The congregation was founded in 1956 and Shabbat services were held at the Marin Jewish Community Center, established in 1946 at Mission and Forbes Street,[3] until 1962 when it moved to its current location.[4] The congregation shares a campus with the Osher Marin JCC and the Brandeis Hillel Day School. Rodef Sholom has been affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism since 1957.
History
Congregation Rodef Sholom.
During the 1940s the Marin Jewish community would gather at houses in the community for Shabbat services. B'nai B'rith, Hadassah, and Council of Jewish Women also established chapters within the county, and in 1948, the Marin Jewish Community Center was opened at 1618 Mission Avenue.[5] The JCC held kabbalat shabbat and shabbat services each week in its sanctuary, and out of these services grew Rodef Sholom in 1956 and Kol Shofar in 1962.[4]
Congregation Rodef Sholom was founded in 1956 by Harry Albert, Abe Blumenfeld, Sidney Braverman, Samuel B. Herst, David J. Rosenberg, Sidney Rudey, Aaron Schwartz, and Julius Selinger.[6] The congregation grew from 64 families upon establishment to 143 by the high holy days. Rabbi Julius A. Liebert and Cantor Louis Roller, the congregation's first clergy, led services in the JCC sanctuary. The temple sisterhood, then called the Ladies Auxiliary, formed that same year. During its first year, membership was divided between a Reform or Conservative affiliation. However, in 1957, under the direction of Rabbi Morton Hoffman, Rodef Sholom formally became a Reform congregation by joining the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. By 1959, the Jewish population of Marin County was 2,700[7] with 225 families belonging to Rodef Sholom, and over 300 children attending its religious school.
Congregation Rodef Sholom shares a campus with the Osher Marin JCC, pictured here.
On June 4, 1961, after 4 years of fundraising, the community held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new synagogue, which would be completed and dedicated on May 4, 1962. Jane Slater Marquis and Claude Stoller designed the architecture of the building.[8] The new building featured a stained glass window in the hexagonal high ceiling that was donated by the Koch family, stained glass windows at the front entrance donated by Mrs. Harry Albert, and an organ from the Men's Club.[5] Rabbi Morton Hoffman left the congregation in 1970, and Rabbi David Davis became the new senior rabbi, serving for 7 years.
In 1977 Rabbi Michael Berenbaum was hired to lead the congregation. That same year the congregation began holding high holy day services at the Marin County Civic Center, which allowed for the entire congregation to worship together. Several associate rabbis served under Rabbi Barenbaum including Rabbi Robert Daum (1986–1993), Rabbi Miriam Baitch (1982–1986), and Rabbi Lee Bycel (1979–1982). Barenbaum became Rodef Sholom's longest serving rabbi when he retired in 2003 after 27 years of service.[9] Barenbaum was honored by Senator Barbara Boxer on a February 2003 session.[10] During his tenure, the congregation's numbers grew from 300 members to 1,100 families.[11] In 2003, after 10 years of service as Rodef Sholom's associate rabbi, Rabbi Stacy Friedman became senior rabbi.
In 2009, Rodef Sholom received a Next Dor grant[12] from Synagogue 3000 to develop its NITA program, led by Rabbi Noa Kushner.[13] The program's name, NITA, comes from the Hebrew word meaning "we will grow," and aims to bring unaffiliated Generation X and Y Jews into a comfortable non-synagogue environment where they can "do Jewish stuff."[14] The group meets for havdalah, hikes, storahtelling, and once-monthly kabbalat shabbat services.[15]
Religious school
In 1944, the first Jewish organization in Marin was formed, the Marin Jewish Sunday School Association, which arose from the need for standardized Jewish education within the community.[6] Throughout the next few decades classes met at Marin Country Day School, above the Tamalpais movie theater, The San Rafael military academy, Scout Hall, and the San Anselmo Library. On November 12, 1965, Rodef Sholom's Religious School building was dedicated. In 1967, vandals burned down Blumenfeld Hall, and some classes were held at Blessed Sacrament Church during the rebuilding.[6]
Brandeis Hillel Day School established its Marin campus in the facility in 1978. The school is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and affiliated with the Bureau of Jewish Education, RAVSAK, Northern California Jewish Community Day School Network, National Association of Independent Schools, and JESNA.[16]
Rabbinical leaders
The following individuals have served as rabbi of Congregation Rodef Sholom:
Additionally, Michael Lezak served as Associate Rabbi between 2003 and 2017;[21] and Noa Kushner served as Assistant Rabbi between 2005 and 2011.[18][22]
Gallery
Congregation Rodef Sholom's hexagonal high ceiling.
Congregation Rodef Sholom's stained glass window.
Congregation Rodef Sholom's stained glass window as seen from outside.
Congregation Rodef Sholom during Sukkot 5770 (2009).
Related Research Articles
Rosh Pina is a lay-led Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue that meets in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Lekha Dodi is a Hebrew-language Jewish liturgical song recited Friday at dusk, usually at sundown, in synagogue to welcome the Sabbath prior to the evening services. It is part of Kabbalat Shabbat.
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 701 Farmington Avenue, in West Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States.
Rodef Shalom Congregation is an historic Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The landmark building was designed by architect Henry Hornbostel and completed in the Beaux-Arts style.
Bournemouth Reform Synagogue, also known as BRS, is a Reform Jewish synagogue of over 500 members in the heart of Bournemouth, England.
The history of the Jews in Omaha, Nebraska, goes back to the mid-1850s.
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 301 East Jefferson Street in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the United States. Founded in 1882, it grew out of Charlottesville's Hebrew Benevolent Society, which was created in 1870.
Temple Beth Israel was a Jewish synagogue located at 840 Highland Road in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Originally called House of Israel Congregation, it was founded in 1888 as an Orthodox congregation by Eastern European Jews. The congregation merged with Congregation Rodef Sholom of Youngstown, Ohio in July, 2013; and the former synagogue building was sold to a Christian church in 2014.
Temple Emanuel Sinai is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 661 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.
Daniel Nichols is an American Jewish rock musician and founder of the band, E18hteen.
Bromley Reform Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 28 Highland Road, in Shortlands, Bromley, in the Borough of Bromley, London, England, in the United Kingdom.
The Syrian Jewish communities of the United States are a collection of communities of Syrian Jews, mostly founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The largest are in Brooklyn, Deal, New Jersey and Miami. In 2007, the population of the New York and New Jersey communities was estimated at 90,000.
Congregation Or Chadash was a Reform Jewish LGBT-oriented congregation that was located at 5959 North Sheridan Road, Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.
Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah is a Modern Orthodox synagogue on Seven Locks Road in Potomac, Maryland, in the United States. The largest Orthodox synagogue in the Washington metropolitan area, it is led by Rabbi Nissan Antine.
Maidenhead Synagogue is a Reform synagogue based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It serves Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and surrounding districts west of London in the Thames Valley area.
The Brandeis School of San Francisco, or Brandeis, is an independent, co-educational, Jewish day school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, located in the Park Merced neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States. From its founding in 1963 until 1973, the school was known as Brandeis. Following the merge with the Hillel School, the school was known as Brandeis Hillel Day School. As of July 1, 2015, the San Francisco campus of the former Brandeis Hillel Day School is now The Brandeis School of San Francisco.
The South Philadelphia Shtiebel is a Jewish congregation, synagogue, and community center, located in the East Passyunk neighborhood of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The congregation was established in 2019, is led by Rabbanit Hadas Fruchter, and offers educational, community, and religious programming.
The Kitchen is a non-denominational Jewish congregation located in San Francisco, California, in the United States.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
