Historic Moments

(Information contained in the Temple archives)

1854: Break from Ohabei Shalom - Very little info available: newspaper articles, Stella Obst's history (1917), what else? Check with Ohabei Shalom, AJHS, etc.

1859: Purchase of Wakefield Cemetery - Deeds, board minutes, cemetery collection, etc.

1873-4: Decision to Elect a Rabbi Committed to Reform, Solomon Schindler - Board minutes, sermons, photos, secondary sources in vertical files

1870s-1900s: Influx of East European Jews into City - Bulletins, some member papers

1885: Dedication of Columbus Avenue Temple - Demonstrates growing size and wealth of congregation, influence of its members and leaders. Newspaper articles, board minutes, building collection

1894: Founding of Auxiliary Society - This society was the first internal temple organization dedicated to social service, cultural activity, education, and social functions. Board minutes, committee and club records, newspaper articles, etc.

1903: Founding of Women's Society (later Sisterhood) - The primary purpose of the Women's Society was to help raise funds for the new Comm Ave. temple, but it soon expanded into other roles in the temple and local Jewish community. Board minutes, bulletins, Sisterhood collections.

1907: Dedication of Commonwealth Avenue Temple - Attended by prominent Jewish and political leaders, the dedication of the new temple building demonstrates the growing size and wealth of the congregation, as well as the rising influence of its members and leaders in the community. Newspaper articles, board minutes, bulletins, building collection

1913: First Congregational Seder - "For the first time we liberal Jews indicated that we wanted to participate in old Pesach traditions with our own version." Abram Vossen Goodman, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Sinai, Long Island, NY, 140th anniversary brochure. The seder was the first to follow the reform-sponsored Union Haggadah. Bulletins, board minutes, personal reminiscences, Union Haggadah: Home Service for the Passover Eve (1903).

1917-1918: World War I - World War I offered Boston's Reform Jews ample opportunities for asserting their American Jewish identity, and being accepted on those terms as both good Americans and good Jews. Newpaper articles, bulletins, board minutes.

1911-1920s: Installation of Rabbi Harry Levi, Changes within Religious School - Harry Levi's installation represented a return to a more moderate reform program after Rabbi Fleischer's radical implementations, as well as Levi's new commitment to the Religious School (paying teachers, establishing branch schools, refocus of curriculum to more traditional Jewish topics, etc.) Bulletins, board minutes, Levi's monthly reports

1924: Rabbi Levi's first radio broadcasts of sermons Levi's broadcasted sermons launched a new era in TI's interfaith educational efforts, taking advantage of Levi's "genius for selling Judaism to Christians," his speaking ability, and technology. Bulletins (listener comments), board minutes, Levi's monthly reports, copies of radio sermons, Brotherhood collection, audio collection (?), etc.

1923-27: Decision to Build Meeting House/Temple Center (at Longwood Avenue) - The building of a new meeting house represented the congregation's commitment to Jewish education, social and cultural activities, and its growing membership. Building collection, photos, board minutes, bulletins, fundraising files, etc.

1939-1944: Rabbi Liebman's Tenure During World War II - Rabbi Liebman brought a new enthusiasm for Jewish identity and tradition to the congregation, long dominated by a membership who advocated assimilation (ex. return to bar mitzvah rather than confirmation). Due to the dynamic leadership of Liebman and others in the congregation, the temple became even more of a citywide and nationally known institution than before. Leading the temple through the tumultuous years of the Holocaust and World War II, Liebman also instilled a greater awareness and interest in Zionism and the State of Israel in congregants. Board minutes, bulletins, Liebman papers at TI and BU, photos, Temple Committee records, Holidays and Festivals records, Israel Committee, etc.

1950s: Social Action Committee - With his installation in 1954, Gittelsohn brought a new commitment to social action to Temple Israel through the 1970s. Some important projects included the Boston Ruleville Interfaith Committee (BRIC), Rev. Martin Luther King's visit to Boston in 196. SAC collection, board minutes, bulletins, photos

1972: Installation of Murray Simon as the Temple's First Cantor - Board minutes, bulletins, audio collections, temple committee records, music services records, photos, Simon's files (small).

1969-1971: Israel Week/Expo Israel - These celebrations demonstrate TI's new connection with Israel, its heritage, and its current political plight. Israel Committee Collection, board minutes, bulletins.

1980s: Demonstrations and Trips to Russia to Support Refusniks - These events illustrated Temple Israel’s heightened devotion to the refusniks' struggles in Soviet Russia. Refusnik support and letter campaign files, Social Action Committee records, board minutes, bulletins, photos, Mehlman papers, Ronya Schwaab's "My Reminiscences," etc.

1993: Opening of the Frances Jacobson Early Childhood Center - Board meeting minutes, dedication services brochures, some photographs. Most information remains with the center itself.