| KAM Isaiah Israel | |
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KAM Isaiah Israel and a Barack Obama security detail in September 2008 |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 1100 E Hyde Park Blvd, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Status | Active |
| Leadership | Rabbi Batsheva Appel Cantor Miriam Eskenasy President Larry Bloom |
| Website | kamii.org |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Alfred S. Alschuler, John Alschuler, Ron Dirsmith |
| Architectural type | Synagogue |
| Architectural style | Neo-Byzantine |
| Direction of façade | West |
| Completed | 1924 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,300 in the sanctuary, 400 in the chapel[1] |
| Dome(s) | 3 (1 large and 2 small) |
| Spire(s) | 1 (reminiscent of a minaret) |
| Chicago Landmark | |
| Designated: | April 16, 1966 |
KAM Isaiah Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago, with its oldest core founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe Ma'arav ("Congregation of the Men of the West", probabaly referring to the Middle-west, abbreviated as KAM).
In 1922 KAM moved from their Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler designed temple in Bronzeville to a private residence in Hyde Park. Their temple became the Pilgrim Baptist Church, gave birth to Gospel music, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, designated a Chicago Landmark in 1981, and destroyed by fire in 2006. In 1971 KAM merged with another Reform congregation, Isaiah Israel (builders of the present temple), to become KAM Isaiah Israel.
The temple is at 1100 E. Hyde Park Boulevard in the Kenwood neighborhood. Kenwood is an area known for its large homes and fairly wealthy residents, such as Barack Obama (who lives across the street on Greenwood Avenue)[2] and Muhammad Ali. The temple's architecture was inspired by those constructed during the Byzantine Period of Judaism. The dome is topped with a spire, reminiscent of a minaret. Built for the Isaiah Israel congregation in 1924, the building was designed by Alfred S. Alschuler, who drew his influence from photographs of the 2nd-century Severus synagogue unearthed at Tiberias, in Galilee. The extensions were designed by architects John Alschuler (the son of Alfred) and Ron Dirsmith. The building was redesignated an official Chicago Landmark on April 16, 1996.[3][4]
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