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| Temple Sherith Israel | |
|---|---|
 The synagogue mainsanctuary, gallery and dome (SE aspect), in 2011 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Governing body | Union for Reform Judaism |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 2266 California Street,San Francisco,California 94115 |
| Country | United States |
  Location inSan Francisco Bay Area,California | |
| Coordinates | 37°47′22″N122°25′55″W / 37.78944°N 122.43194°W /37.78944; -122.43194 (Temple Sherith Israel) |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Albert Pissis |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | |
| Established | 1851(as a congregation) |
| Groundbreaking | October 8, 1903 |
| Completed | 1905 |
| Construction cost | $250,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | South |
| Capacity | 1,385 worshipers |
| Length | 128 feet (39 m) |
| Width | 100 feet (30 m) |
| Interior area | 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) |
| Height (max) | 140 feet (43 m) |
| Dome | One |
| Dome height (outer) | 50 feet (15 m) |
| Dome dia. (outer) | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Materials | Brick,Colusa sandstone, steel, wood,lath, plaster, stained glass, slate |
| Website | |
| sherithisrael | |
Congregation Sherith Israel | |
| NRHP reference No. | 10000114 |
| Added to NRHP | March 31, 2010 |
| [1] | |
Congregation Sherith Israel (transliterated fromHebrew; "loyal remnant ofIsrael") is aReformJewish congregation andsynagogue, located inSan Francisco,California, in the United States. Founded in 1851 duringCalifornia’s Gold Rush period, it is one of theoldest synagogues in the United States. In more modern times, the congregation widely known for its innovative approach to worship and lifecycle celebrations.[peacock prose] Listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, its historicsanctuary building, completed in 1905, is one of San Francisco's most prominent architectural landmarks.[citation needed]
The synagogue was a principal site of theSan Francisco graft prosecution trials held between 1905 and 1908.[1]
The history of Congregation Sherith Israel is also San Francisco’s history: Gold Rush, fire, earthquake, scandal, war and yet another earthquake. In 1848, the village ofYerba Buena lay poised between Mexican rule and American annexation. Then gold was found 140 miles away atSutter's Mill. Meanwhile, Jews in Central Europe lived underrepressive regimes that constrained employment, forced military conscription and restricted marriage. Understandably, many enterprising young Jews did not see much of a future for themselves in their homelands. Drawn by the lure of wealth, freedom and opportunity, California became their newPromised Land.[2]
In September 1849 – months after the discovery of gold but still a year before California achieved statehood – a small band of Jewish pioneers gathered in a wood-frame tent. Although lacking a rabbi andTorah scrolls, they were determined to celebrateRosh Hashanah andYom Kippur.
These young Jews came from Prussia, Bavaria, England, France and the eastern United States. They worshiped together again duringPassover and theHigh Holy Days in 1850, formed two benevolent societies to aid the needy and bought land for acemetery.
In April 1851, San Francisco’s frontier Jews met again, this time to establish a permanent congregation and elect officers. In typical fashion they split almost immediately, forming not one but two synagogues: Congregation Sherith Israel followed theminhag Polen, the traditions of Jews fromPosen in Prussia, whileCongregation Emanu-El chose to worship according to the German practices of Jews fromBavaria. The synagogues have been friendly neighbors ever since.[3]
As San Francisco boomed, keeping Sherith Israel housed proved a considerable challenge. The congregation’s first temporary meeting place, like much of the city, was destroyed by the "Great Fire" of 1851. After losing its next home to yet another of the conflagrations that routinely swept through the city during those early years, Sherith Israel's members built the temple's first house of worship on Stockton Street between Broadway and Vallejo in 1854 at a cost of $10,000.
So many Jews had departed Europe for San Francisco that, by the end of the 1850s, upwards of six percent of the city’s population was Jewish – a higher percentage (briefly) than in New York. After theCivil War, another generation arrived to seek its fortune in California. In 1870, Congregation Sherith Israel moved to a Gothic-style structure on Post and Taylor Streets, where it remained for 34 years.
InitiallyOrthodox in the Polish style, Sherith Israel took major steps toward becoming a Reform congregation during this period. In a visible departure from tradition, the Post Street sanctuary was designed for mixed seating. Gradually, with much discussion and struggle, wearing akippah became optional,Friday evening services were initiated, a choir introduced and a new prayerbook chosen. Two dynamic rabbis hastened the move toward Reform: RabbiHenry Vidaver (1873–1882) and Rabbi Jacob Nieto (1893–1930). In 1903, as ground was broken for the current site on California Street, Congregation Sherith Israel made these changes official and joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now known as theUnion for Reform Judaism.[4]
In the 1890s, Congregation Sherith Israel faced the prospect of outgrowing its 1870Gothic Revival-style synagogue on Post Street. Heeding this realization, congregational leaders first secured property on the northeast corner of California and Webster Streets on September 8, 1902, then hiredÉcole des Beaux Arts-trained architectAlbert Pissis to draw up plans for a new temple. Ground was broken on October 8, 1903, and the cornerstone was laid on February 22, 1904. The sanctuary was officially consecrated on September 24, 1905. While improvements have been made through the ensuing years, the building has been preserved close to its original construction.
Temple Sherith Israel, a fusion ofByzantine andRomanesque forms, cost $250,000 to build in 1904–1905. The structure stands 140 feet (43 m) above California Street. Its signature dome – which can be seen from many vantage points throughout San Francisco – is 60 feet (18 m) wide at its outside diameter. The sanctuary's interior contains 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of space, 3,500 organ pipes, nearly 1,400 seats, 1,109 decorative light bulbs, more than 89 ornamental leaded glass windows and 32 arched clear glass windows in its outer drum.
During the1906 earthquake, the building sustained only modest damage which was quickly repaired. It was also undamaged during the1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Nonetheless, the State of California has mandated thatunreinforced masonry structures like Temple Sherith Israel must meet stringent seismic resilience standards. In 2017, the congregation completed aseismic retrofit of the sanctuary, funded through a capital campaign.[5]
The following individuals have served asrabbi of Congregation Sherith Israel:
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julius Eckman | 1854 | 1856 | 1–2 years | [6] |
| 1 | Henry A. Henry | 1857 | 1869 | 11–12 years | [7] |
| 2 | Aaron J. Messing | 1870 | 1890 | 20 years | |
| 3 | Jacob Nieto | 1893 | 1930 | 36–37 years | |
| 4 | Jacob J. Weinstein | 1930 | 1932 | 1–2 years | |
| 5 | Morris Goldstein | 1932 | 1972 | 39–40 years | |
| 6 | Martin Weiner | 1972 | 2003 | 30–31 years | [7][8] |
| 7 | Larry Raphael | 2003 | 2016 | 12–13 years | |
| 8 | Jessica Zimmerman Graf | 2016 | incumbent | 9–10 years |
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