Morris Bekritsky was installed as rabbi in 1948 and served until 1972, an era that saw numerous changes in American society and in American Judaism.
The 1954 Golden Jubilee program notes that Bekritsky had helped the synagogue "soar to new heights" but that he had "continued and strengthened all of the programs initiated by his worthy predecessors."
He started a weekly radio program, "Hear O Israel," oversaw the building of the new synagogue away from the center city, pushed for a day-school program at the Portland Hebrew School, and helped give women a larger role in the synagogue.
