Society for the Advancement of Judaism

Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ)
Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ)
	The SAJ synagogue in Manhattan
Religion
Affiliation	Reconstructionist Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann; Rabbi Michael Strassfeld (Emeritus);
Status	Active
Location
Location	15 West 86th Street, Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City
Country	United States
	Location in Manhattan
Geographic coordinates	40°47′09″N 73°58′12″W / 40.785798°N 73.970121°W
Architecture
Founder	Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan
Date established	1922
Website
	www.thesaj.org

The Society for the Advancement of Judaism, also known as SAJ, is a Reconstructionist synagogue and Jewish organization in New York City, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Founded in 1922 by Mordecai M. Kaplan, the rabbi who founded Reconstructionist Judaism, the synagogue is affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement.

The current rabbi is Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, who succeeded Michael Strassfeld on 1 July 2015.^[1]

Moshe Nathanson, composer of Hava Nagilah, was Cantor of the SAJ during Kaplan's tenure.

The first American Bat Mitzvah was held at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism on Saturday morning, March 18, 1922, for Judith Kaplan, daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan.^[2]

References

^ "The SAJ Welcomes Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann". thesaj.org. September 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015. Rabbi Lauren began her term on July 1, 2015.
^ Lusk, Isabelle (March 1, 2022). "What the First Bat Mitzvah in the U.S. Looked Like". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 31, 2025.