Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded in 1853 by mostly German Jews as Congregation B’nai Israel. The congregation was once known for its segregationist views, but became prominent in the fight for black civil rights during the 1960s and 1970s. As of 2010, Temple Israel has almost 1,600 member families.
About Temple Israel (Memphis, Tennessee) in brief
Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded in 1853 by mostly German Jews as Congregation B’nai Israel. In 1858 it hired its first rabbi, Jacob Peres, and leased its first building, which it renovated and eventually purchased. As of 2010, Temple Israel has almost 1,600 member families. The senior rabbi is Micah Greenstein, and the cantorial soloist is Abbie Strauss. The synagogue was one of the founding members of the Union for Reform Judaism. It is the only Reform synagogue in Memphis and the oldest and largestJewish congregation in Tennessee. The congregation was once known for its segregationist views, but became prominent in the fight for black civil rights during the 1960s and 1970s. In 2007, the congregation received its charter from the State of Tennessee, a historical marker of a historical Jewish community in the U.S., and was granted a charter by the state legislature on March 2, 1854. It grew out of Memphis’s Hebrew Benevolent Society, established in 1850 by German Jews, which managed Memphis’s Jewish cemetery and conducted High Holy Day services. In 1860, it hired an organist, Christopher Philip Winkler, described by Tim Sharp as the “Dean of Memphis Musicians”; by 1894 he had completed over 850 pieces for the congregation. In 1976 the congregation constructed its current building, closer to where most members lived. The renovated premises had seating for 150 men and approximately 50 women, and 50 men’s seats were sold for USD 343, and 44 women’s seats for USD 158.
In 2012 the congregation contracted to purchase the property by 1865, and it was outright owned by the congregation for 153 years to the day after it was granted its charter. The current building was completed in 2012, and has seating for about 150 men. It has a capacity of 150 men, and about 50 women for approximately 50 men and about 150 women for about 50 men for the women. It also has a Hebrew school, directed by J. J. Sternheimer, which was also created by Sternheimer. In 2013 the congregation moved to a new building, where membership continued to grow. In the late 1940s membership had almost doubled from its low point in the 1930s. The synagogue experienced difficulty during the Great Depression, but conditions had improved by the late 1930s and early 1940s. It received a USD 2,000 bequest from the estate of New Orleans philanthropist Judah Touro, and used it to purchase a lot on Second Street, but did not feel financially secure enough to build a synagogue. In late 1857 they converted the Farmers and Merchants Bank building into a synagogue, which they converted to a synagogue in late 1858. In 1978, two committees raised funds for the renovation. One solicited donations from all the Israelites this city. The other solicited subscriptions from Gentiles, while the other was tasked with selling seats in the new sanctuary in the sanctuary. The new sanctuary was dedicated on March 18, 1858, in which members reserved seats for members.
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