Etz Chaim had close to 40 members, a number that grew to 70 family memberships by 1939 when the synagogue celebrated the ownership of their building and burned their mortgage. Post WWII to the end of the sixties (1946– 1969) By the mid 1950s, the congregation had grown to more than 125 families. However, just a few years after, membership began to decline. In 1950, there were close to 45 Jewish-owned businesses in Biddeford But the children of these business owners were not returning to the area as adults, seeking opportunities elsewhere. In addition, with the decline of the textile industry, those businesses suffered. By 1967, the Hebrew school closed, as did the synagogue, except for high holidays when services were conducted by visiting rabbis. End of the sixties to the end of the 20th century (1970 – 1999) By the 1970’s, the synagogue no longer had a rabbi or a Hebrew school, and the already reduced membership dwindled to about 25 families. In addition, the number of Jewish owned businesses in Biddeford was also on the decline, as was the town’s textile industry, and by 1990 there were just 15 Jewish businesses remaining. The synagogue remained open only for the High Holidays, and there was even the discussion of closing altogether. Beginning in the 1980s, there was a resurgence of young Jewish families moving to Biddeford. And by the end of the decade, Etz Chaim left their Orthodox roots and bbegan operating as an unaffiliated synagogue. By 1988, they reopened their Hebrew school, and in 1993, the now egalitarian synagogue celebrated their first bat mitzvah. Beginning of the 21st century to date (2000 – present) In 2007, Biddeford's Etz Chaim synagogue celebrated their 100th anniversary, and remains open today. References and studies Old Orchard Beach Despite Old Orchard Beach’s popularity as a summertime destination, in the late 1800s, there were no options for Jews to travel to the town for any more than a beach day as there were no hotels or kosher restaurants serving them. Joseph H. Goodkowsky, who had come to the US from Poland in the late 1800s, moved from Lewiston to Biddeford to work selling clothes wholesale. In the summer when work slowed, he worked in nearby Old Orchard Beach operating a variety of boarding houses, making them available to Jews. When the great fire of 1907 claimed almost everything on East Grand Avenue, including