Temple Israel | |
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Basic information | |
Location | 112 East 75th Street, Manhattan, New York, United States |
Geographic coordinates | |
Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
Status | Active |
Leadership | Senior Rabbi: David J. Gelfand Rabbi Educator: Alan Londy Assistant Rabbi: Sara Sapadin Cantor: Robert P. Abelson Assistant Cantor: Sheila Nesis[1] |
Website | templeisraelnyc.org |
Architectural description | |
Architect(s) | Peter Claman (Schuman & Lichtenstein)[2] |
Architectural style | Brutalist[2] |
Groundbreaking | 1964[2] |
Completed | 1967[2] |
Temple Israel (formally Temple Israel of the City of New York) is a Reform congregation in Manhattan. It was incorporated in 1873[3] by German Jews.[4]
It purchased its first synagogue building Fifth Avenue and 125th Street in 1887, constructed its own at 201 Lenox Avenue and 120th Street in 1907,[5] and constructed another at 210 West 91st Street in 1920.[2] Its current Brutalist style building, at 112 East 75th Street on the Upper East Side, was completed in 1967.[2]
Since its founding, Temple Israel has been served by only five senior rabbis: Maurice Harris (1882–1930), William Rosenblum (1930–1963), Martin Zion (1963–1991), Judith Lewis (1991–2006), and David Gelfand (2006–). As of 2010[update], its senior rabbi is Gelfand, and its cantor is Robert P. Abelson.[4]
Contents |
Temple Israel was incorporated in 1873[3] as Yod b'Yod ("Hand in Hand") congregation[2][5] by German Jews.[4] An early trustee was Cyrus L. Sulzberger, father of New York Times publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger.[2] The members were typically shopkeepers, traditionally observant, and first worshiped above a printing shop on East 125th Street in Harlem.[5] They soon established a Hebrew school called "Gates of Learning" for the 45 children of the congregation.[5] The congregation rented a larger space on 124th Street in 1874, and in 1876 leased a former church on 116th Street,[5] between First Avenue and Second Avenue.[4] In 1880, the congregation purchased the building on 116th Street.[5]
Temple Israel was initially lay-led, but in 1882 appointed Maurice Harris as the congregation's rabbi; at the time, he was still a student at Columbia College, Columbia University, and at Emanu-El Theological Seminary.[4][5] In 1884, his installation was made official.[5]
In 1887, the congregation purchased a building at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street, and the following year re-dedicated it as their synagogue.[5] Designed by John W. Welch, the building had been formerly owned by the Holy Trinity Church, and was constructed in 1869–1870.[2] In 1888 the congregation also re-organized, changing its name to Temple Israel of Harlem.[2][5]
The congregation constructed its own synagogue building at 201 Lenox Avenue, at 120th Street, in 1907.[2][5] The limestone[4] building was not designed in the typical Moorish Revival style of other synagogues of the time; the designer, Arnold Brunner, argued that "synagogues have no traditional lines of architectural expression".[6] According to David W. Dunlap, the building "looks like a Roman temple until you notice the Stars of David in the column capitals, fanlights, and spandrel panels",[6] and "may rank as the single best Neoclassical synagogue in Manhattan".[2] Temple Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now Union for Reform Judaism) in 1909,[5] and a few years later[7] merged with Shaarey Borocho (or Shaaray Beracha), a synagogue of Alsatian Jews.[2][5]
In 1920, the members moved to a new Neoclassical building at 210 West 91st Street, designed by William Tachau;[2] the old building on Lenox Avenue was sold to the Seventh-Day Adventist Temple, which in turn sold it in 1925 to the Mount Olivet Baptist Church.[6] Temple Israel elected its first woman trustee in 1921,[4] dedicated its new building in 1922, and in 1924 officially changed its name to Temple Israel of the City of New York.[5] By 1929, membership exceeded 950.[5]
William Franklin Rosenblum succeeded Harris as Temple Israel's second rabbi in 1930, and Harris died just a few months later that year.[4][5] The congregation was active during the Great Depression, and supported Jewish education programs for poor children of the neighborhood.[5] Temple Israel actively supported the war effort during World War II,[5] and afterward Rosenblum opposed the creation of Israel.[4]
Rosenblum retired in 1963, and Martin Zion succeeded him that year as Temple Israel's third rabbi.[8] At the time, the congregation's trustees had decided to relocate the synagogue from the Upper West Side to the Upper East Side of Manhattan,[4] and in 1964 began construction of a new building at Temple Israel's current location, 112 East 75th Street.[2] Designed by architect Peter Claman of Schuman & Lichtenstein, the Brutalist structure was completed in 1967. The previous building on West 91st Street was sold to the Young Israel of the West Side congregation, who still occupy it.[2]
Robert Abelson became leader of the congregation's music program in 1980.[4] In 1985, Judith Lewis became Temple Israel's Director of Education, and in 1991 she succeeded Zion as the synagogue's fourth senior rabbi. By 1995, membership was over four hundred families.[8]
David Gelfand succeeded Lewis, becoming Temple Israel's fifth senior rabbi in 2006.[4] That same year Allan Londy joined the synagogue as rabbi educator.[9] Sheila Nesis, a native of Argentina, joined as assistant cantor in 2007, and Sarah Sapadin became a part-time Assistant Rabbi in 2008. As of 2010[update], the senior rabbi is Gelfand, the rabbi educator is Londy, the assistant rabbi is Sapadin, the cantor is Abelson, and the assistant cantor is Nesis.[4]