Temple Israel (Johannesburg)

Last updated

Temple Israel
Religion
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
LeadershipReeva Forman (chair)
StatusActive
Location
LocationPaul Nel Street, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001
Country South Africa
Greater Johannesburg OpenStreetMap small.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the synagogue in Greater Johannesburg
Geographic coordinates 26°11′05″S28°02′53″E / 26.184808926448447°S 28.048148353470182°E / -26.184808926448447; 28.048148353470182
Architecture
Architect(s) Hermann Kallenbach
Type Synagogue architecture
Style Art Deco
Date established1935 (as a congregation)
GroundbreakingSeptember 22, 1935
Completed1936
Website
templeisraelh.org.za

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. [1] [2] The congregation is affiliated with the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ), which is part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ). [3]

Contents

Temple Israel officially opened on August 23, 1936, as the mother synagogue of Progressive Judaism in the country. Johannesburg mayor Maurice Freeman, a member of the Jewish community, laid the cornerstone on September 22, 1935. [4] The founding rabbi was Moses Cyrus Weiler.

Progressive Judaism

The progressive streams of Judaism began during the Enlightenment in 18th-century Europe, and was brought to South Africa in the 1930s by Jews fleeing persecution in Central and Eastern Europe. Progressive Judaism aims to strike a balance between modernity and tradition. Progressive Judaism has given prominence to the moral commands over the ritual observances. This is not to abandon rituals altogether, but to highlight that by themselves they are insufficient unless they are accompanied by ethical conduct. [5] This means that the movement is supportive of egalitarian seating and female participation in services, support for LGBT rights and flexibility over Kashrut dietary laws. It is one of four Progressive, the others being Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue on Oxford Road, Temple Bet David in Sandton and Beit Luria (opened in 2019) in Randburg. The Progressive movement in South Africa and the overall South African Jewish population reached its high point in the 1970s with an estimated Jewish population of 120,000 of whom 11,000 identified with the Progressive movement. As of 2019, the Jewish population was estimated at 70,000 with around 6,000 Progressive Jews. [6]

History

Temple Israel was built in 1936 on the corner of Claim and Paul Nel Streets when the Jewish population of Hillbrow amounted to around 800. The interior maintains much of the original features such as wood panelling and parquet floors. The bimah has twin gold columns and menorah shapes going up the wall. There is also an egalitarian three-sided gallery that runs around the main seating area. [7]

The idea to build the synagogue was sparked by a visit in 1929 of Prof. Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938) who was visiting family in Johannesburg at the time. He held forth on Jewish music and the origins of Progressive Judaism, as Reform was also called. Idelsohn encouraged his brother Jerry to found a Reform group in the Gold City. After beginning to hold services in private homes in 1930, Jerry founded the South African Jewish Religious Union for Liberal Judaism (later the South African Union for Progressive Judaism). Jerry made contact with Moses Cyrus Weiler, at the time a student of the elder Idelsohn's at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. After he was ordained in August 1933, Rabbi Weiler came to Johannesburg to found a Reform congregation. His first service was held in the Freemason's Hall at Clarendon Place at the edge of Hillbrow.

After Weiler's arrival, a plot was purchased on Empire Road, Parktown and Weiler hired Herman Kallenbach to build a grand synagogue with lush gardens and where Weiler would serve as rabbi. However, just as building work was set to commence, a neighbourhood petition circulated against plans for a synagogue in a residential area. Eventually a decision was made to sell the plot and buy a smaller 0.30 ha (.75-acre) plot on Paul Nel Street in Hillbrow, where there were already synagogues such as the Great Synagogue and Poswohl Synagogue. Kallenbach used the same Art Deco design that he and his partners A.M. Kennedy and A.S. Furner had prepared for the Parktown site, but scaled it down according to the smaller plot size. [8] Kallenbach also choose the site for the Great Synagogue on Wolmarans Street.

Weiler fostered what has been referred to as ‘Weilerism’, a specific form of Reform Judaism specific to a South African context. This was "rather more cautious than the principles of his American and British counterparts" however, still quite radical by South African standards. [9] Weiler was keen to replicate a trend in American Reform Judaism, where the Bar Mitzvah at age 13 was replaced with Confirmation at age 16, requiring students to study for an exam and then lead a service. However, in South Africa there was instant backlash to the Christian-sounding name of Confirmation and because of the ingrained rite of passage that a Bar Mitzvah held for Jewish boys and men. Weiler quickly reintroduced the Bar Mitzah and any dedicated students that were committed to Conformation did so under the guise of Hebrew names such as Bnei Emunah. [8] [9] The innovations in the services included the use of English alongside Hebrew, gender equality on synagogue committees and the eventual introduction of Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. The Hazzan was also replaced by professional mixed choirs. [9] Weiler also made it compulsory for men to wear a kippah and tallit in services, likewise he expected women to cover their heads too. Kosher dietary laws ( Kashrut ) were not mandatory but were encouraged. Weiler also introduced a strong emphasis on Zionism, Temple Israel started the first local services where the Hebrew had Israeli-style Sephardic pronunciation rather than Ashkenazic. Hatikvah , the national anthem of the State of Israel was also sung alongside God Save the King . He also attempted to advance a free membership model whereby the synagogue would be entirely funded by the city's wealthiest Jewish individuals such as mining magnates. The model was not feasible, an unsuccessful proposal was made to Ernest Oppenheimer, who was uninterested in Judaism. [8]

