 | |
 | |
| Formation | 1845; 180 years ago (1845) |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious congregation |
| Purpose | Reform Judaism |
| Location | |
| Membership | About 2,500 families |
Senior Rabbi | Joshua M. Davidson |
Main organ | Board of Directors |
| Volunteers | Yes |
| Website | emanuelnyc |
Congregation Emanu-El of New York is the firstReformJewish congregation inNew York City. It has served as a flagship congregation in the Reform branch of Judaism since its founding in 1845. TheArt Deco building it uses – (called "Temple Emanu-El of New York") – was built in 1928–1930 and is one of the largest synagogue buildings in the world.
The congregation currently comprises about 2,500 families and has been led by SeniorRabbi Joshua M. Davidson since July 2013.[1] The congregation is located at 1 East 65th Street on theUpper East Side ofManhattan. The Temple houses theBernard Museum of Judaica, the congregation's collection of more than 1,000Jewish ceremonial art objects.
The congregation was founded by 33 mainlyGerman Jews who assembled for services in April 1845 in a rented hall nearGrand andClinton Streets inManhattan'sLower East Side. The first services they held were highly traditional. The Temple (as it became known) moved several times as the congregation grew larger and wealthier.
In October 1847, the congregation moved to a former Methodist church at 56Chrystie Street. The congregation commissioned architectLeopold Eidlitz to draw up plans for the renovation of the church into a synagogue.[2] Radical departures fromOrthodox religious practice were soon introduced to Temple Emanu-El, setting precedents that proclaimed the principles of "classical"Reform Judaism inAmerica. In 1848, theGermanvernacular spoken by the congregants replaced the traditionalliturgical language ofHebrew in prayer books. Instrumental music, formerly banished from synagogues, was first played during services in 1849 when an organ was installed. In 1853, the tradition of calling congregants foraliyot was abolished (but retained forbar mitzvah ceremonies), leaving thereading of the Torah exclusively to the presiding rabbi. By 1869 the Chrystie Street building became the home of Congregation Beth Israel Bikur Cholim.[3][4]
Further changes were made in 1854 when Temple Emanu-El moved to12th Street. Most controversially, mixed seating was adopted, allowing families to sit together, instead of segregating the sexes on opposite sides of amechitza. After much heated debate, the congregation also resolved to observeRosh Hashanah for only one day rather than the customary two.
In 1857, after the death of founding RabbiLeo Merzbacher, German speakers still formed a majority of the congregation and appointed another German Jew,Samuel Adler, to be his successor.
In 1868, Emanu-El erecteda new building for the first time, aMoorish Revival structure by Leopold Eidlitz, assisted byHenry Fernbach at43rd Street and 5th Avenue after raising about $650,000.[5]
The congregation hired its first English-speaking rabbi,Gustav Gottheil, in 1873, fromManchester,England.
In 1888,Joseph Silverman became the firstAmerican-born rabbi to officiate at the Temple. He was a member of the second class to graduate fromHebrew Union College.
The 1870s and 1880s witnessed further departures from traditional ritual. Men could now pray without wearingkippot to cover their heads. Bar mitzvah ceremonies were no longer held. TheUnion Prayer Book was adopted in 1895.
Felix Adler, the founder of theEthical Culture movement, came to New York as a child when his father, Samuel L. Adler, took over as the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, an appointment that placed him among the most influential figures in Reform Judaism.
In 1924,Lazare Saminsky became music director of the Temple, and made it a center of Jewish music. He also composed and commissioned music for the Temple services.
In January 1926, the 1868 synagogue building was sold for $6,500,000 to the developerBenjamin Winter Sr., who sold it toJoseph Durst in December 1926 for $7,000,000.[6][7] In 1927, Durst demolished the building to make room for commercial development.[8]
Emanu-El merged with New York's Temple Beth-El on April 11, 1927; they are considered co-equal parents of the current Emanu-El. The new synagogue was built in 1928 to 1930.
By the 1930s, Emanu-El began to absorb large numbers of Jews whose families had arrived in poverty fromEastern Europe and brought with them theirYiddish language and devoutlyOrthodox religious heritage. In contrast, Emanu-El was dominated by affluent German-speaking Jews whose liberal approaches to Judaism originated inWestern Europe, where civic emancipation had enticed Jews to discard many of their ethnoreligious customs and embrace the lifestyles of their neighbors. For the descendants of Eastern European immigrants, joining Temple Emanu-El often signified their upward mobility and progress inassimilating into American society. However, the intake of these new congregants also helped to slow or halt, if not force, a limited retreat from, the 'rejectionist' attitude which "classical" Reform had espoused towards traditional ritual.
From 1934 to 1947, Dr.Samuel H. Goldenson (1878–1962) was the senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El. He was president of theCentral Conference of American Rabbis from 1933 to 1935.[9]
In 1973,David M. Posner joined the rabbinical staff. Known for his active involvement in the community,[10] he served as the congregation's Senior Emeritus rabbi after his retirement.
Congregation Emanu-El has occupied five buildings throughout its history:
The current building at Fifth Avenue and 65th Street was built between 1928 and 1929[11][12] andconsecrated in 1930.[13]
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40°46′4.89″N73°58′10.89″W / 40.7680250°N 73.9696917°W /40.7680250; -73.9696917
