Temple Emanu-El is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located at 8500 Hillcrest Road, in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, in the United States.

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

ed as the Jewish Congregation Emanu-El in 1875, it was the first Reform congregation in

North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...

, and is the largest synagogue in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. The congregation is led by

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 t ...

David E. Stern.

History

Temple Emanu-El of Dallas was founded in 1873 and chartered in 1875. It was renamed from the Jewish Congregation Emanu-El to Temple Emanu-El Congregation in 1974. The small but growing Jewish community sought 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, 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 (; 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 School of Design, t ...

of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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)

Clergy

Past Temple Emanu-El senior rabbis include: * 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 (1952-2007) *Rabbi Jack Bemporad * Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman *Rabbi Charles Mintz (interim senior)

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 Arthur Sargon (April 6, 1938 – December 25, 2022) was a composer, pianist, conductor, music educator, and major creative figure in contemporary American Jewish music. His compositions include liturgical and secular pieces; opera and musical ...

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

Notable members

* Hattie Leah Henenberg, a lawyer and jurist

References

External links

*
History of Temple Emanu-El

A Light in the Prairie: Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, 1872-1997

The American Synagogue A History And Source Book

Howard Meyer: Temple Emanu-El and Other Works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emanu-El (Dallas, Texas) 1875 establishments in Texas Buildings and structures in Dallas Reform synagogues in Texas Religious buildings and structures in Dallas Jewish organizations established in 1875 Synagogues completed in 1876 Synagogues completed in 1899 Synagogues completed in 1917 Synagogues completed in 1957 20th-century synagogues in the United States