Temple Emanu-El of

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(founded in 1875) was the first

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

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synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

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History

Temple Emanu-El of Dallas was founded in 1873 and chartered in 1875. Originally called the Jewish Congregation Emanu-El, it was renamed Temple Emanu-El Congregation in 1974. The small but growing Jewish community felt the need for a permanent religious structure as well as for a rabbi to conduct services and to offer religious education for children, so several families formed Congregation Emanu-El. They elected David Goslin president; Philip Sanger vice president; Emanuel Tillman treasurer; H. Regensburger secretary; and Alexander Sanger, August Israelsky, and Henry Loeb trustees. The next year they built a small red brick temple in the Byzantine style at Commerce and Church (now Field) streets in downtown Dallas. The congregation engaged its first rabbi, Aaron Suhler, in 1875 and joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1906. In 1957 the temple moved to its present location in north Dallas. Architects Howard R. Meyer and

Max M. Sandfield Max M. Sandfield (January 28, 1903 – April 12, 1994) was an architect, sculptor, and artist. Life Born in the Russian Empire, Sandfield immigrated to the United States as an infant and was raised in San Antonio. He graduated from MIT in 19 ...

, with noted California architect

William Wurster William Wilson Wurster (October 20, 1895 – September 19, 1973) was an American architect and architectural teacher at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, best known for his residential desig ...

as consultant, received an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects for the design of the present structure, which was enhanced by art coordinator

György Kepes György Kepes �ɟøɾɟ ˈkɛpɛʃ(October 4, 1906 – December 29, 2001) was a Hungarian-born painter, photographer, designer, educator, and art theorist. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1937, he taught design at the New Bauhaus (later the Sc ...

of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Notable rabbis at the temple were David Lefkowitz (1920–49) and Levi A. Olan (1949–72)

Notable members have included Hattie Leah Henenberg.

Locations

Temple Emanu-El has had four locations in its history: *Commerce Street (1876–1898) *Ervay Street (1899–1917) *South Boulevard (1917–1956) *Hillcrest Road (1957–present

Core values

According to Temple Emanu-El's website, "Temple Emanu-El is a vibrant Reform Jewish community that strives to be a place of sacred encounter. It is a place where learning, prayer and deeds change people's understanding of themselves, of their world and their responsibilities in it.

Clergy

The current members of the Temple Emanu-El clergy are: * David E. Stern, Rabbi David E. Stern (Senior Rabbi) *Rabbi Debra J. Robbins *Rabbi Kimberly Herzog Cohen *Rabbi Daniel Utley *Rabbi Amy Ross (educator) *Cantor Vicky Glikin (Senior Cantor) *Cantor Leslie Niren Past Temple Emanu-El senior rabbis include:''A Light in the Prairie'', Gerry Cristol, TCU Press (1998) * Rabbi Joseph Silverman (1884–1885) * Rabbi George Alexander Kohut (1897–1900) *Rabbi William Greenburg * Rabbi David Lefkowitz (1920–1949) * Rabbi Levi Olan (1948–1970) *Rabbi Gerald J. Klein *Rabbi Jack Bemporad * Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman *Rabbi Charles Mintz (interim senior) Past assistant and associate rabbis and cantors include: *Rabbi Irwin Goldenberg *Rabbi Ellen Lewis *Rabbi Richard Harkavy *Rabbi Liza Stern *Rabbi Mark Kaiserman *Rabbi Peter Berg *Cantor Annie Lynn Bornstein *Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg *Rabbi Oren J. Hayon *Rabbi Asher Knight *Cantor Richard Cohn Past educators include: *Rabbi Adam Allenberg *Rabbi Barry Diamond *Raymond Israel

Music

Temple Emanu-El is nationally renowned for its music programs. Samuel Adler created many of the Temple's early musical offerings including their extensive volunteer adult and children's choirs.

Simon Sargon Simon Sargon (6 April 1938 Bombay, India - 25 December 2022 Kensington, Maryland) was an American composer, pianist, and music educator of Israeli and Indian descent. He studied at Brandeis University and at the Juilliard School under Sergius Ka ...

expanded the choir's influence and created programs such as the Showcase Series (showcasing jazz, classical, and pops musicians).

References