THE JEWISH CENTER OF THE MORICHES
631-878-0388
SYNAGOGUE · HEBREW SCHOOL · A JEWISH COMMUNITY
aboutus
The Jewish Center of the Moriches provides a place of worship for all who wish to participate. We provide religious, educational, social and recreational activities to foster, strengthen and promote Judaism and the Jewish way of life.
We encourage all people, young and old, to participate in our services, which are conducted in both Hebrew and English.
Our synagogue is wheelchair accessible.
All food served at our synagogue is certified kosher.
Our History
Prior to 1938, Jews in Center Moriches worshipped in their own homes. Sometime thereafter, about a dozen men agreed that it was time to congregate in one location and create a Jewish Center for their families and for future generations.
In 1950, this group of local Jewish farmers, merchants and friends purchased the homestead of the late State Assemblyman J.L. Havens and made the site the new home of the Jewish Center of the Moriches.
Their perseverance and dedication paid off. During the ensuing years, the founders and the new members they attracted were able to purchase two adjoining lots, enabling them to construct a new building to accommodate the growing congregation.
In 1966, U.S. Representative Otis G. Pike and other officials joined members of the congregation at the dedication of the newly constructed synagogue, which can seat 200 congregants and includes classrooms and a Rabbi’s study.
Rabbi Margie Cella
Rabbi Margie Cella is a second-career rabbi who was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2019. Prior to becoming a rabbi, she enjoyed a successful career as a high school math teacher at nearby Southampton High School. Though she very much enjoyed teaching, she had thought for over 25 years about pursuing the rabbinate.
In June of 2014 Rabbi Cella retired from her teaching career and in September of that same year began attending the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan. For the duration of the 5-year program, she commuted roughly 5 hours round trip daily from her home in Port Jefferson to the seminary via the LIRR and the New York subway system. Her course of study also included one semester living and studying in Jerusalem. In addition to rabbinic ordination in May of 2019, she also received a Masters’ Degree in Bible.
Rabbi Cella previously served as the part-time interim rabbi of Congregation Agudas Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Newburgh, NY. In addition, during the week she can be found teaching online as an educator for Women’s League for Conservative Judaism.
She is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, the professional organization for Conservative rabbis. She is a member as well of the New York Board of Rabbis, RANSAQ (The Rabbinical Assembly of Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens), and the Suffolk Board of Rabbis.
Teaching is both her love and her strength, and Rabbi Cella loves sharing Torah and inspiring others to deepen their knowledge of Judaism and commitment to their Jewish faith. In addition, she is currently writing two books, one based on a year-long study of the Torah written during the pandemic, and one based on her life story.
Having been raised in Massapequa, Rabbi Margie is a Long Island girl through and through. She and her husband Raymond have lived in Port Jefferson Station for almost 40 years. Their two children have blessed them with 6 grandchildren who all live close by.
Rabbi Cella is happy to be joining the JCM family and looks forward to meeting you all.
