Union Temple of Brooklyn

Last updated

Union Temple of Brooklyn
Union Temple glint Eastern Pkwy jeh.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Reform Judaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status Synagogue (1921–2021)
StatusClosed; merged with Congregation Beth Elohim
Location
Location17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
CountryUnited States
USA New York City location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the former synagogue and NHRP building in New York City
Geographic coordinates 40°40′24″N73°58′4.5″W / 40.67333°N 73.967917°W / 40.67333; -73.967917
Architecture
Architect(s) Arnold Brunner
TypeSynagogue
Style Neo-Classical
Date established1921 (as a congregation)
Completed1929 (1929)
Union Temple of Brooklyn
AreaLess than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
NRHP reference No. 15000232
Added to NRHPMay 18, 2015
[1]

The Union Temple of Brooklyn was a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 17 Eastern Parkway between Underhill Avenue and Plaza Street East in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, across the street from the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. On March 26, 2021 Union Temple merged with Congregation Beth Elohim. [2]

Contents

Union Temple was the result of the merger of two nineteenth century congregations, K. K. Beth Elohim and Temple Israel. Most recently, the synagogue was led by Rabbi Stephanie Kolin.

The building was designed by Arnold Brunner and completed in 1929 as the community house for a planned temple next door, which was never built because of the Great Depression; the 11-story building has been used for the congregation's worship since, except, in the past, on High Holy Days, when the Brooklyn Academy of Music was utilized. In 1942, a theatre in the building was remodeled to be a sanctuary.

In 2015 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [1]

K. K. Beth Elohim

Founded in 1848 by German and Alsatian Jewish immigrants living in the village of Williamsburgh, K.K. Beth Elohim was the first Jewish congregation established in Brooklyn and the first on Long Island. Prior to its. closure, it was a member congregation of the Union for Reform Judaism.

The congregation first worshiped in a private home on Marcy Avenue. In 1860 a former church building on South First Street was purchased and remodeled for use as a synagogue, it was afterwards used as a school offered elementary education in English and German, in both secular and religious subjects. The school closed when public education began in Brooklyn. [2]

A new synagogue was built on Keap Street south of Division Avenue in 1876. Known as the Keap Street Temple, for many years it was the largest synagogue in Brooklyn. [3] It is among the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States. [4]

Raphael Benjamin was rabbi of the synagogue from 1902 to 1905. [5]

Temple Israel

Temple Israel was founded in 1869. Until 1872 services were held in the Y.M.C.A. building on the corner of Fulton Street and Galatin Place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In that year the congregation purchased a former church building on Greene Avenue. Temple Israel dedicated a larger and more magnificent new building on the corner of Bedford and Lafayette Avenues in 1891. [2]

Raphael Lasker served as rabbi of the Temple from 1871 to 1876. [6]

Union Temple

Temple Israel and K.K. Beth Elohim merged in 1921, deciding to erect a new temple in the newly fashionable location of 17 Eastern Parkway (Brooklyn). Plans were drawn up by Arnold Brunner for a Neo-Classical temple with an adjacent eleven-story community house. The community house was erected first, and dedicated in 1929. Because of the Great Depression, the planned Temple was never built. [7] Instead, the congregation continued to worship in the Community House. During the High Holy Days the congregation worshiped at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 1942, the theater on the ground floor of the Community House was remodeled as a sanctuary, designed after the old synagogue in Essen, Germany burned by the Nazis. [2]

Inside

A memorial plaque in honor of Mickey Marcus is located in the lobby of the Union Temple of Brooklyn where his funeral service was conducted. It reads:

"Killed in action in the hills of Zion while leading Israeli forces as their supreme commander in the struggle for Israel's freedom—Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling flame/ Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart/ Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor's sake/ Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling flame—Dedicated by his fellow members of Union Temple of Brooklyn December 9, 1949."

Victim of anti-semitic hate speech

On November 1, 2018, events at Union Temple were cancelled after "Kill All Jews" and graffiti was found inside. New York mayor Bill de Blasio said it was "the vilest kind of hate." [8] Police accused James Polite, [9] a Brooklyn native. [10]

Tenants

The German School Brooklyn (GSB), a German government-recognized German international school, was on the facility's fifth floor. The school is not a part of the temple's congregation even though it shares a building. [11] Due to its steady growth, GSB has since moved to its own building on 760 Sterling Pl in Crown Heights. [12]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut)</span> Historic Reform synagogue in West Hartford, Connecticut, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 701 Farmington Avenue, in West Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes</span> Synagogue in New York City

Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes, more commonly known as the Kane Street Synagogue, is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue at 236 Kane Street in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, New York, United States. It is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Brooklyn.

<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.

<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.

Beth Israel Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5315 Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi, in the United States. Organized in 1860 by Jews of German background, it is the only Jewish synagogue in Jackson. Beth Israel built the first synagogue in Mississippi in 1867, and, after it burned down, its 1874 replacement was at one time the oldest religious building in Jackson.

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 Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at One Bowman Street in Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, in the United States. Established in 1861, it initially served Plattsburgh's Jewish population and itinerant Jewish tradesmen in the region. After worshiping in temporary locations, the congregation acquired its first permanent home on Oak Street in 1866. Beth Israel adopted Reform services in 1910, and joined the Union for Reform Judaism in 1913.

