Temple Emanuel Sinai (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: עִמָנוּאֵל סִינַי, ''God is with us Sinai'') is a medium-sized

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 ...

(progressive)

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 ...

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 ...

located in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

's second largest city (population 206,518). A product of the 2013 integration of Worcester's two original Reform congregations (Temple Emanuel and Temple Sinai), the synagogue traces its roots to 1921 and is affiliated with the

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...

(URJ), a network of over 900 progressive congregations representing the largest denomination (38%) of affiliated American Jews. The congregation worships and studies at 661 Salisbury Street, adjacent to the Worcester Jewish Community Center, where Temple Sinai acquired property for its permanent home in 1962. Temple Emanuel's building at 280 May Street was sold to the

Worcester State University Worcester State University (WSU) is a public university in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1874 and enrolls nearly 5,500 undergraduates and over 900 graduate students. History Founded in 1874 as the Massachusetts State Normal Sch ...

Foundation in 2013, though the terms of the sale allowed the congregation to use the building for two additional years, until June 2015. Planning to determine a final siting for the synagogue concluded during the fall of 2014, resulting in a plan to expand and renovate the Temple Sinai facility at 661 Salisbury Street (rather than share a campus with Conservative Congregation Beth Israel at Beth Israel's location on Jamesbury Drive). Temple Emanuel Sinai's first rabbi, Matthew Berger, also served as the last rabbi of Temple Emanuel, who hired him in 2009. In February 2014, Rabbi Valerie Cohen, spiritual leader since 2003 at

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

's Beth Israel Congregation accepted an offer to replace Berger at the end of his contract in June 2014. A near-unanimous vote in favor of ratifying Rabbi Cohen's contract was held during a special congregational meeting at the May Street campus on March 9, 2014.

Temple Emanuel

Founded in 1921, Emanuel was the first of two Reform congregations founded in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

and was the largest synagogue (of any kind) in the city from the 1940s until 2013 when it integrated with its own offshoot, Temple Sinai. The congregation's third home, its largest, was completed and consecrated at 280 May Street in 1949, though it was significantly expanded in 1961 to accommodate a burgeoning religious school enrollment of nearly 1,000 students."Worcester"

Jewish Virtual Library 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""Th ...

. Retrieved January 4, 2010. Membership peaked at 1,340 families in 1957, making it one of the largest Reform congregations in the country at the time. As late as 1982, Temple Emanuel was still the second-largest Reform congregation in

. By 2009, membership had fallen to 425 families. Notably, Temple Emanuel had two long-tenured

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

s who were influential in the larger

community, and in the Reform movement.

Levi Olan Levi Arthur Olan (March 22, 1903 – October 17, 1984) was an American Reform Jewish rabbi, liberal social activist, author, and professor. Born in Ukraine in 1903, he grew up in Rochester, New York and was ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1 ...

(1929–1948) became the first Jewish president of the Worcester Ministerial Union and grew Temple membership from less than 200 families to 610 families during his tenure. Joseph Klein (1949–1996) continued Olan's tradition of interfaith leadership and also served as president of the Worcester Ministers' Association and the Greater Worcester Clergy Association. Membership grew during his tenure from 610 families to 1,340 families in 1957, before seeing a gradual decline.Feingold, Norma and Sadick, Nancy (1996). "Temple Emanuel 1921–1996 75th Anniversary". Published by Temple Emanuel, 280 May Street, Worcester, Mass.

Temple Sinai

In a letter dated December 16, 1957, the "Steering Committee of Temple Sinai", a small group of Temple Emanuel members who felt that the close family atmosphere of the Temple had been lost and that religious observance had become more conservative over the years, informed the secretary of the board of Temple Emanuel that they intended to create a second Reform congregation in Worcester. Temple Sinai's Statement of Principles indicated it would limit membership to 500 families.

Integration

Due to declining membership and increasing financial hardship resulting from demographic changes in Worcester's Jewish community, Temple Emanuel and Temple Sinai members engaged in re-integration discussions on December 9, 2011, when after 54 years of separation and at least 20 years of coaxing from the URJ, Temple Sinai leadership officially contacted Temple Emanuel to pursue it. Temple Emanuel leadership listed its May Street campus for sale in 2012 when integration discussions with Temple Sinai concluded that Sinai's campus at 661 Salisbury Street was an ideal location for the new congregation. At a congregational meeting on May 30, 2013, the sale of the building at 280 May Street to the Worcester State University Foundation was approved by Temple Emanuel membership. The proposed re-integration with Temple Sinai was approved by the members of both congregations in June 2013. Both congregations had already voted to name the new entity "Temple Emanuel Sinai".

