Temple Israel is a Reform synagogue in Boston.

History

Temple Israel, originally known as Adath Israel, was founded in 1854 when Jews of German ancestry seceded from Ohabei Shalom, then the sole synagogue in Boston, because so many Polish Jews had joined the congregation. The congregation immediately renovated a house on Pleasant Street

Pleasant Street

Pleasant Street may refer to:* Pleasant Street , Massachusetts, United States* Pleasant Street , an aboveground at-grade station on the Green Line "B" Branch of the MBTA subway system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States...

 for use as a synagogue. In 1859 it purchased land in Wakefield, Massachusetts

Wakefield, Massachusetts

-History:-Geography:The diagram above shows what is to the east, west, north, south, and other directions of the center of Wakefield. Towns with population above 25,000 are in bold italics.-Demographics:-Notable residents:...

 for a cemetery.

Architecture

In 1885 the congregaton erected "the first architecturally significant synagogue" in Massachusetts. The Rundbogenstil

Rundbogenstil

Rundbogenstil , one of the nineteenth-century historic revival styles of architecture, is a variety of Romanesque revival popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora....

 building, with twin towers and a Rose window

Rose window

A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...

 in the form of a Magen David stood at 600 Columbus Avenue

Columbus Avenue

Columbus Avenue may refer to:* Columbus Avenue * Columbus Avenue...

, at the corner of Northampton. Today it is the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. It is 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 Massachusetts.

In 1906 the congregation moved to a new building that is now the Morse Auditorium

Morse Auditorium

Alfred L. Morse Auditorium is a domed theater that is now owned by Boston University and used as an auditorium.Built in 1906 as Temple Israel, the edifice was intended by the architect and congregation as a replica of Solomon's Temple. Boston University acquired the building in 1967 when the...

 of Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

.

In 1926 the congregation began work on a new Temple, on the Riverway at Longwood Avenue. The "monumental," Classical

Classical architecture

Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...

building was planned to have an enormous, domed sanctuary, with flanking wings. Only the West wing, about one-fifth of the planned space, was completed before the stock market crash of 1929.

External links

• Temple Israel, Boston, official website