Congregation Albert

Last updated

Congregation Albert
Congregation Albert, Albuquerque NM.jpg
Congregation Albert
Religion
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
LeadershipRabbi Celia Surget
StatusActive
Location
Location3800 Louisiana Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico
CountryUnited States
USA New Mexico relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in New Mexico
Geographic coordinates 35°7′41″N106°34′3″W / 35.12806°N 106.56750°W / 35.12806; -106.56750
Architecture
Founder
  • Alfred Grunsfeld
  • Henry N. Jaffa
  • Berthold Spitz
Date established1897 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1900 (West Gold Avenue)
  • 1951 (Lead Street)
  • 1984 (Louisiana Boulevard)
Website
congregationalbert.shulcloud.com

Congregation Albert is a Reform Jewish synagogue, located at 3800 Louisiana Boulevard NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. [1] [ self-published source? ] Established in 1897, the conregation is the oldest Jewish organization of continued existence in the state. [1] [ self-published source? ] [2] [3]

Contents

History

Formation and early years

Congregation Albert was established as a congregation in 1897. It was established by Alfred Grunsfeld (its first treasurer), Henry N. Jaffa (its first president and the first Mayor of Albuquerque), and Berthold Spitz (the city's Postmaster for 12 years), after discussions with 70 members of the first congregation in Albuquerque, the B’nai Brith Lodge No. 336, which had been formed in 1883. [3] [4] [5]

The naming rights of the new synagogue were auctioned off. [3] [4] [5] [6] In 1897, the Grunsfeld family, winning the auction for $250 ($9,200 in current dollar terms), elected to name the synagogue after Alfred’s deceased father, Albert Grunsfeld, who had immigrated to Santa Fe, from Germany in the 1870s. [3] [4] [5]

At the outset, the synagogue had 34 members and its religious services were held at the Knights of Pythias Hall on Gold Avenue in downtown Albuquerque. [3] [5] Half a year later, the synagogue moved to the Jolly Ten Hall located on Gold Avenue. [3]

Congregation Albert advertised for a rabbi in The American Israelite . [4] [5] Its first Rabbi was Dr. William H. Greenburg of London, England, who served from 1898 to 1900 and held his first service for 50 members on March 18, 1898. [3] [4] Greenburg served in his initial two-year term for a salary of $125 per month ($4,600 in current dollar terms). [5]

After its cornerstone was set on September 3, 1899, in April 1900 Congregation Albert's first building was dedicated on West Gold Avenue (at the northeast corner of its intersection with 7th Street), with an onion-shaped oriental dome, pitched roof, and twin staircases leading to a second-story entrance, and Rabbi Pizer Jacobs was installed as the second rabbi of the synagogue. [2] [3] [5] [7] In 1902, Jacob H. Kaplan became the Rabbi. [8] Methodists were allowed to use the synagogue until their church was built in 1904. [5] In 1919, the synagogue had 84 members and, after a dip during the Depression, in 1944 it had 87 members. [5]

Rabbi David D. Shor served the congregation from 1948 to 1978, during which time he was tendered a lifetime contract in 1956. [3] [9] In 1951, Congregation Albert moved to a building on Lead, between Oak and Mulberry SE. [2] [3]

Recent history

At the time of the synagogue's 75th anniversary, a 600-copy limited edition Diamond Jubilee History entitled Congregation Albert, 1897–1972 by Professor Gunther Rothenberg, a University of New Mexico professor of European history and Jewish history, was printed. [4] In 1975, the synagogue elected a woman president, Ethel Cahn. [9]

The synagogue was led by Rabbi Paul J. Citrin from 1978 to 1996. [9] In 1984, Congregation Albert moved to its current location, at 3800 Louisiana Boulevard NE, just south of Montgomery. [2] [3]

The synagogue was led by Rabbi Joseph R. Black from 1996 to 2010. [10] In 2000, out of 606 working members, 14% were doctors and 9% were attorneys. [9] In 2005, it had more than 700 members. [2]

Celia Surget has served as Congregation Albert's Rabbi since July 1, 2021, and Barbara Finn serves as Cantor. [3] [11] [ self-published source? ] [12] The synagogue is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism, having joined in 1921. [1] [ self-published source? ] [13]

Notable members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West London Synagogue</span> Grade II listed Reform synagogue in City of Westminster, London, England

The West London Synagogue, abbreviated WLS, and fully the West London Synagogue of British Jews is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located near Marble Arch, at 34 Upper Berkeley Street, in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England, in the United Kingdom.

The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 7401 Park Heights Avenue, in Pikesville, on the border of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Shearith Israel</span> Synagogue in Manhattan, New York

The Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 2 West 70th Street, at Central Park West, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth-El (San Antonio)</span> Reform synagogue in San Antonio, Texas, US

Temple Beth-El is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 211 Belknap Place, in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. Founded in 1874, it is the oldest synagogue in South Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth El (Detroit)</span> Reform synagogue in Michigan, United States

Temple Beth El is a Reform synagogue located at in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan, in the United States. Beth El was founded in 1850 in the city of Detroit, and is the oldest Jewish congregation in Michigan. Temple Beth El was a founding member of the Union for Reform Judaism in 1873, and hosted the meeting in 1889 during which the Central Conference of American Rabbis was established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilshire Boulevard Temple</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles, California, US

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Center district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 9001 Towne Centre Drive in University City, San Diego, California, in the United States. Incorporated in 1887, Beth Israel traces its roots back to 1861; and is the largest and oldest Jewish congregation in San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Scottsdale, Arizona, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 10460 North 56th Street in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. Incorporated in 1920, the congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1935.

