Temple Sinai is a historic

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

congregation in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, United States. It is Louisiana's largest Jewish congregation, and its oldest Reform congregation.Who We Are
Temple Sinai website]. Accessed June 14, 2019.

History

Temple Sinai was founded in 1870. The original temple building completed in 1872. It was located at

Carondelet Street Carondelet Street is a major street in New Orleans. It is one-way eastbound. It starts at Robert Street in the Uptown,_New_Orleans, Uptown neighborhood and continues to Josephine Street. One must turn left at this point, and then right. Carondelet c ...

between Delord Street and Calliope Street. It was used for the initial site of

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

Maximilian Heller Maximilian Heller (January 31, 1860 – March 30, 1929) was a Czech-born American rabbi. Life Heller was born on January 31, 1860, in Prague, Bohemia, Austrian Empire, the son of well-to-do wool merchant Simon Heller and Mathilde Kassowitz. He c ...

was the temple's rabbi from 1887 until his retirement in 1927. In 1928, Temple Sinai moved Uptown to

St. Charles Avenue St. Charles Avenue (french: avenue Saint-Charles) is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. and the route of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the dozens of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the ...

and Calhoun Street, where a new temple was completed. The old building was sold to the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

. In the 1930s the Motion Picture Advertising Company purchased the old temple building and remodeled it for its headquarters. It was demolished in 1977 over the objections of preservationists after a court ruling. Temple Sinai is Louisiana's largest Jewish congregation, and its oldest Reform congregation. The

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 ...

is Daniel Sherman and the

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

is Joel Colman.Clergy & Staff
Temple Sinai website. Accessed June 14, 2019.

Gallery

File:Temple Sinai Illustrated Visitors Guide to New Orleans.jpg, Etching of the original Temple Sinai from the ''Visitors Guide to New Orleans'' File:New Orleans Temple Sinai from Lee Circle.jpg, View from the rear of the original temple

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinai Reform synagogues in Louisiana Religious buildings and structures in New Orleans Former synagogues in the United States Synagogues completed in 1872 Synagogues completed in 1928 Byzantine Revival synagogues Synagogues in New Orleans