Rabbinical leadership

*Matthew Berger served as Rabbi of Temple Emanuel from 2009 to 2013.

Cantorial leadership

*Kim Singer served as Cantor of Temple Sinai from 2008 to 2013.

Photo gallery

File:Temple_Emanuel_Sinai_Worcester_Lobby.jpg, Lobby File:Temple_Emanuel_Sinai_Worcester_Beit_Midrash.jpg, Beit Midrash (Chapel/Library)

Temple Emanuel history

Early history (1920–1948)

On June 29, 1920, sixty men whose families had moved from the Jewish enclave of Union Hill on Worcester's working class East Side to the more fashionable West Side met at the

Bancroft Hotel The Bancroft Hotel is a historic hotel building at 50 Franklin Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1912 and expanded in 1925, it is one of the city's finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture, and was for many years its finest and most o ...

in downtown Worcester to discuss plans to raise funds for the establishment of a synagogue on the West Side. In 1921, they began holding services (in a

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

style) above Easton's tea room at Harrington Corner in downtown Worcester. In 1921, the group officially incorporated as the "Worcester Modern Congregation" and in 1922 opened its first synagogue in a home at 22 Suburban Road in

, calling it the "West Side Community House". By 1923, the congregation had outgrown its facility and moved into the former

Bancroft School Bancroft School in Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, is an independent, co-educational, PreK–12, college-preparatory day school. Students typically live in Central Massachusetts and MetroWest, MetroWest Boston. ...

building at 111 Elm Street, naming it Temple Emanuel. The congregation gradually adopted Reform practices and affiliated officially with the national movement, under the leadership of Rabbi

, in 1937. In 1949, the congregation moved to its final home at the junction of May and Chandler Streets. Temple Emanuel was active in the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

from very early in its history. In March 1931, the Temple's Brotherhood hosted a symposium of four lectures on the "Foundations of the Race Problem", including a lecture by

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

co-founder W. E. B. Du Bois on March 11.

Joseph Klein era (1949–1977)

The Temple's longest-serving rabbi, Joseph Klein, began his duties on January 1, 1949, retired in 1977, and would remain on the pulpit as Rabbi Emeritus until his death in 1996. Klein is famously credited with inspiring at least eight young congregants at Temple Emanuel to attend

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, the

's Rabbinical

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, including the immediate past President of the

, Rabbi

Eric Yoffie Eric H. Yoffie is a Reform Judaism, Reform rabbi, and President Emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the congregational arm of the Reform movement in North America, which represents an estimated 1.5 million Reform Jews in more th ...

. Rabbi Klein also mentored Yoffie's predecessor, Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler who was hired in 1953 as Temple Emanuel's first Assistant Rabbi. Schindler served as Assistant Rabbi from 1953 to 1955 and as Associate Rabbi from 1955 to 1959 when he left the congregation to become Executive Director of the New England Region of what was then known as the

UAHC The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established b ...

. Rabbi Schindler was elected president of the

in 1973, serving as the leader of North America's Reform Jews until 1996. In 1957, Temple Emanuel's membership peaked at 1,340 member families (including 42 families who were also members of the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Congregation Beth Israel). Worcester's ten other Jewish congregations, including Shaarai Torah, had a combined family membership of 1,410. In his retirement, Klein went on to serve (part-time) as the first Rabbi of Temple Beth-El in

Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces (; "the crosses") is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doña Ana County and southern New ...

until 1984 when he and his wife Rose returned to Worcester. He then served, actively, as Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanuel until his death at the age of 84 on Sunday September 29, 1996. Also of note, Klein was the great-grandfather of Hollywood actress

Alisan Porter Alisan Leigh Porter (born June 20, 1981) is an American pop, rock & country singer, actress, and dancer. As a child, Porter made acting appearances in '' Parenthood'', '' Stella'' and ''I Love You to Death''. Her breakout role came in 1991, when ...

