Temple Emanu-El
Religion
AffiliationReform Judaism
LeadershipBeth and Jonathan Singer (senior rabbis)
Ellen Fleischacker (President)
StatusActive
Location
Location2 Lake Street, San Francisco,
California, United States
Geographic coordinates37°47′14″N 122°27′35″W / 37.7872°N 122.4597°W / 37.7872; -122.4597
Architecture
Architect(s)Arthur Brown Jr.
StyleByzantine Revival
Completed1926
Specifications
Dome(s)1
Dome height (outer)150 feet
Website
http://www.emanuelsf.org

Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco, California is one of the two oldest Jewish congregations in California, and one of the largest Jewish congregations in the United States. A member of the Union for Reform Judaism, Congregation Emanu-El is a significant gathering place for the Bay Area Jewish community.

History

During the Gold Rush in 1849, a small group of Jews held the first High Holy Days services in a tent in San Francisco; it was the first Jewish service on the West Coast of the United States.[1] This group of traders and merchants founded Congregation Emanu-El sometime in 1850, and its charter was issued in April, 1851. The 16 signatories were mostly German Jews from Bavaria.

In 1860, Reform rabbi Elkan Cohn joined the Emanu-El congregation; in 1877, he led the congregation as the first in the West to join the Reform Movement.[1] As the Reform Movement in Judaism spread in the United States during the early twentieth century, the synagogue became affiliated with this framework.

In 1884 Julie Rosewald became America's first female cantor when she began serving in Emanu-El, although she was not ordained.[2][3] She served as a cantor there until 1893.[2][3]

Among its major programs today, the synagogue includes worship, youth and adult education programs, and also a major emphasis on social justice.[4]

Early Temple Emanu-El. Sutter Street, San Francisco, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views

Clergy

Stained glass window at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco
Mosaic at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco
  • Rabbi Julius Eckman (1854–1855)
  • Rabbi Elkan Cohn (1860–1889)[1]
  • Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger (1889–1908)
  • Rabbi Martin A. Meyer (1910–1923)
  • Rabbi Louis Israel Newman (1924–1930)
  • Rabbi Irving Reichert (1930–1948)
  • Rabbi Alvin Fine (1948–1964)
  • Rabbi Meyer Heller (1950–1963)
  • Rabbi Irving Hausman (1964–1967)
  • Rabbi Joseph Asher (1967–1986)[5]
  • Rabbi Robert Kirschner (1981–1992)
  • Rabbi Mark Schiftan (1987–1994)
  • Cantor Roslyn Barak (1987–2015, Senior Cantor Emerita 2015-present)
  • Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan (1990–2010)
  • Rabbi Stephen Pearce, D.D. Ph.D. (1992–2013, Senior Rabbi Emeritus, 2013–present)
  • Rabbi Helen Cohn (1993–2005)
  • Rabbi Lawrence Kushner (Scholar in Residence since 2002)
  • Rabbi Sydney Mintz (1997–present)
  • Cantor Marsha Attie (1998–present)
  • Rabbi Ryan Bauer (2007–present)
  • Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe (2007–2014)
  • Rabbi Carla Fenves (2011–2020)
  • Rabbi Beth Singer (2013–present)
  • Rabbi Jonathan Singer (2013–present)
  • Rabbi Jason Rodich (2015–present)
  • Cantor Arik Luck (2015-present)
  • Rabbi Sarah Joselow Parris (2019–present)

Notable members

References

Pews at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Emanu-El's pedigree: a towering presence". J. weekly. 1999-10-08. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  2. 1 2 "Julie Rosewald: America's first woman cantor". jwa.org.
  3. 1 2 "The Forgotten Woman Cantor: Julie Rosewald Now Getting Her Due - The Jewish Week". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on 2016-05-14. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  4. ↑ "Tikkun Tikvah - Working to Reform California's Criminal Justice System - Congregation Emanu-El". Congregation Emanu-El. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  5. ↑ Kirschner, Robert (1991). "A Singular Elegance". In Rischin, Moses; Asher, Raphael (eds.). The Jewish legacy and the German conscience. Berkeley, CA: The Judah L. Magnes Museum. p. 47.

Further reading

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