The transition from one century to the next marked a dramatic change in the religious leader-ship of the congregation and signaled a new direc-tion in the Temple's growth. When he was hired in 1902, Dr. Alexander Lyons was the first native American to serve the congregation, and it was his strong advocacy that determined the modern face of Beth Elohim. He brought a new dimension to the place of religion and the synagogue in American life to the then 40-year-old congregation.

For one thing. Lyons attempted to draw young people into Temple life by involving them in recrea-tional and cultural activities over and beyond their Sunday School experiences. Under his guidance, too, the Women's Auxiliary, with 10 initial members, was founded in 1907. Though women sat next to men at services, they had little say in the congregation's organizational structure. Two of these women, Mrs. E.A. Goldstein and Mrs. Max J. Brandenburger, set the tone for service and charity for the organization. The Women's Auxiliary, and later the Sisterhood, upheld the spirit of charity that marked the first Benos Zion group, and in later years Mrs. Abe L. Marks made a lasting and pro-found contribution to the Temple during her 13-year presidency of the Women's Auxiliary. Later, in 1923, Judge Steinbrink, then president, organized the Men's Club, which Grover M. Moscowitz headed initially.

Dr. Lyons also set a new image, by venturing forth into the outside community, speaking fervently as a Jew to non-Jewish audiences. And finally, Dr. Lyons and the Temple's president, the Hon. Jacob Brenner, brought the congregation out of the State Street Temple into a new building, on Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue. The cornerstone was laid May 2,1909. The debt on this building, some $85,000, was wiped out in 1921, and the mortgage was burned.