(

Curly Sue ''Curly Sue'' is a 1991 American comedy drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes, and starring James Belushi, Kelly Lynch, and Alisan Porter. It tells the story of a homeless con artist and his young orphan companion who gain ...

) who won season 10 of NBC's

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

Significant events

From 1959 to 1962, Temple Emanuel hosted a series of lectures called Temple Forum which saw

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

(April 12, 1959),

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

(March 12, 1961),

Theodore Bikel Theodore Meir Bikel ( ; May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American actor, folk singer, musician, composer, unionist, and political activist. He appeared in films, including '' The African Queen'' (1951), ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), ' ...

(1962), and

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

(1962) all speak to the congregation. In 1965,

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

and other jazz legends accompanied 17-year-old congregant and conductor Jonathan Klein to record "Hear O Israel: A Prayer Ceremony in Jazz." Temple Emanuel was the site, on August 25, 1967, of the funeral for Dr. Gregory C. Pincus, an American biologist and researcher who co-invented the

birth-control pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: proges ...

Post-Klein era (1977–2013)

In 1977, Temple Emanuel elected Rabbi Stanley Davids to succeed Klein as its 5th spiritual leader. Rabbi Davids introduced the Temple's Chavurah program and brought the Gates of Prayer - New Union Prayerbook to the congregation. Rabbi Davids left in 1986 to become Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City. On April 19, 1989, the funeral for

Abbie Hoffman Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponen ...

, the famous 1960's radical, founder of the

Yippies The Youth International Party (YIP), whose members were commonly called Yippies, was an American youth-oriented radical and countercultural revolutionary offshoot of the free speech and anti-war movements of the late 1960s. It was founded on De ...

and member of the

Chicago Seven The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants—Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner—charged b ...

who had died at the age of 52 one week earlier, was held in Temple Emanuel's Persky sanctuary. Over 900 people were in attendance and an overflow crowd of hundreds more listened outside the temple over a loudspeaker. In attendance were basketball star

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

, folk singer

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

, movie producer

Bert Schneider Berton "Bert" Jerome Schneider (May 5, 1933December 12, 2011) was an American film and television producer. He was responsible for several topical films of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the road film ''Easy Rider'' (1969), directed ...

, fellow Yippie Aron Kay, Republican political consultant

Jay Severin James Thompson Severino III (January 8, 1951 – July 7, 2020), known professionally as Jay Severin, was an American political talk radio personality and Republican political consultant. Severin worked mostly in Boston, at WTKK (now WBQT) and a ...

, Hoffman's cousin and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Sydney Schanberg Sydney Hillel Schanberg (January 17, 1934 July 9, 2016) was an American journalist who was best known for his coverage of the war in Cambodia. He was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, two George Polk awards, two Overseas Press Club awards, a ...

, and

Jerry Rubin Jerry Clyde Rubin (July 14, 1938 – November 28, 1994) was an American social activist, anti-war leader, and counterculture icon during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s, he became a successful businessman. He is known for being one of the ...

, fellow Chicago Seven member.Judith Gaines (April 20, 1989). "Friends Recall Abbie Hoffman's Radical Wit". ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. Temple Emanuel celebrated its 70th anniversary on October 25, 1991, by honoring four people who had made significant impacts on the congregation. Then-Vice President of the

Rabbi

, who grew up in the congregation, gave the sermon. Klein and past presidents Milton S. Sheftel, Judith S. Yoffie and Wallace W. Wolf (posthumously) were honored. On June 12, 2003, the congregation officially installed Carlton Watson, a black man who had converted to Judaism, as its president. Watson, executive director of the Henry Lee Willis Community Center in Worcester, is believed to be the first black person to serve as president of a synagogue in the United States.

Longmeadow Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, in the United States. The population was 15,853 at the 2020 census. History Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated October 17, 1783. The town was originally farm ...

native Rabbi Matthew L. Berger served as Temple Emanuel's ninth and last spiritual leader from July 2009 through June 2013. Berger served as the rabbi of Temple Emanuel Sinai for its first year of existence (June 2013 through June 2014) until he was replaced by Rabbi Valerie Cohen. Cohen had previously been the rabbi of Temple Israel in Memphis, Tennessee, and Beth Israel Congregation of

Education

Historically, Temple Emanuel's renowned Religious School met three days per week during the school year (Monday and Wednesday afternoons for Hebrew and Saturday mornings to study Torah, liturgy, Israel and Jewish culture) in the Temple's three-story classroom wing. In the mid-2000s the schedule was reduced to just Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. The school worshipped together at the conclusion of classes every Saturday in the Temple's Stacey A. Cohan youth center. In 2012, Temple Emanuel joined Congregation Beth Israel and Temple Sinai in creating PaRDes - The Worcester Jewish Community Religious School, under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts. The school's roughly 130 students attended Monday and Wednesday afternoon classes at Beth Israel and Saturday mornings at Temple Emanuel Sinai until the community school was disbanded and the congregational schools were re-established in 2016.

