Emanuel Congregation

Last updated

Emanuel Congregation
Emanuel chapel.jpg
The synagogue chapel in 2014
Religion
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status Synagogue
LeadershipRabbi Michael R. Zedek (Emeritus)
StatusActive
Notable artwork Edgar Miller ark
Location
Location5959 North Sheridan Road, Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois
CountryUnited States
Chicago locator map.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Chicago, Illinois
Geographic coordinates 41°59′26″N87°39′17″W / 41.990638°N 87.654724°W / 41.990638; -87.654724
Architecture
Architect(s)
TypeSynagogue
Style Modernist
Date established1880 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1896 (Buckingham Pl. #1)
  • c.1916(Buckingham Pl. #2)
  • 1955 (North Sheridan Rd.)
Materials Brick; limestone
Website
emanuelcong.org

Emanuel Congregation (formerly Temple Emanuel) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5959 North Sheridan Road, in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1880. [1]

Contents

History

Fourteen German-speaking Jews founded Emanuel Congregation in 1880. [2] The first president of Emanuel Congregation was Zacharias Sinzheimer. [2] Originally founded on Orthodox ideology, Emanuel gradually shifted towards Reform Judaism by adopting Minhag America in 1889, choosing to worship with uncovered heads and finally uniting with Congregation Or Chadosh in 1894. [2] [3]

Another notable change in the early years of the congregation is its formal shift from speaking German to English in 1901. [3]

Between 1880 and 1923, the congregation had only six rabbis, with Rabbi Felix A. Levy serving for forty-seven years. During Rabbi Levy's time, the congregation grew considerably, with over three hundred members at one point during the time he served. [2] [3] While there were times of higher membership, such as during Rabbi Levy's time, there were also multiple times when Emanuel Congregation's membership dwindled, which was often due to the northward movement of the members. In order to continue to serve their members, the congregation moved locations, such as in 1896 when membership was declining and the congregation moved to a lot on Buckingham Place near Halsted Street, where they built a new building. [3] In 1916, the building at this location was badly damaged by a fire. After this, the building was rebuilt and rededicated. [2]

Current location

The congregation grew once again, which led to another location change in 1949 to a lot on Sheridan Road at Thorndale Avenue. The Modernist temple, designed as a brick and limestone fortress, was completed in 1954, and was dedicated the following year. [3] Ross Barney + Jankowski completed stylistic remodelling in 2001, and in 2013, the building was opened up to views of Lake Michigan, designed by Blender Architecture. The synagogue features an Ark designed by Edgar Miller, stained-glass windows (including seven vintage windows, restored from a demolished Lawndale synagogue [4] ), movable translucent wall panels, and sails hung from the ceiling. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodef Shalom Congregation</span> Reform synagogue in Easton, Pennsylvania, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Elohim</span> Reform synagogue in Brooklyn, New York

Congregation Beth Elohim, also known as the Garfield Temple and the Eighth Avenue Temple, is a Reform Jewish congregation and historic synagogue located at 274 Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue, in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, New York, United States.

The Rockdale Temple, formally Kahal Kadosh Bene Israel, is an Ashkenazi Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Amberley Village, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains, the oldest congregation in Ohio, the second oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States and one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Emanu-El of West Essex</span> Former Reform Jewish synagogue in New Jersey, US

Temple Emanu-El of West Essex is a former Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue that was located at 264 West Northfield Road, in Livingston, in the West Essex section of New Jersey, in the United States. Founded in 1955, the congregation merged with Temple Sinai in Summit in 2018, due to financial reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAM Isaiah Israel</span> Reform synagogue in Chicago, Illinois, United States

KAM Isaiah Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 1100 East Hyde Park Boulevard in the historic Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago, with its oldest core founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe Ma'arav.

