By 1977, Beth El membership had soared to a total of 300 families, compared to 130 in 1962. The religious school educated 200 children, again reflecting more than double the enrollment over the past decade and a half. However, the facility that had easily accommodated the Beth El family of 1962 now required enlargement. This was made all the more pressing since demographic studies by the United Jewish Federation predicted a continuing trend of increased population in the South Hills due to excellent schools, low crime, and the preexistence of Jewish institutions.

Expansion plans were begun and another groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 18, 1977. The catchy theme of the new capital campaign was “Beth El Builds Brick by Brick,” which described the synagogue’s future vision, while echoing the fundraising methods used for the original building. The congregation’s leadership at that time was Rabbi Stephen Steindel, Cantor Herman Weisberg, Education Director Moshe Betan, and President Casey Neuman. The congregation’s Building Development Committee selected Mr. Elkan Avner as architect. The sprawling addition provided a forty percent increase in size over the existing facilities. The projected plans included a separate sanctuary with over 300 permanent seats, six new classrooms, an enlarged kitchen, a separate youth lounge, a self-enclosed gift shop, a separate library, a Sisterhood Room / bridal suite, and more spacious offices for the rabbi, school director, and executive staff. This ambitious plan required the congregation to secure $350,000 in building fund pledges, payable over a five year period. Inherent in this plan was the expectation to enroll twenty new families each year. The expansion project provided a fitting way to celebrate Beth El’s sixtieth year as a congregation.

The building program culminated with a “Weekend of Simcha” on September 8 through 10, just a short year after the groundbreaking. Marvin and Myra Lalli and Seril and Jackie Slavkin chaired the meaningful dedication ceremonies of the Sufrin Family Sanctuary. Beth El’s former rabbi, Kenneth Bromberg, visited from his own Beth El of Omaha, Nebraska to deliver the Friday evening sermon. A dinner dance celebrating the dedication of Beth El’s Tree of Life was held Saturday evening after Havdalah services. The leaves of the tree, created by father and son members Harvey and Andrew Lantzman, honored the Beth El builders. Congregation President Sam Balk received the honor of lighting the Ner Tamid. Rabbi Pincus Miller, who had served Beth El from 1945 through 1960, offered the benediction. Rabbi Stanley Schachter, Vice Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), spoke at the formal dedication ceremonies on Sunday morning. The Hoffman, Minsky, Scheimer/Baer, Speigel, Sufrin/Melman, and Tabor families captured the essence of Beth El as they participated in a three generation Torah procession. These honored members, accompanied by children from the religious school, represented Beth El’s highest purpose: the continuity of bequeathing the Torah from generation to generation - L’dor v’dor. 

Simultaneously, Rabbi Steindel’s personal achievements paralleled the progress of Beth El’s physical premises. In October he received the 1978 Rabbinic Award in recognition of his outstanding service to the Jewish community. His credentials included the honor of being the first rabbi chosen as President of the South Hills Clergy Association, his teaching position at the School of Advanced Jewish Studies (SAJS), and serving as representative of the Rabbinical Assembly on the Board of Overseers of JTS. Rabbi Steindel was again honored on June 6, 1979 at Beth El’s annual Israel Bond reception. He received commendation for pioneering such programs as Early Sabbath Prayer (ESP), which continues to this date. 

As a member of the South Hills Interfaith Ministries (SHIM), Beth El participates with other synagogues and churches in an annual Yom Hashoah Memorial Service. This remains an unique program, since few other cities join synagogues and churches together in remembering the Holocaust. Beth El also participates with SHIM in an annual Thanksgiving ecumenical service, and contributes regularly to the Community Food Pantry. 

In addition to encouraging the participation of children at services, Beth El began to reassess the ritual participation of women. The Adult Education and Ritual committees announced a series of symposia to explore the inclusion of women in minyan. Subsequently, The Board of Trustees voted to acknowledge women as part of the minyan on December 27, 1979.

February 22, 1980 marked the thirteenth anniversary of the dedication of the original sanctuary, and appropriately, a Bima Bat Mitzvah was held. The celebration commemorated the gifts donated thirteen years earlier and publicly displayed the names of 100 Beth El builders on the Tree of Life sculpture. Joseph and Judy Sufrin chaired the Bima Bat Mitzvah, with Sidney Hoffman commenting on Beth El’s past, Sam Balk on its present, and Alex Silverman on its future.

1980 saw other noteworthy activities. The first Dream Auction, chaired by Bette Balk and Rhonda Averbach, was held on May 18 and would become a recurring event, with members donating goods and services to be auctioned to help raise revenue for Beth El. Rabbi Steindel led his second congregational tour to Israel in June. Later in the Fall, he guided the Pittsburgh Jewish community in its first ever Rosh Hashanah service for singles. Rabbi Steindel also organized an Energy Awareness Shabbat, on October 10 and 11, 1980, through the Rabbinic Fellowship of Greater Pittsburgh. Finally, our history would be incomplete without mentioning the recognition of A. Maurice (Maury) Rosenberg, honoree of the congregation on behalf of the Jewish Theological Seminary on December 21, 1980. Maury had long served as the Chairman of Beth El’s Ritual Committee. Unfortunately, the congregation to which he devoted so much of his life would mourn his loss in 1983.  

Beth El first housed the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Pittsburgh in 1981. This particular school was formed under the auspices of the Western Pennsylvania Region of the United Synagogue of America and was one of only fifty Conservative Jewish day schools in the country.

In the mid ‘80's the United Jewish Federation recognized the need for quality after school religious programs and began to support synagogues with the Federation Elementary Education Fund (TEEF). This program was designed to assist the synagogues in providing quality creative programs, purchasing unbudgeted special supplies, and funding in-service education for faculty. The Spiegel Religious School of Beth El received funding for computers and software, a large screen television, and other supplies for education programming.  

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