synagogues agreed June 7 to join forces on or before Aug. 1, 2010, with 82 percent of Beth Torah members and 71 percent from Beth El voting in favor. Beth Torah contains 390 family units, in addition to about 300 member units and 50 associate units at Beth El. Lisa Harris Glass, director of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's New Jersey Region, confirmed that those numbers would make the new synagogue the largest Conservative congregation in Eastern Monmouth County.

Beth El and Beth Torah, which reside about two miles apart, will hold joint Shabbat services at alternating locations throughout the summer, joint weekday evening services starting in August, and social events such as "Shabbat at the Beach" July 24 and "Comedy & Music Café Night" Aug. 8. August will also mark the synagogues' first combined board meeting and trustees dinner, before the distribution of a "Getting to Know You" calendar with members' birthdays, anniversaries, and yahrtzeits.

In the fall, Beth Torah's Rabbi Jacob S. Friedman School of Jewish Studies, with a current enrollment of 100, and Beth El's B'nai Sholom Educational Center, which has 27 students, will also combine. The new congregation has yet to be named, and the four options on the table include Congregation Bet Chaverim (House of Friends), Shirat Hayam (Song of the Sea), Beit Emet (House of Truth), and Hatikva (Hope).

"Our kids go to the same schools and our adults are friends at the Jewish Community Center or any other social places, but even from a ritual point of view, when we really sit down and look at out services they are very similar," Michael Friedman, past president of Beth Torah, said. "A long time ago, in our heyday, we were both able to thrive and survive. In today's economy and today's demographics, things have changed."

One of the two synagogue buildings will be sold and the other will house the new congregation, depending on the quality of the offers for both facilities, Beth El President Maddy Cohen said. Dr. Alan Stern, president of Beth Torah and the unified congregation, said that focus groups are forthcoming to discuss the vision for the synagogue and the rabbinic search process. The contracts of Rabbi Gordon Yaffe of Beth El and Rabbi Michael Goldstein of Beth Torah both expire in August 2010.

"We are looking for a new, dynamic rabbi that can take over a much larger synagogue and really take it to the next level," Friedman said.

Cohen explained that unification made sense in light of increasing polarization of the right and left within the Conservative movement, and that the new congregation will create more opportunities for young families, interfaith couples, and the elderly.

"There is a lot of movement towards the Reform side and the modern Orthodox side right now, and we felt that there is strength in numbers," Cohen said. "We feel that we have a lot of marketing options that we wouldn't have had before. By creating specialty opportunities for a lot more people within our target groups, we will be able to increase our outreach and thereby increase the size of our congregation even further."

The steering committee that guided the merger included Cohen, Stern, Friedman, Alan Winters (Beth El), Gary Zimmerman (Beth Torah), Larry Lorman (Beth El), Mark Steinberg (Beth El), Jeff Donner (Beth El), and Mark Haber (Beth Torah).

Stern said he was pleased with how many members voted in favor of unification, but that transitional programs are important given the 29 percent from Beth El and 18 percent from Beth Torah who voted no.

"Change is frightening," Stern said. "When you have people who have been used to a certain physical location and a certain ta'am (taste) for most of their adult lives, I think it becomes difficult for them to alter that direction. There is some element of discomfort amongst some of the membership that we will address."

A merger that began as necessity because "We realized that ultimately, this area will not be able to sustain two thriving Conservative congregations whose missions and styles are incredibly similar," Stern said, has turned into a source of excitement because the new congregation has a chance to be strong for many generations.

The rabbinic search and the combination of the Hebrew schools will "cascade into a series of events that will bring us all together, engage us, and break down any barriers that may be there," Stern said. Once the merger takes place, a parade will be held with the Torahs of both congregations, Cohen said.

"It's exciting because it's not the same old, same old anymore," she said. "It's a nice transition for us and everyone is having fun with it."

For starters, members of both synagogues can learn from their children, Stern said, as there is no schism among them regarding attending the same Hebrew school.

"The children in this process are totally enthusiastic," Stern said. "They are very excited to be together now instead of being divided. Getting the kids together will necessarily engage the parents."

From the USCJ's perspective, Harris Glass said the merger was logical because the two synagogues were essentially serving one community.

"It's a smart move because this is going to allow them to combine their resources and not offer replicable services a mile down the road from each other," Harris Glass said.