Facilities

Temple Emanuel's home from 1949 to 2013, designed by Boston architect Charles R. Greco, is located at the junction of May and Chandler Streets in the heart of Worcester's leafy, residential West Side, adjacent to

. The original structure, built in brick and designed in the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

style, was consecrated in 1949. A 1,000-seat auditorium, a second classroom wing, and a suite of clergy offices were added in 1961. The Temple's two-story 1961 classroom wing was leased to a series of educational institutions once religious school enrollment began to decline in the 1970s, including

, the

Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School is a K–12 school located at 10 New Bond St., Worcester, Massachusetts, United States in former Heald Machine Company buildings. The school was founded in 1998. History The school's namesake is Abby Kell ...

, Y.O.U., Inc.'s Kathleen Burns Preparatory School, and

Quinsigamond Community College Quinsigamond Community College ()(''colloquialism, colloq:'' QCC, Quinsig) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Worcester, Massachusetts. It has an enrollment of over 7,000 students. Many stud ...

's Training and Education center.

Dedicated spaces

*Abraham & Mae Persky Sanctuary (918/626 seats) *Philip & Mary Rose Chapel (174 seats) *Stacy A. Cohan Youth Center *Joseph and Sophie Cohan Nursery School Playground In 2011, the Persky sanctuary underwent its only major renovation. The first 6 rows of pews were removed to make room for an extended, lower bimah (speaker's platform) that was intended to create a more intimate atmosphere and enable the congregation to use the space more frequently. This reduced the capacity of the sanctuary from 918 to 626.

Parsonage

Temple Emanuel did not own a parsonage, but Rabbis Olan and Klein both resided at 5 Montvale Road in Worcester's exclusive Montvale Historic District.

Worship

Daily Minyan

Temple Emanuel was unique among American Reform synagogues in that for most of its history, it offered its members and the Worcester Jewish community the opportunity to attend a worship service seven days per week. In addition to clergy-led Shabbat services every Friday evening and Saturday morning, the congregation had a regular lay-led weekday minyan, which was held five days every week (Sunday through Thursday) from 1954 until 2011 when the 9:30 AM Sunday

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ...

(morning prayers) service was discontinued due to low attendance. The "Daily Minyan" was originally instituted by Rabbi Klein on January 4, 1954, though it was led exclusively by lay leaders of the congregation. Temple Emanuel Sinai has continued the tradition of holding weekday services, though

Mincha Mincha ( he, מִנחַה, pronounced as ; sometimes spelled ''Minchah'' or ''Minḥa'') is the afternoon prayer service in Judaism. Etymology The name ''Mincha'', meaning "present", is derived from the meal offering that accompanied each sacrif ...

(afternoon prayers) and

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

(evening prayers) are only read in the Salisbury Street sanctuary on Mondays at 5:45 PM. (The Tuesday evening service was discontinued by Temple Emanuel in 2012 and Wednesday and Thursday evening services were discontinued by Emanuel Sinai in early 2014.)

Shabbat

Regular

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

services were traditionally held Friday evenings at 7:00 and Saturday mornings at 10:30.

