Opened 1962 | Phone +1 314-432-8050 | |
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Address 1 Rabbi Alvan D Rubin Dr, St. Louis, MO 63141, USA Similar Congregation Shaare Emeth, Congregation B'nai Amoona, United Hebrew Congregation, Temple Emanuel, Holocaust Museum & Learning | ||
Congregation Temple Israel is a Reform synagogue in Creve Coeur, Missouri, a municipality in suburban St. Louis County. Temple Israel's founders differed in opinion from the leadership of Shaare Emeth, favoring the more liberal political and theological view point that was sweeping parts of Europe and the United States at the time.
Contents
- Rabbis
- Board Presidents
- Facilities
- Public Figures Members
- Public Figures Spoke at Temple Israel
- Other Information
- References
One of these founders was Rabbi Solomon H. Sonneschein, who became Temple Israel's first rabbi. During the first year of operation, Temple Israel had between 60-70 members, and 604 persons attended the first Erev Rosh Hashanah services.
Rabbis
Rabbis
Solomon H. Sonneschein 1886-1890
Leon Harrison 1890-1928
Ferdinand M. Isserman 1929-1963
Martin E. Katzenstein 1963-1967
Alvan D. Rubin 1967-1987
Mark L. Shook 1987-2010
Amy Feder 2010-Present
Associate and Assistant Rabbis
Arnold S. Task 1958-1960
Martin E. Katzenstein 1961-1963
Stanley J. Garfein 1964-1966
Richard F. Steinbrink 1966-1968
Alan D. Bregman 1968-1975
Mark L. Shook 1972-1980
Joseph P. Klein 1975-1978
Gary A. Huber 1978-1983
Martin L. Levy 1980-1982
Donald M. Kundstadt 1982-1987
Frank W. Muller 1983-1985
Eric J. Bram 1985-1995
Steven L. Mills 1995-2000
Amy B. Bigman 2000-2005
John A. Franken 2003-2008
Amy Feder 2006-2010
Michael Alper 2008-Present
Board Presidents
Isaac Schwab First President (1886)
Moses Shoenberg Second President
William Stix Third President
Moses Fraley Fourth President
David Treichlinger Fifth President
Aaron Fuller Sixth President
David Sommers Seventh President
Jules Glaser 1920-1930
Jesse A. Wolfort 1931-1937
Emil Mayer 1938-1940
Maurice Weil 1941-1942
Harry L. Franc 1943-1945
Adolph H. Rosenberg 1946-1948
Earl Susman 1949-1950
Harold W. Dubinsky 1951-1954
Melvin S. Strassner 1955-1958
Joseph Kutten 1959-1961
Edward A. Scallet 1962-1965
Marvin S. Levin 1966-1969
William B. Eiseman, Jr. 1970-1973
Robert S. Goldenhersh 1974-1976
Arthur E. Ansehl 1977-1979
Paul P. Weil 1980-1983
Merle L. Silverstein 1984-1987
Gary Follman 1988-1990
Ellen Deutsch 1990-1993
Leonard Adreon 1994-1995
Karen L. Knopf 1995-1998
Daniel J. Schwartz 1998-2000
Cary J. Mogerman 2000-2003
Neil J. Handelman 2004-2006
David L. Weinstein, M.D. 2006-2010
JoAnne Levy 2011- 2013
Dee A. Mogerman 2014-Present
Facilities
The first Temple Israel building - a stone temple located off 28th and Pine Street - was completed in 1888. As Temple Israel grew its membership, the downtown location became inconvenient, and so a lot was purchased on Kingshighway and Washington Boulevards.
In 1957, membership had grown to 1358, and a larger facility was needed to accommodate. The cornerstone of a new Temple Israel building was laid on June 18, 1960, thought after a legal battle with the city the congregation chose as its new home. The synagogue was involved in litigation against the City of Creve Coeur when the City changed its zoning rules to prohibit any churches, including the synagogue, just after the synagogue purchased land for a new building. The synagogue ultimately prevailed against the City when the Supreme Court of Missouri ruled that state law did not authorize municipalities to regulate the location of churches.
Public Figures - Members
Kurt Deutsch
Sam Fox
Tom Gallop
Merle Silverstein
Public Figures - Spoke at Temple Israel
Abba Eben
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Simon Wiesenthal
Henry Kissinger
Other Information
The synagogue conducted its first wedding for a LGBT couple in 2008.
In 2010, Temple Israel made history by promoting Assistant Rabbi, Amy Feder (31), to Senior Rabbi, making her the youngest female senior rabbi to lead a large Reform congregation in North America.
In 1967, it had nearly 1,600 members, and in 2016 it had approximately 900 member households.