On 6 August 1983 a limpet mine exploded outside the synagogue, four hours before State President Marais Viljoen and Rabbi Weiler were scheduled to attend a ceremony marking Temple Israel's 50th anniversary. There were no injuries or deaths, but the blast destroyed walls, ripped out windows and seats and turned cupboards and furniture upside down. Nonetheless, the celebration went ahead with Viljoen and Weiler in attendance. Mahommed Iqbal Shaik of the Dolphin Unit of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) later assumed responsibility during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings and he was granted amnesty. [10] [11] [8]

Jews began emigrating from South Africa in the 1970s and by the 1990s most of the Jewish population of Hillbrow had migrated to the northern suburbs or emigrated. In 1994, the SAUPJ hired a rabbi from London to lead the congregation. The rabbi felt that with the exodus of Jewish residents and changes in the neighbourhood, a synagogue in the location was no longer viable. He recommended that the synagogue be closed and the property sold. [12]

Reeva Forman, a businesswoman in the cosmetics industry fought to keep the synagogue open. Forman grew up in an Orthodox Jewish congregation in Doornfontein, but nevertheless felt compelled to support Temple Israel. At the time the congregation attracted around sixty attendees to its Shabbat services. The rabbi returned to London and Forman began to manage the synagogue. She appointed David Bilchitz, a legal scholar, to be the lay rabbi for the congregation. [12]

At Temple Israel's 80th anniversary celebration in 2016, a permanent exhibition was launched delving into the evolution of the Reformed Movement in South Africa and the history of the synagogue, the Heritage Centre. [13] In 2017, only 50 attended regularly, although 300 attended on High Holy Days.

Activities

The congregation consists primarily of old, frail, lonely and poor people from Hillbrow, Berea, Yeoville, and Parktown. These Jews still regard it as their spiritual home. The synagogue is leased to a Christian church for Sunday services, at a nominal fee. [13]

Temple Israel's site houses a school that enrolls Jews and non-Jewish students. The shul has established an outreach program, the M.C. Weiler Primary School, in Alexandra township. The women of Temple Israel began such programs in 1944, believing that Jews must help fellow both believers and their other neighbors in need.

Businesswoman Reeva Forman got involved with Temple Israel in the early 1990s when she heard the congregation was going to sell the synagogue. The purchase vote failed by one. She has served as chairwoman of Temple Israel since 1994. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reform Judaism</span> Denomination of Judaism

Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous revelation which is closely intertwined with human reason and not limited to the Theophany at Mount Sinai. A highly liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by little stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding Jewish law as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and by a great openness to external influences and progressive values.

The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established by Rabbi Wise are the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The current president of the URJ is Rabbi Rick Jacobs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Zevi Idelsohn</span> Jewish ethnologist and composer

Abraham Zevi Idelsohn was a prominent Jewish ethnomusicologist and composer, who conducted several comprehensive studies of Jewish music around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Union for Progressive Judaism</span>

The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is the international umbrella organization for the various branches of Reform, Liberal and Progressive Judaism, as well as the separate Reconstructionist Judaism. The WUPJ is based in 40 countries with 1,275 affiliated synagogues, of which 1,170 are Reform, Progressive, or Liberal and 105 Reconstructionist. It claims to represent a total of some 1.8 million people, both registered constituents and non-member identifiers. The WUPJ states that it aims to create common ground between its constituents and to promote Progressive Judaism in places where individuals and groups are seeking authentic, yet modern ways of expressing themselves as Jews. It seeks to preserve Jewish integrity wherever Jews live, to encourage integration without assimilation, to deal with modernity while preserving the Jewish experience, and to strive for equal rights and social justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal Jewish Synagogue</span> Liberal synagogue in St Johns Wood, London, England

The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, abbreviated as LJS, is a Liberal Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in St John's Wood, in the City of Westminster, London, England, in the United Kingdom.

The modern Reform Cantorate is seen as a result of developments that took place during the 19th century, largely in Europe. The process continued to evolve in America following the emigration of German Reform Jews towards the end of the century.

Bernard Moses Casper (1916–1988) was a British-South African rabbi. He was born and raised in London; educated in London and Cambridge; and served as both a Rabbi and educator in Manchester and London. He was a commissioned Chaplain in the British Army through most of the Second World War, and served with distinction as Senior Chaplain of the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, earning a Mention in Despatches. He served as Chief Rabbi of the Union of Orthodox Synagogues and its predecessors in South Africa from 1963 to 1987.