Temple Emanuel photo gallery

File:Philip & Mary Rose Chapel Temple Emanuel Sinai Worcester.jpg, Philip & Mary Rose Chapel at 280 May Street File:Temple Emanuel Worcester Sanctuary.jpg, Abraham & Mae Persky Sanctuary at 280 May Street through lobby doors File:Persky Sanctuary Temple Emanuel Sinai Worcester.jpg, Abraham & Mae Persky Sanctuary at 280 May Street File:Persky Sanctuary Temple Emanuel Sinai Worcester MA.jpg, Abraham & Mae Persky Sanctuary at 280 May Street File:Stacey A. Cohan Youth Center at Temple Emanuel Worcester.JPG, Stacey A. Cohan Youth Center at 280 May Street File:Temple Emanuel Worcester Auditorium 2.JPG, May Street façade with chapel and auditorium entrances File:Temple Emanuel Worcester Auditorium Complex.JPG, Auditorium Complex File:Temple Emanuel Sinai May Street Auditorium.jpg, Auditorium at 280 May Street File:Temple Emanuel Sinai May Street Auditorium 2.JPG, Auditorium at 280 May Street File:Temple Emanuel Worcester Presidents.JPG, Presidents Plaque File:Temple Emanuel Worcester Religious School Building.JPG, Chandler Street Entrance and Religious School wing File:Temple Emanuel Sinai in Worcester MA.jpg, Cherry Blossoms at 280 May Street File:Bet Shalom Apartments Worcester.JPG, Bet Shalom Apartments (Worcester Jewish Community Housing For The Elderly, Inc.)

Temple Emanuel rabbinical leadership

Temple Emanuel assistant/associate rabbis

*Stuart W. Gershon served as Interim Senior Rabbi 1991–1992. *Sigma F. Coran served as Interim Senior Rabbi 1998–1999.

Temple Emanuel auxiliary rabbis

Due to a decline in membership, Temple Emanuel's full-time assistant rabbi position was eliminated in June 1998. From that time through June 2009, the Temple was served by one full-time Rabbi with the assistance of a part-time Auxiliary Rabbi (or 2002–2004, a full-time cantor). From 2009 to 2013, all pastoral duties were performed by the Rabbi. *During 2002–2004, Cantor Sally Neff assisted in performance of pastoral duties.

Temple Emanuel cantorial leadership

Temple Sinai history

Temple Sinai held services for its first 5 years (1957 to 1962) at the Worcester Jewish Community Center, which had moved in 1951 to Temple Emanuel's old building at 111 Elm Street. In 1962, Sinai moved to a 42-acre estate the congregation had purchased at 661 Salisbury Street, holding services and religious school in a large mansion. In 1980, the congregation opened its first purpose-built synagogue on the site, keeping the mansion intact for offices and religious school use. The Jewish Community Center, also outgrowing the facility on Elm Street, built on land next door a
633 Salisbury Street
and moved in 1967. Temple Sinai at first embraced many of the customs of "Classical" Reform Judaism that Temple Emanuel did not practice. For example, Sinai members shed traditional religious garments like

Kippot A , , or , plural ), also called ''yarmulke'' (, ; yi, יאַרמלקע, link=no, , german: Jarmulke, pl, Jarmułka or ''koppel'' ( yi, קאפל ) is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the c ...

(skullcaps) and

Tallit A tallit ''talit'' in Modern Hebrew; ''tālēt'' in Sephardic Hebrew and Ladino language, Ladino; ''tallis'' in Ashkenazic Hebrew and Yiddish language, Yiddish. Mishnaic Hebrew, Mish. pl. טליות ''telayot''; Heb. pl. טליתות ''tallitot' ...

ot (prayer shawls), though those customs returned over the years. The congregation hired its first rabbi, Leonard Helman, previously an assistant rabbi at what was then known as Temple Beth Israel in

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...

, in 1958. He was succeeded by Rabbis John Rosenblatt and Michael Berenbaum. David Kaplan served as Cantorial soloist in its early days. Rabbi Gary Glickstein followed as rabbi from 1977 to 1985 and was succeeded by Rabbi Seth Bernstein, Temple Sinai's longest tenured spiritual leader, from 1986 to 2011. Cantor Wendy Autenrieth served the congregation as Cantor/Educator from 1987 to 1999.

Temple Sinai rabbinical leadership

Temple Sinai cantorial leadership

Temple Sinai photo gallery

File:Temple_Emanuel_Sinai_2015.jpg, Front Entrance File:Temple Sinai Worcester Chapel.JPG, Chapel File:Temple Sinai Worcester Sanctuary 2.JPG, Sanctuary

Prominent alumni

Rabbis

Cantors

Alan F. Segal Alan Franklin Segal (August 2, 1945 – February 13, 2011) was a scholar of ancient religions, specializing in Judaism's relationship to Christianity. Segal was a distinguished scholar, author, and speaker, self-described as a "believing Jew and t ...