<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">Temple Sinai (Oakland, California)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in California, United States of America

Temple Sinai is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 2808 Summit Street in Oakland, California, in the United States. Founded in 1875, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in the East San Francisco Bay region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Emanuel (Denver)</span> Reform Jewish congregation and historic synagogues in Denver, Colorado, US

The Temple Emanuel, also known as Congregation Emanuel, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 51 Grape Street, in Denver, Colorado, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Emanuel Sinai (Worcester, Massachusetts)</span> Reform synagogue in Worcester, Massachusetts, US

Temple Emanuel Sinai is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 661 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore Congregation Israel</span> Reform synagogue in Glencoe, Illinois, United States

North Shore Congregation Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 1185 Sheridan Road in Glencoe, on the North Shore of Chicago, in Illinois, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Sholom</span> Reform synagogue in Illinois, United States

Temple Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 3480 North Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Founded in 1867, as of 2010 it was one of the oldest and largest congregations in Chicago with over 1,100 member families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter Synagogue</span> Synagogue in the City of Exeter, Devon, England

The Exeter Synagogue is a Jewish synagogue, located in Synagogue Place, Mary Arches Street, in the old city of Exeter, Devon, England, in the United Kingdom. Established in the 1720s as the Exeter Hebrew Congregation, an Orthodox congregation that worshiped in the Ashkenazi rite, the congregation has been led by laity since c. 1990s, and caters to all shades of Judaism including Reform, Liberal, Masorti and other Jewish denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Israel (Memphis, Tennessee)</span> Reform Jewish congregation in Memphis, Tennessee, US

Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 1376 East Massey Road, in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. It is the only Reform synagogue in Memphis, the oldest and largest Jewish congregation in Tennessee, and one of the largest Reform congregations in the U.S. It was founded in 1853 by mostly German Jews as Congregation B'nai Israel. Led initially by cantors, in 1858 it hired its first rabbi, Jacob Peres, and leased its first building, which it renovated and eventually purchased.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Emanuel (Creve Coeur, Missouri)</span> Reform synagogue in Missouri, United Stares

Temple Emanuel is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 12166 Conway Road, near the corner of New Ballas Road, in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the United States. Organized in 1956, it is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism (UAHC). It has a membership of 300 families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beit Shalom Jewish Community</span> Reform synagogue in Davenport, Iowa, US

Beit Shalom Jewish Community is a Reform Jewish shared synagogue located at 2215 East Kimberly Road, on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, in the United States. The shared community facility was established in 2019 and is home to two congregations, Temple Emanuel, established in 1861, and Congregation Beth Israel, established in 1936. Temple Emanuel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Iowa and both congregation are affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Reform Synagogue</span> Reform synagogue in central Manchester, England

The Manchester Reform Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation based in Central Manchester, England, in the United Kingdom. The congregation, founded in 1857 as the Manchester Congregation of British Jews, is one of the oldest Reform communities in the United Kingdom, and is a member of the Movement for Reform Judaism.

The Temple Israel is a Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Hillbrow, a suburb of Johannesburg, in the district of Gauteng, South Africa. Designed by Hermann Kallenbach in the Art Deco style, the synagogue was completed in 1936 and is the oldest of eleven Progressive synagogues in South Africa. The synagogue is classified as a provincial heritage site. The congregation is affiliated with the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ), which is part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Anshai Emeth</span> Reform synagogue in Peoria, Illinois, United States

Congregation Anshai Emeth is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5614 North University Street, in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States. Established in 1859, the synagogue is the second oldest Jewish congregation in Illinois, and as of 2019 has the largest membership of any Jewish congregation in Peoria.

Chicago Sinai Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 15 West Delaware Place, in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Founded in 1861, the current synagogue building was designed by Dirk Lohan and completed in 1996, inclusive of stained-glass windows by British artist Brian Clarke.

References

  1. "N. Side Temple To Mark 65th Year This Week". Chicago Sunday Tribune . April 1, 1945. p. 2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Meites, Hyman L., ed. (1924). History of the Jews of Chicago. Chicago, IL: Jewish Historical Society of Illinois. p. 516-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee (1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook. Greenwood Press. p. 121. ISBN   9780313288562.
  4. Rodkin, Dennis (January 2014). "An Artist Breakthrough" (PDF). ChicagoArchitect. p. 12. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  5. "Emanuel Congregation". Open House Chicago. Chicago Architecture Center. 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  6. Jacobs, Les. "Emanuel Congregation". Selected work. Blender Architecture. Retrieved January 11, 2024.