Rodef Shalom, Temple Sinai create ‘a house for all of us’

After Rodef Shalom Congregation and Temple Sinai announced plans to unify last year, there was a pressing matter that needed to be resolved as the two Reform congregations began pondering clergy, staff, finances and buildings: a new name.

Leadership from both congregations wanted a fresh, distinctive name that did not include any words from the former names, which carried special meaning for their members, explained Bill Battistone, president of Rodef Shalom. Those four words, he said, have served the community well and, like the jersey number of a retired sports star, deserved to be retired and hung in the rafters.

When it was announced that the unified congregation would have a new name, members were asked to submit suggestions based around the theme “a house for all,” which makes “space for the legacies of both congregations while pointing to a future that reflects openness, welcoming and belonging,” Battistone and Temple Sinai President Marcie Solomon wrote in an email.

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There were a few other stipulations for the name, Battistone said.

“We decided that we wanted to use Hebrew,” he said. “We felt that was important being a synagogue. We also weren’t entertaining any geographical names. We weren’t looking for ‘East End Synagogue’ or ‘Reform Synagogue of Pittsburgh.’ We wanted it to be more than a physical address. We were looking for something that embodied the journey we’ve been on for the last two years.”

More than 200 submissions were received before three were chosen by leaders from both congregations, including senior staff, members of the unification committee and board members. The three choices were then put forward for members to rank.

The new name was ranked as the first selection by about two-thirds of the respondents.

In the end, they didn’t need to venture far from the original theme. The new congregation, which will be housed at the current Rodef Shalom location, will go by the name Beit Kulanu, meaning “a house for all of us.”

Temple Sinai’s Solomon said there is “a lot of enthusiasm” around the new name, describing it as “forward-looking.”

“It’s a dream for the future,” she said. “It’s not a compromise between some people of Temple Sinai and some people from Rodef Shalom. It’s about honoring our tradition while focusing on the future.”

Battistone agreed, saying that “a lot of people have said they enjoy” the new name.

“We’re talking about a house that members from Rodef Shalom and Temple Sinai can feel comfortable in,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”

And while there’s a lot of work to be done, including formalizing the new name legally, Battistone said, staff and board members will begin referring to the congregation as Beit Kulanu immediately, including using it in their email signature lines, so that people can become accustomed to it.

The unified congregation has engaged a branding and marketing group to create a new logo and website while it completes the legal requirements necessary for the merger.

“On June 8 [2025], our congregations voted on the direction of the unification and on March 1, our congregations voted on a plan,” Solomon said of the unification. “We spent some time building a plan and on March 1 our congregations voted to approve the plan. Legally, the attorney general has to sign off on the plan.”

The two congregations continue to move closer together — they celebrated Purim with a unified Purim spiel written by congregants Jennifer Bett with Susie Hauptman and Cantor David Reinwald and performed by members of both congregations. The clergy — Rodef Shalom’s interim Rabbi David Young, and Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Cantor David Reinwald — are now operating as one team. Fellman and Reinwald will be the spiritual leaders of the new congregation and will be joined by a new assistant rabbi, Battistone said.

“We plan to hire an assistant rabbi,” he said. “We are engaging with candidates now.”

And while no date has been announced as the official launch of the new congregation, Solomon said plans are underway.

“We’re going to have our goodbye moments and our celebratory events in late May or early June,” she said. “From early June forward it should be transparent, not just to the two congregations, but to the community, that we are Beit Kulanu and that we’re unified.”

The new name, she said, points the way forward.

“We have two storied Pittsburgh institutions that are coming together to create Beit Kulanu, a house for all people,” she said. “It’s a house that will sustain us, our congregation and Reform Judaism in a compelling way for the future. I’m excited because now we get to build our story.”

Battistone shares that enthusiasm.

“I’m really proud of everything that’s been accomplished over the last several years. It’s truly been a team effort and there have been a lot of people who have contributed their time and effort to get where we are,” he said. “This is not the end, but it feels like a chapter closing. It’s been quite an experience. I’m really excited about the opportunity and the future we have together.” PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.