, Professor of Religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies at

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

*Paul D. Eisenberg, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

*Jay Gordon, Host of ''Elvis Only'' on WODS, Oldies 103.3 FM (Boston, MA) *Jeffrey Hodes, Co-Executive Producer,

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

(2000–2001)

Prominent members

* Samuel Adler, Composer *

Harriette L. Chandler Harriette L. Chandler (born December 20, 1937, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American politician who was the 94th President of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts State Senate, Massachusetts State Senator for the Massachusetts Senate's ...

Massachusetts State Senator The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

(Democrat, First Worcester District) * Arthur E. Chase, Former Massachusetts State Senator (Republican) * Joseph C. Casdin (died 2007 age 93) Mayor of

1959, 62–63, 67–68 *

Harold Devine Harold "Harry" George Devine (May 18, 1909 – April 29, 1998) was an American boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut and died in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Amateur career Devine was natio ...

(died 1998 age 88), 1928 Olympic Bronze Medal Recipient in Boxing * Joanne Goldstein, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development,

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

2010–2014 * Jacob Hiatt, businessman and philanthropist. *

, 1960's radical and founder of the

Myra Kraft Myra Hiatt Kraft (''née'' Myra Nathalie Hiatt; December 27, 1942 – July 20, 2011) was an American philanthropist and the wife of New England Patriots and New England Revolution owner Robert Kraft. Early life and education Kraft was born in Wor ...

, late wife of

Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, ...

, owner of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

* Harry C. Payne, President of

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

1994–1999 *

Denise Eisenberg Rich Denise Rich (born Eisenberg; January 26, 1944) is an American-born Austrian singer-songwriter, socialite, philanthropist and political fundraiser.Marc Rich Marc Rich (born Marcell David Reich; December 18, 1934 – June 26, 2013) was an international commodity, commodities Trader (finance), trader, hedge fund manager, financier, businessman, and financial criminal. He founded the commodities company ...

* Warren M. Robbins, Founder of the

National Museum of African Art The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian Institution's African art museum, located on the National Mall of the United States capital. Its collections include 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African art from both Sub-S ...

* David B. Yoffie, Director of

Intel Corporation Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 series ...

Cohan, Peter (October 30, 2011). "Can Worcester power its startup magnet?" ''

Telegram & Gazette The ''Telegram & Gazette'' (and ''Sunday Telegram'') is the only daily newspaper of Worcester, Massachusetts. The paper, headquartered at 100 Front Street and known locally as ''the Telegram'' or the ''T & G'', offers coverage of all of Worceste ...

'' (Worcester).

Worcester West Side Synagogue history

Worcester has five operating synagogues, with two other organizations holding regular Jewish worship services in the city.

Other assemblies

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

Hillel * Jewish Healthcare Center chapel ("Congregation Mogen David")

Photo gallery

File:Congregation Beth Israel Worcester South Face.JPG, Congregation Beth Israel File:Shaarai Torah West.JPG, Congregation Shaarai Torah - Sons of Abraham West File:Congregation Beth Judah Worcester.JPG, Congregation Beth Judah File:Congregation Tifereth Israel Sons of Jacob Chabad 2.JPG, Congregation Tifereth Israel - Sons of Jacob shul and Yeshiva Achei Tmimim Academy File:Jewish Healthcare Center (Worcester, Massachusetts) Chapel.jpg, Jewish Healthcare Center chapel

Worcester East Side Synagogue history

Before the Jewish population of Worcester shifted from Union Hill to the West Side, the community had established 12 Orthodox synagogues on the East Side.

Photo gallery

File:Shaarai Torah Worcester.jpg, Shaarai Torah (East) File:23 Coral Street.JPG, Sons of Abraham File:23 Coral Street Inscription.JPG, 2014 Photo of Hebrew Inscription on 23 Coral Street (Sons of Abraham) File:Water Street (Worcester, MA).JPG, Water Street (featuring Widoff's Bakery and Weintraub's Delicatessen)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emanuel (Worcester, Massachusetts) Synagogues in Worcester, Massachusetts Reform synagogues in Massachusetts Jewish organizations established in 1920 1920 establishments in Massachusetts Synagogues completed in 1949 1949 establishments in Massachusetts Colonial Revival architecture in Massachusetts Colonial Revival synagogues Synagogues completed in 1980