Temple Emanu-El of
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
(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's Association movement ...
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
congregation in
North Texas
North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wo ...
, and is the largest
synagogue in the
South.
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 S ...
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
Handbook of TexasA Light in the Prairie: Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, 1872-1997The American Synagogue A History And Source BookHoward Meyer: Temple Emanu-El and Other Works
See also
*
History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas
*
Jewish Texan
Jewish Texans have been a part of the history of Texas since the first European explorers arrived in the region in the 16th century. In 1990, there were around 108,000 adherents to Judaism in Texas. More recent estimates place the number at around ...
Temple Emanu-El website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emanu-El (Dallas, Texas)
Buildings and structures in Dallas
Religious buildings and structures in Dallas
Religious organizations established in 1875
Reform synagogues in Texas
1875 establishments in Texas
Synagogues completed in 1957