Temple Emanuel, (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Temple Emanuel is a Reform
synagogue
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
. The congregation was founded in 1857 and describes itself as the fifth oldest Reform congregation in the United States.http://www.templeemanuelgr.org/brief_history.html The congregation erected its first building in 1882 at the corner of Fountain and Ransom Streets. In 1996 it was in use as an office building and was the oldest synagogue building
still standing in Michigan. The Temple has a notable 1926 Tiffany glass
window depicting the biblical story of Ruth
and Boaz
. The window was moved from the 1882 building when the congregation erected a new building in 1952.http://museum.msu.edu/museum/msgc/feb05.html The 1952 building is by Erich Mendelsohn
(1887–1953).http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Erich_Mendelsohn.html
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. The congregation was founded in 1857 and describes itself as the fifth oldest Reform congregation in the United States.http://www.templeemanuelgr.org/brief_history.html The congregation erected its first building in 1882 at the corner of Fountain and Ransom Streets. In 1996 it was in use as an office building and was the oldest synagogue building
Oldest synagogues in the United States
The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
still standing in Michigan. The Temple has a notable 1926 Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios, by Louis Comfort Tiffany....
window depicting the biblical story of Ruth
Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
and Boaz
Boaz
Boaz is a major figure in The Book of Ruth in the Bible. The term is found 24 times in the Scriptures, being two in Greek ....
. The window was moved from the 1882 building when the congregation erected a new building in 1952.http://museum.msu.edu/museum/msgc/feb05.html The 1952 building is by Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn was a Jewish German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic functionalism in his projects for department stores and cinemas.-Early life:...
(1887–1953).http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Erich_Mendelsohn.html