Makom Solel Lakeside is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 1301 Clavey Road, in Highland Park, on the North Shore of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The congregation's origins can be traced to the founding of the Lakeside Congregation for Reform Judaism in 1955 and Congregation Solel in 1957. The two Reform congregations merged in 2019 and currently serve more than 500 households.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Israel (Tulsa, Oklahoma)</span>

Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 2004 East 22nd Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States. Founded in 1914, the congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1915, and constructed its first building on the corner of 14th and Cheyenne Streets in 1919. Early rabbis included Jacob Menkes, Charles Latz, Samuel Kaplan, Jacob Krohngold, and Benjamin Kelsen.

The Emet veShalom, also known as the Emet V'Shalom, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 1 Keren Hayesod Street, in Nahariya, in the Haifa District, in the western Galilee region of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (Philadelphia)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia, USA

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, abbreviated as KI, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park, just outside the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Founded in Philadelphia in 1847, it is the sixth oldest Reform congregation in the United States, and, by 1900, it was one of the largest Reform congregations in the United States. The synagogue was at a number of locations in the city before building a large structure on North Broad Street in 1891, until 1956 when it moved north of the city to suburban Elkins Park.

The Great Park Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 75 4th Street, in Houghton, Johannesburg, in the region of Gauteng, South Africa.

Beit Emanuel, formally the Temple Emamuel, is a Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Parktown, a suburb of Johannesburg, in the district of Gauteng, South Africa. The synagogue was established in 1954 and is one of the largest Progressive Jewish congregations in South Africa. It is an affiliate of 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">South African Union for Progressive Judaism</span> Affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism

The South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ) is an affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and supports 11 progressive congregations. Rabbi Moses Cyrus Weiler, a founder of Reform Judaism in the country, led the country's first Reform synagogue, Temple Israel in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Weiler is credited with growing the movement, to represent 15-17% of South African Jewry and establishing 25 congregations in the country. A 2020 joint study by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and the University of Cape Town showed that 12% of Jews identified as Progressive and that in relative terms the progressive strands are increasing after falling to 7% in 1998 and 2005 studies. In Johannesburg, the community accounts for 7% of the city's Jewry, rising to 18% in Cape Town and 25% in Durban.

The Temple Israel, also known as the Cape Town Progressive Jewish Congregation (CTPJC), is a Progressive Jewish congregation, located in Cape Town, with three synagogues located in each of Green Point, Wynberg and Milnerton, in the Western Cape region of South Africa. As three centres combined, they are the largest Progressive congregation in South Africa, and the second largest Jewish congregation in Cape Town after Marais Road Shul in Sea Point.

Temple Beth Israel (TBI) is a Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in St Kilda, an inner seaside suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The organisation is a member of the Union for Progressive Judaism, an umbrella organisation for Progressive Judaism in Asia and the Pacific.

Moses Cyrus Weiler was a Latvian-born South African rabbi and founder of Reform Judaism in the country. He was Chief Minister of the United Jewish Progressive Congregation and served as rabbi of Temple Israel in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, the mother synagogue of the country's Reform movement. He is credited with growing the movement, with 25 congregations established during his tenure. He made aliyah to Israel in 1958, where he spent the second part of his life.

Rabbi Dr David Sherman was a South African and American rabbi. He was the first spiritual leader of a Reform congregation in Cape Town, where he led Temple Israel in Green Point.

Arthur Saul Super was a British-born rabbi and journalist. He initially served as a rabbi to Orthodox congregations before switching allegiances to Reform Judaism. He served as Chief Minister of the United Jewish Progressive Congregations of Johannesburg between 1964 and 1975.

Durban Jewish Club, also known as Durban Jewish Centre, is an arts, culture and entertainment venue, an educational facility and a social and community hub in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was first established in 1931, and for a time it was the only country club in Durban that admitted Jews. It is also home to a number of Jewish organisations such as Beit David, a Reform synagogue. It is also the site of the Durban Holocaust and Genocide Centre, which has sister centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Cape Town Holocaust Centre and Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre.

References

  1. ↑ "Temple Israel Hillbrow unveils heritage plaque". Inner City Gazette.
  2. ↑ "Madonsela to speak at Temple Israel milestone". South African Jewish Report. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Congregations". South African Union for Progressive Judaism . Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "History of Hillbrow: Part 2". Johannesburg 1912. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Judaism - Reform Judaism". BBC News . Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Johannesburg: Culture & Community". Reform Judaism. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "Temple Israel, Hillbrow, 1936". Joburg. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Rabbi Weiler and the founding of the Reform movement in SA". Progressive Jews (South Africa). August 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 "A compelling new history of Progressive Judaism in South Africa". Jewish Affairs. 15 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Bomb explodes at Johannesburg synagogue". South African History Online. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Synagogue in Johannesburg is damaged by an explosion". The New York Times . 7 August 1983.
  12. 1 2 Nerio, Nerio; Halley, Jean (2022). The Roads to Hillbrow.
  13. 1 2 "In Johannesburg, the end of a Jewish community?". Haaretz . Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  14. ↑ "South Africa's Oldest Reform Synagogue Is a Place Where Few Jews Dare Venture". Haaretz . 19 June 2019.