Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim known locally as "The Jewish Temple" is an historic Jewish synagogue located in Alexandria, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1859 by Jews from the Alsace region of France, it is one of the oldest congregations in Louisiana and one of the original founding members of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now known as the Union for Reform Judaism.
History Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim was originally established as the Hebrew Benevolent Society of Rapides Parish in 1852 in order to provide a Jewish Cemetery for burials. One belief for this is that certain families bought a burial ground when a small outbreak of yellow fever claimed six Jewish lives in the early 1850s. Eventually, the society evolved into a congregation in 1859. The first President of the Temple was Isaac Levy.
In 1860, the Jewish women of Alexandria assembled to found the Ladies' Hebrew Benevolent Society in order to raise money to buy real estate on which a temple could be built. The Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Society eventually changed its name to the Temple Sisterhood. In 1869, the Temple Sisterhood held a fundraising ball to raise money to build a synagogue at the corner of Third and Fiske Streets. Construction of the temple concluded in 1871. Two years later the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now URJ) and hired Rabbi Marx Klein as its first rabbi.
Gemiluth Chassodim experienced great increase in its membership, from 123 families in 1925, to 154 families in 1930 and 203 families in 1945. The "Second Temple," which stood as an imposing Greek Revival structure (more than three stories tall) with a dome burned in 1956. The congregation had already constructed its current Mid-Century modern structure on Turner Street in the early 1950s. Designed by Max Heinberg, it stands as a unique example of Mid-Century modern architecture even to this day. In the early 1960s, the current sanctuary, offices, and classrooms were added. The sanctuary is capable of holding some 350 people at maximum capacity.
Thirty-four presidents and 25 rabbis have served the temple. In 2013, Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman became the twenty-fifth rabbi of the Temple after leaving Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 2016, Rabbi Peter Schaktman served the congregation.
The congregation hired its first female clergy member since its founding in 1859, Rabbi Cantor Raina Siroty in 2017.
Clergy The following individuals have served as rabbi of the congregation:
Ordinal Name Term started Term ended Term of office Notes Marx Klein 1873 1879 years M. Weinstein 1881 1882 years Abraham Meyer 1882 1884 years H. Joseph M. Chumaceiro 1884 1885 years Israel Heinberg 1888 1889 years Hyman Saft 1889 1891 years Louis Schreiber 1892 1895 years Alex Rosenspitz 1895 1901 years Emile Ellinger 1901 1905 years Herman J. Elkin 1905 1907 years Leonard J. Rothstein 1907 1918 years Harry Weiss 1919 1920 years Myron M. Meyer 1921 1926 years H. Cerf Strauss 1927 1930 years Albert G. Baum 1930 1942 years Abraham Shinedling 1943 1944 years H. Bruce Ehrmann 1946 1947 years Mordecai M. Thurman 1947 1951 years Robert J. Schur 1952 1956 years Joel C. Dobin 1957 1957 years Martin I. Hinchin 1958 1988 years James L. Kessler 1988 1989 years Arnold S. Task 1989 2011 years Harley Karz-Wagman 2013 2016 years Peter Schaktman 2016 2017 years Raina Siroty 2017 incumbent years
Notable members Sylvan Friedman, politician
Gallery
See also B'nai Israel Traditional Synagogue
References
External links