Congregation Beth Yeshurun (Houston, Texas)

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Congregation Beth Yeshurun

Congregation Beth Yeshurun is a Conservative synagogue in Houston, Texas.

Founded in 1891 as Adath Yeshurun, it merged in Congregation Beth El in 1946, taking its current name. In 2002 Beth Yeshurun absorbed the membership of Shearith Israel of nearby Wharton, Texas.[1]

History

Beth Yeshurun was formed as a merger of the Adath Yeshurun and Beth El congregations.[2]

Adath Yeshurun

Congregation Adath Yeshurun was founded in 1887 as an Orthodox alternative to Temple Beth Israel (Houston, Texas) which in 1874 had moved from Orthodox to Reform.[3] It was a Russian-Polish congregation.[2] After a period during which the congregation met for prayers in private homes, a wood-framed, former church was purchased at the corner of Walker Ave. and Jackson street.[4][5] Adath Yeshurun merged into Congregation Adath Yeshurun in 1891.[2] Growth of the congregation, especially an influx of members who moved to Houston after the 1900 Galveston hurricane made the need for a larger space pressing; the congregation dedicated a large, new synagogue at the corner of Preston and Hamilton in 1908.[6]

Congregation Beth El

Congregation Beth El was founded in 1924. It was the first Conservative Judaism synagogue founded in Houston. In 1925 it occupied the former Beth Israel building.[2]

Current synagogue

Beth Yeshurun moved from its building at 3501 Southmore Avenue to its present location in 1962. From 1998 to 2004, the synagogue undertook a major renovation. The synagogue's foyer has a memorial to the Jews who died in the Holocaust. A 26 feet (7.9 m)-long ark with a Burning Bush-motifed stained-glass background serves as the focus of the synagogue's sanctuary. The synagogue includes a social hall. The walls of the social hall are decorated with needlepoint recreations of Reuven Rubin's series of biblical lithographs. Beth Yeshurun houses the Louis and Mollie Kaplan Museum of Judaica, which includes ritual objects and books.[7]

Beth Yeshurun Day School

Beth Yeshurun Day School – the first Jewish Day School in Texas – was founded in 1949 under the leadership of Rabbi William S. Malev, the rabbi of the congregation at that time.

See also

References

  • Bell, Roselyn. "Houston." In: Tigay, Alan M. (editor) The Jewish Traveler: Hadassah Magazine's Guide to the World's Jewish Communities and Sights. Rowman & Littlefield, January 1, 1994. p. 215-220. ISBN 1568210787, 9781568210780.

Notes

  1. ↑ [1] (Archive)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bell, p. 216.
  3. ↑ The Golden Book of Congregation Adath Yeshurun: commemorating fifty years of service to the Jewish community of Houston, Texas, 1891-1941, By Congregation Adath Yeshurun, Houston, Tex. Published by D. H. White & co., Houston, 1942, p. 21.
  4. ↑ Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee. The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook, Greenwood Press, June 30, 1996, p. 349.
  5. ↑ The Golden Book of Congregation Adath Yeshurun: commemorating fifty years of service to the Jewish community of Houston, Texas, 1891-1941, By Congregation Adath Yeshurun, Houston, Tex. Published by D. H. White & co., Houston, 1942, p. 22.
  6. ↑ The Golden Book of Congregation Adath Yeshurun: commemorating fifty years of service to the Jewish community of Houston, Texas, 1891-1941, By Congregation Adath Yeshurun, Houston, Tex. Published by D. H. White & co., Houston, 1942, p. 22 and photos in several parts of the book.
  7. ↑ Bell, p. 218.

External links

  • Example of contemporary synagogue architecture: Congregation Beth Yeshurun by Levin/Brown Architects [2].

  • Interior of Congregation Beth Yeshurun's sanctuary.

  • Typical sanctuary elements include stained glass windows, Ark, and ner tamid (eternal flame). These examples designed by artist David Ascalon

External links

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