Temple House of Israel

TypeSynagogueStyleMoorish RevivalFounderMajor Alexander HartDate established1876 (as a congregation)Completed1925MaterialsMercer tilesWebsitethoi.org NRHP reference No.85000299Significant datesAdded to NRHPFebruary 14, 1985Designated CPGospel Hill Historic District ^[1][2]

Temple House of Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 15 North Market Street, in Staunton, Virginia, in the United States.^[3] Founded in 1876 by Major Alexander Hart,^[4] it originally held services in members' homes, then moved to a building on Kalorama street in 1885, the year it joined the Union for Reform Judaism.^[2]

In 1925 the congregation constructed its current building at 115 North Market Street,^[2] a contributing property to the Gospel Hill historic district.^[5] The Moorish Revival structure was designed by Sam Collins of T.J. Collins and son, and includes Mercer tiles, and windows and a glass screen by Charles Connick of Boston.^[1]

As of 2019^[update], Rabbi Randi Nagel served Temple House of Israel as rabbi.^[6]

Early history

Temple House of Israel was founded in 1876 in Staunton, Virginia by Major Alexander Hart,^[4] who had fought for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War.^[7] Hart served as the congregation's president and minister until at least 1893.^[7][8]

Services were held in members' homes for more than eight years. In 1884 the congregation acquired the Hoover School building at 200 Kalorama Street,^[2] at the corner of Market Street,^[9] and in February 1885 began holding services there.^[2] The building still stands, diagonally opposite the Hotel 24 South. That same year the synagogue joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism).^[2]

The congregation purchased land north of Staunton for a cemetery in 1886, and held its first burial there in 1887. The cemetery, on North Augusta Street between Woodland Drive and Lee Street, is still used for burials today.^[2][10]

At the turn of the 20th century, House of Israel had no rabbi, but held services twice a week, Friday nights from 8:00 to 9:00 pm, and Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30 am. The congregation also ran a religious school.^[11] By 1907 Staunton's Jewish population was an estimated 40 people. House of Israel had fifteen member families, and still held services twice a week. However, the congregation still had no rabbi, and the religious school no longer functioned.^[12]

Fannie Barth Strauss, instructor and later assistant professor of Latin and German at Mary Baldwin College from 1918 to 1954, re-established the Hebrew school at House of Israel in 1916.^[13] In 1919, though the synagogue still had no rabbi, the school held classes once a week, and had two teachers and twelve students.^[14] Strauss would serve as the school's principal from its re-establishment until at least 1964, and also served as the synagogue's treasurer from 1946 until at least 1964.^[13]

Move to Market Street

By 1924 the congregation had outgrown its Kalorama Street building, and it purchased a lot at 115 North Market Street from Mary Baldwin College for $7,150 (today $127,000).^[2][3] Sam Collins of T.J. Collins and son designed a new Moorish Revival building there,^[1][2] constructed at a cost of $17,000 (today $295,000).^[2]

The one-story stucco building had a twin gable roof with 3 bays. Decorated with "Early Assyrian motifs", the facade presented "[f]lanking twin towers with suppressed buttresses", and a "[l]arge arched opening in [the] central bay, supported by unusual columns",^[5] and included Mercer tiles.^[1] All the windows, and a glass screen, were created by Charles Jay Connick of Boston,^[1] who also created famous windows for a number of religious buildings, including the rose windows of St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City.^[5] The windows (sixteen in total) and screen cost $700 (today $12,000), and featured fruits or plants grown in the Land of Israel, including "olives, grapes, citron, pomegranate, and others".^[2]

In 1947, a kitchen and small social hall were constructed at the back of the building, and a south bay was added to the sanctuary; Sam Collins was again the architect.^[2] To provide more room for the religious school, the social hall was expanded in 1965.^[2] The building was a contributing property to the successful 1984 National Register of Historic Places nomination of Gospel Hill as a historic district.^[5]

During the early 1970s, Frank M. Waldorf was the congregation's rabbi. He went on to serve for 30 years as rabbi at Temple Sinai in Brookline, Massachusetts.^[15] After Waldorf, Temple House of Israel entered into a "joint rabbi" arrangement with Congregation Beth El of Harrisonburg, Virginia, where rabbis would serve for two-thirds of their time at Beth El, and the rest at House of Israel.^[16] The first rabbi hired under this arrangement was Robert Kraus (also in the early 1970s).^[16]

1980s to present

The congregation remained small; in 1983, membership was only 28 families.^[17] That year Douglas D. Weber was hired as rabbi of both Temple House of Israel and Beth El, and the "joint rabbi" arrangement became "permanent".^[18][16] From 1984 to 1988 Lynne Landsberg filled that role.^[19][20] The 30th female rabbinic graduate of the Union for Reform Judaism,^[19][20] she had previously served as student rabbi at Temple House of Israel from 1979 to 1981, then as associate rabbi of Manhattan's Central Synagogue until 1984.^[21] She subsequently took on a number of roles at the Union for Reform Judaism, and, after a serious and disabling accident in 1999, became the senior adviser on disability issues at the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism.^[19][20][21]

Rabbis Daniel Fink and Laura Rappaport jointly led Temple House of Israel and Beth El from 1988 to 1992.^[16] During the 1990s the two congregations were served by Jonathan Biatch, then Jacqueline Romm Satlow,^[16][22] followed, from 1997 to 2003, by Ariel J. Friedlander as rabbi.^[16]

In 2003, Joe Blair became the rabbi of Temple House of Israel and Beth El;^[23] the two congregations combined had 120 member families.^[24][25] Blair received B.A. and Master of Computer Science degrees from the University of Virginia, and a Juris Doctor from The College of William & Mary Law School.^[26] After working in the computer field for 15 years, and briefly as a general practice attorney, he returned to school, attending the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, from which he graduated with a Masters in Hebrew Letters in 1996.^[27] In 2004 he was appointed an adjunct professor of religion at Mary Baldwin College.^[26] A member of Toastmasters International, to which he attributed his speaking abilities,^[28] he also moderated a conversion forum on Jewish.com.^[29] In 2008 Blair was one of 18 rabbis chosen nationally to participate in the Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal elite training program.^[24][30] Blair left Temple House of Israel in 2018, to become the rabbi of Temple Israel of Charleston, West Virginia.^[31]

Peter Grumbacher joined as part-time interim rabbi in 2018.^[32] After receiving his ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972, he served as full-time rabbi of Congregation Beth Emeth in Wilmington, Delaware until his retirement in 2009, and subsequently as interim rabbi of Beth El Congregation in Winchester, Virginia.^[33] Rabbi Randi Nagel was elected as Rabbi of the congregation in 2019.^[6]

On film

Temple House of Israel served as a location for the documentary film Rita Dove: An American Poet produced by Heritage Film Project. Filming took place in December 2013.^[34]

Notes

References

External links

• Official website
• "Hanukkah", The News Virginian, December 20, 2008.