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 615 Court Street, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Founded in 1849 by German Jews, its 1856 synagogue building was the smallest in the United States. The congregation was originally Orthodox, but rapidly moved to "Classical Reform". In the 1930s and 1940s an influx of more traditional Eastern European Jews prompted a change from Classical Reform to Traditional Reform.

Congregation Am Tikvah is a combined Conservative and Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 625 Brotherhood Way in San Francisco, California, in the United States. The congregation was formed in 2021 as the result of the merger of the Conservative B'nai Emunah and the Reform Beth Israel Judea congregations, with the latter formed in 1969 through a merger of the Conservative Congregation Beth Israel and the Reform Temple Judea. The congregation is affiliated with both the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom</span> Orthodox synagogue in New York

Congregation Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 284 Rodney Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City, New York, United States. The congregation follows the Ashkenazi rite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Israel of the City of New York</span> Reform synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Temple Israel of the City of New York is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 112 East 75th Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The congregation was incorporated by German Jews in 1873.

Temple Beth Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 4144 Chase Avenue, on Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park</span> Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn, New York

Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park, sometimes called Young Israel Beth El of Boro Park and abbreviated as YIBE, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and historic synagogue, located at 4802 15th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States.

<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.

Congregation Shomrei Emunah is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 5202 14th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth-El (Hornell, New York)</span>

Temple Beth-El is a former Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 12 Church Street, Hornell, New York, in the United States. Built in 1946, it was founded as an Orthodox congregation and, in the 1960s, operated briefly as a Conservative congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Adath Israel of the Main Line</span> Synagogue in Pennsylvania

Temple Adath Israel of the Main Line is a Conservative synagogue located in Merion, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The synagogue offers religious services, pre-school, Hebrew Sunday school, adult education, and community programming. It was founded in 1946 and moved to its current location in 1953. The congregation serves approximately 800 families. Rabbi Eric Yanoff has served as senior rabbi since 2010.

Black Jews in New York City comprise one of the largest communities of Black Jews in the United States. Black Jews have lived in New York City since colonial times, with organized Black-Jewish and Black Hebrew Israelite communities emerging during the early 20th century. Black Jewish and Black Hebrew Israelite communities have historically been centered in Harlem, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens. The Commandment Keepers movement originated in Harlem, while the Black Orthodox Jewish community is centered in Brooklyn. New York City is home to four historically Black synagogues with roots in the Black Hebrew Israelite community. A small Beta Israel (Ethiopian-Jewish) community also exists in New York City, many of whom emigrated from Israel. Black Hebrew Israelites are not considered Jewish by the New York Board of Rabbis, an organization representing mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. However, some Black Hebrew Israelite individuals in New York City are recognized as Jewish due to converting through the Orthodox, Conservative, or other Jewish movements.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 5/18/15 through 5/22/15. National Park Service. May 29, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "History" Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine on the Union Temple of Brooklyn website
  3. American Guild of Organists Archived September 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Gordon, Mark W. "Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues", American Jewish History 84.1 (1996) 11–27. 2019 article update.
  5. Landman, Isaac, ed. (1940). The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York, N.Y.: The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. p. 185 via Google Books.
  6. Adler, Cyrus; Haneman, Frederick T. "LASKER, RAPHAEL". The Jewish Encyclopedia . Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  7. Applebaum, Diana Muir. "Building Bust, The unbuilt synagogues of the Great Depression", Tablet Magazine (August 20, 2009)
  8. Ryan W. Miller (November 2, 2018). "Anti-Semitic graffiti at Brooklyn synagogue prompts event shutdown". USA Today. Retrieved November 5, 2018. Graffiti that read, "Kill All Jews," was found inside Union Temple around 8 p.m. Thursday, police said. "Broad City" star Ilana Glazer was slated to interview journalist Amy Goodman and New York state Senate candidates Andrew Gounardes and Jim Gaughran, the New York Post reported. But audience members were soon sent home. New York mayor Bill de Blasio called it "the vilest kind of hate" and condemned it as a hate crime.
  9. William K. Rashbaum; Ali Winston (November 2, 2018). "Ilana Glazer Event at Synagogue Is Canceled After Anti-Semitic Graffiti Is Found". New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2018. The police announced Friday night that they had arrested a 26-year-old man, James Polite, on charges that he wrote the anti-Semitic graffiti. He faces charges of criminal mischief, which the police classified as a hate crime, and making graffiti. Mr. Polite was taken to a hospital in Brooklyn for a psychiatric evaluation. Earlier in the day, the police released a photograph of a suspect, taken by a security camera inside the temple.
  10. Palmer, Emily (December 14, 2017). "After Years in Foster Care, Intern 'Adopted' by City Hall Catches a Break". The New York Times . Retrieved November 5, 2018. He was in kindergarten the first time he was pulled from his mother's home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
  11. "Contact and Location". German School Brooklyn. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020. The German School Brooklyn is located [...] on the 5th Floor of the Union Temple building on Eastern Parkway.
  12. "German School Brooklyn signs new property". CityKinder. January 27, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  13. "Sidney Tedesche, Rabbi, Dies at 72; Retired as Director of Union Temple in Brooklyn in '54". The New York Times. May 19, 1962.
  14. "Union Temple of Brooklyn: History". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)