Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Temple Israel located in Charlotte, North Carolina is a large, urban Conservative synagogue located in the Shalom Park district of South Charlotte. As one of six synagogues in Charlotte, it serves more than 650 member families. The rabbi is Howard Siegel and the cantor is Shira Lissek.

History

With the great wave of immigration of Jews from Eastern Europe occurring in the late 19th century, new settlers came to Charlotte. This group also was deeply religious and brought with them their own customs and attitudes. In September 1895, these new citizens organized the first formal Jewish congregation of the city of Charlotte. This congregation was the forerunner of what is now Temple Israel. They called themselves Agudath Achim, Hebrew United Brotherhood. The group was headed by Harris Miller, Benjamin Silverstein, and Mr. C. Lubin.

By 1915, now "Temple Israel" had constructed its first building and the number of families grew to more than 100. Two minyans existed at the Temple, one Orthodox and one Conservative. Eventually, the younger members persuaded the congregation to adopt a stance of worship leading more toward "Conservatism." This gave way to mixed seating and more use of English in the service.

In 1948 Temple Israel, together with Temple Beth-El, erected a monument to Judah P. Benjamin, "Attorney General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State of the Confederate government... as a Gift to the North Carolina Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy".[1]

By 1949, Temple Israel had outgrown its building on Seventh Street and relocated to the Dilworth neighborhood of South Charlotte. By 1955, Temple Israel boasted the largest membership of any Jewish congregation in the Carolinas with more than 350 member families. In 1985, the synagogue adopted an egalitarian policy for worship, granting women full rights at services to read from the Torah, lead song, and lead prayer.

In 1991, Temple Israel broke ground in Shalom Park of South Charlotte and began construction on its current building. Year 1992 marked the completion of the congregation's third new building, and in 1994 current Rabbi Murray Ezring became Temple Israel's 19th Senior Rabbi.

In 2013, the congregation voted to withdraw its membership from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, making it one of the largest congregations in the Southeastern United States to leave the umbrella organization, however, as of 2018, the congregation is once again a member of the denomination.

Affiliates

In serving the greater Charlotte metropolitan area, Congregation Emanuel (Statesville, North Carolina) is affiliated with Temple Israel. This congregation is without full-time clergy, so Temple Israel provides rabbinic leadership, monetary support, and resources to help support this congregation.

Notable Clergy

Cantor Frank Birnbaum served the congregation from 1977 until his retirement in 1990. Known for his famous song-writing and vocal ability, the Annual Cantor's Concert is named in his honor. The hyperlink used with the name Frank Birnbaum above does not reach the correct Cantor Birnbaum. The Frank Birnbaum who served Temple Israel of Charlotte, NC was not born in Charleston, SC but rather in Germany. I worked with him for many years and knew him well.

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References
  1. "Judah P. Benjamin Memorial, Charlotte". Documenting the American South. Retrieved September 15, 2017.

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