Rabbi Sandy Roth, 58, of New Hope

Rabbi Sandy Roth, 58, who headed Congregation Kehilat HaNahar in New Hope, died of lung cancer Tuesday, March 8, at her home in New Hope.

In the early 1990s, Rabbi Roth began participating in community seders and annual Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremonies organized by Jews in New Hope. She decided to go to rabbinical school and in 1994 established Congregation Kehilat HaNahar in New Hope. "I'd been schlepping all over the place to be a part of a Jewish community," she told The Inquirer. "I realized that Judaism needed to be convenient."

By 1998, the congregation, nicknamed "Little Shul by the River," had grown from 14 members to 300. The eclectic mix of members reflected the community around New Hope: craftspeople, artisans, shop owners, retirees, empty nesters, young people, straights, gay men, and lesbians.

Rabbi Roth attributed the growth to "word of mouth." She told The Inquirer in 2001: "When people have a warm experience with our congregation and they go tell their friends - that's how this synagogue has grown."

Rabbi Roth was president of the Delaware Valley Interfaith Council.

In 2008, she traveled to the Middle East with two other local clergy members. They were part of a 20-member "compassionate listening delegation" sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action in Princeton. She met with Palestinians and Israelis, and when she returned, she discussed her experiences with area groups as part of a peace-building effort.

Last year, she received an award from Gov. Rendell for "significant contribution to advancing the awareness of women's history."

Rabbi Roth grew up in Paramus, N.J. She earned a bachelor's degree from Montclair State College. She earned a master's degree in library and information science from Rutgers University, and later earned a master's degree from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote.

She was a librarian at Rutgers University and at Johnson & Johnson. She also worked for McNeil Laboratories. After her marriage to Craig Parian in 1977, she worked in his family's jewelry business, Parian & Sons in Tenafly, N.J. The couple moved to Lambertville in 1987 and divorced in 2002.

Rabbi Roth is survived by her mother, Frances Roth; daughters Rhea Nunoo and Mahra Parian; and a brother.

A community service of mourning will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 14, at Congregation Kehilat HaNahar, 85 W. Mechanic St., New Hope.