Temple Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 801 West Michigan Avenue in Jackson, Michigan, in the United States. Formed in 1862 by Jews of German background, it grew out of the Hebrew Benevolent Society, which had been organized in 1858, and was the second Reform congregation in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Asheville, North Carolina)</span> Synagogue in Asheville, North Carolina, United States

Congregation Beth Israel is an independent, traditional egalitarian Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 229 Murdock Avenue in Asheville, North Carolina, in the United States. Founded in 1899 as Bikur Cholim, it was an Orthodox breakaway from Asheville's existing synagogue. It hired its first full-time rabbi in 1909, opened a religious school in 1911, and acquired its first building, which burnt down in 1916, in 1913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Rodeph Sholom (Manhattan)</span> Reform synagogue in New York City

Congregation Rodeph Sholom is a Reform Jewish synagogue at 7 West 83rd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York. Founded in 1842 by German Jewish immigrants, it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom</span> Reform synagogue in Louisville, Kentucky, US

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5101 US Hwy 42, in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Israel (Boston)</span> Reform synagogue in Boston, Massachusetts

Temple Israel is a synagogue affiliated with Reform Judaism located at 477 Longwood Avenue, in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Founded in 1854 as Adath Israel, the congregation is the largest Reform synagogue in New England.

Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3100 East Broad Street, in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. Founded as the Orthodox Bene Jeshurun congregation in 1846, the congregation is the oldest Jewish congregation in Columbus, and a founding member of the Union for Reform Judaism. Its first religious leader was Simon Lazarus, a clothing merchant who founded what would become Lazarus department stores.

Congregation Beth Emeth is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 100 Academy Road, in Albany, Albany County, New York, in the United States. Established in 1885, it is the fourth oldest Reform congregation in the United States.

Har Sinai – Oheb Shalom Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 7310 Park Heights Avenue, in Pikesville, Baltimore County, Maryland, in the United States. Established in 1842 in Baltimore and known as Har Sinai Congregation, and in 1853 near Camden Yards as Temple Oheb Shalom, the two congregations merged in 2019 and is the oldest Reform congregation in the United States that has used the same prayer rite since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Synagogue</span> Synagogue in London, England

The Westminster Synagogue is an independent Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue, located near Hyde Park, in Central London, England, in the United Kingdom. The synagogue is located in Kent House, a restored Victorian town house in Knightsbridge. The building, which dates from the late 1800s, also houses the Czech Memorial Scrolls Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Shaaray Tefila</span> Reform synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Temple Shaaray Tefila is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 250 East 79th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States.

Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, also called The Sephardic Temple, is an unaffiliated Jewish congregation and synagogue that adopts Sephardi nusach, located at 10500 Wilshire Boulevard, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Established on February 1, 1920 as the "Sephardic Community of Los Angeles", the congregation exists today as the merger of three major Sephardic organizations with approximately 600 member families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Shearith Israel (Baltimore, Maryland)</span> Orthodox synagogue in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Congregation Shearith Israel is a historic Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 5835 Park Heights Avenue, in Park Heights, northwest Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Home". Congregation Albert. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.[ self-published source? ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Steinberg, David (October 15, 2005). "Congregation Albert City's Oldest". Albuquerque Journal.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Silver, Samantha (September 16, 2013). "Congregation Albert: The Oldest Continuing Jewish Organization in Albuquerque, New Mexico". Jewish Museum of the American West.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Congregation Albert; Albuquerque, New Mexico". Bloom Southwest Jewish Archives. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Tobias, Henry J. (1992). A History of the Jews in New Mexico. UNM Press. ISBN   0826313906 – via Google Books.[ page needed ]
  6. ↑ Sandweiss, Naomi (March 7, 2012). "Marking a Century of Jewish Life in New Mexico". Tablet Magazine.
  7. ↑ "Congregation Albert – Docs". Jewish History Museum.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ Anderson, George B. (1907). History of New Mexico: Its Resources and People. Vol. 2. Pacific States Publishing Company. p.  545.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Tobias, Henry Jack (2008). Jews in New Mexico Since World War II. UNM Press. ISBN   978-0826344182 – via Google Books.[ page needed ]
  10. ↑ "Biography of Rabbi Joseph R. Black". rabbijoeblack.com.
  11. ↑ "Our Clergy". Congregation Albert.[ self-published source? ]
  12. ↑ "MS-869: Harry L. Rosenfeld Papers. 1977–2010". American Jewish Archives.
  13. ↑ "The Union Bulletin". Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 1921 – via Google Books.[ page needed ]
  14. ↑ "Simchas: Alex Bregman with other Jewish baseball champs" (PDF). The New Mexico Jewish Link. October 2011. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2015.
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.