 In its early years, the congregation was made up of Jews who were "dissatisfied" with "a service that did not reflect their achievements and aspirations" nor satisfy their "emotional need for acknowledgement of their European roots" (93 The Jews of Westchester by Shragel and Drimmer).It was a time when Jewish communities bifurcated "as much for social reasons as for differences in ideology" (94).While mostly Orthodox in background, many of the members began to look more flexibly at traditions, which was seen as a somewhat necessary step.