Beit Harambam Congregation (, lit. "House of the Rambam") is a Sephardi Orthodox synagogue in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1978, its membership is largely composed of Hebrew-speaking Israeli expatriates. Started as a basement minyan, the congregation purchased a small home in the 1980s, which was subsequently destroyed by arson in 2000. With significant funding from the Philadelphia Jewish community, the building was restored. The synagogue was further expanded with a larger sanctuary and a social hall, completed in 2011. Name The congregation is named in honor of Maimonides, a 12th-century Sephardi scholar, philosopher, and halakhic decisor known by the acronym of his name, Rav Moshe Ben Maimon, as the Rambam. History Beit Harambam Congregation was founded in 1978 as a Sephardi minyan by Rabbi Amiram Gabay in the basement of his house in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia. Gabay is a long-time owner of a Judaica gift shop and art gallery in Philadelphia and also serves as a police chaplain. A native of Morocco who had lived briefly in Israel, Gabay sought to provide a place of worship for Hebrew-speaking Israeli expatriates in the community. The congregation grew gradually, and members were able to buy a small house in which to hold services in the late 1980s. The furnishings, collected over time, included a simple wooden Torah ark, a long table and chairs for study sessions, and an assortment of bookshelves. By 2000, the congregation had 300 members. In 2013, an estimated 250 to 300 individuals were active in the synagogue. As of 2013, Beit Harambam Congregation was the larger of two Sephardi synagogues in Northeast Philadelphia. Arson attack On Shabbat, May 27, 2000, worshippers arriving for morning prayers found the synagogue gutted by fire. According to police, an arsonist had gained access to the interior through a back window, gathered up all the prayer books in a pile, and put a match to them. The fire was lit at around 4:20 a.m. The arsonist dropped two charity boxes in the yard during his escape. Besides fire damage to the interior, half of the roof fell down. Firemen excavated four Torah scrolls which were "likely damaged beyond repair by smoke and water", and all of the synagogue's prayer books were rendered unusable. Fifty prayer shawls were also destroyed. The damaged Torah scrolls, prayer shawls, and other ritual objects were formally buried in August on the solemn mourning day