Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Congregation Beth Israel |
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Hebrew: בית ישראל
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Beth Israel synagogue, in 2009
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
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| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 10460 North 56th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Country | United States |
 Location in Arizona
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| Administration | Union for Reform Judaism |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Lescher, Kibbey, and Mahoney (1922) |
| Architectural type | Synagogue architecture |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival (1922) |
| Date established | 1920 (as a congregation) |
| Completed |
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| Capacity |
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Congregation Beth Israel (Hebrew: בית ישראל) is a Reform Jewish community and synagogue in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is located at 10460 North 56th Street. The community started in 1920 and joined the Union for Reform Judaism in 1935.
From 1938 to 1953, Abraham Lincoln Krohn was the rabbi of Beth Israel. During his time, the community grew from fewer than 100 families to almost 600. Albert Plotkin followed him and served for nearly 40 years.
The first building for Beth Israel was in Downtown Phoenix. It was built between 1921 and 1922. This building is now listed on the city's historic property list and the National Register of Historic Places. After the synagogue moved in 1949, the building was used by churches. In 2002, the Jewish community bought it back. In 2007, a project began to restore it and turn it into a museum. The museum, called the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, opened in 2008.
As of 2018, Beth Israel was the oldest synagogue in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The main rabbi was Stephen Kahn. Sara Mason-Barkin was the associate rabbi, and Seth Ettinger was the cantor.
Contents
The Beginning and First Building
Jewish settlers in Phoenix started holding services for High Holy Days as early as 1906. A formal community was created by Barnett E. Marks, a lawyer. He held services in a room above a saloon and started a Sunday School for Jewish education. By 1918, the community called itself "Emanuel." They held services in English and Hebrew during Jewish festivals. In 1920, the group officially became "Congregation Beth Israel." David L. Liknaitz was their first rabbi, and Charles Steinberg was the first president.
Services were held in different temporary places. In 1915 and 1917, local groups like B'nai B'rith and the National Council of Jewish Women were formed. They bought a church in 1921 and changed it into Phoenix's first synagogue. Congregation Beth Israel later took over this building.
That year, the community raised $14,000. They hired architects Lescher, Kibbey, and Mahoney to design a synagogue building. It was built in 1921–1922 near Central Avenue and Culver Street in Downtown Phoenix. The building was a simple, stuccoed structure in the Mission Revival Style. An extra part was added in 1930.
When the building was finished, only about 120 Jewish people lived in the Phoenix area. The synagogue became a cultural center for the Jewish community. It hosted community Passover Seders. This was important because Jewish people sometimes faced unfair treatment in public places.
During the 1920s, the synagogue had trouble keeping rabbis for long. Most would stay only a few years. A.I. Goldberg served from 1924 to 1925, and Adolph Rosenberg from 1926 to 1929.
In 1930, the community had disagreements about traditional practices. Some members left to form the Beth El Congregation, which followed Conservative Judaism.
Samuel Dodkin Hurwitz became Beth Israel's rabbi in 1930. He was born in Belarus in 1901 and moved to the United States in 1903. He became a rabbi in 1929. In 1934, he joined the board of the Phoenix Public Library. He left Beth Israel in 1935.
Philip W. Jaffa became rabbi in 1935. He brought in the Reform Judaism's Union Prayer Book and its religious school lessons. He also added choir music to services. That year, a fire destroyed much of the synagogue building. The community rebuilt it, changing the main worship area and adding classrooms. Jaffa served until 1938.
The Krohn Years
Abraham Lincoln Krohn became Beth Israel's rabbi in 1938. At that time, the community had fewer than 100 families and 64 children in its religious school. Krohn was born in 1893. He was one of eight children of Russian Jewish immigrants. He first worked as a social worker. A famous rabbi, Stephen Samuel Wise, was impressed by Krohn and encouraged him to become a rabbi. Krohn became a rabbi in 1930.
Krohn was very active in the community. He served on the boards of many groups. These included B'nai B'rith, the Urban League, the American Red Cross, and the Boy Scouts. He also helped start the Jewish Family Service. He lectured at Arizona State University and was a chaplain for military bases during World War II.
During Krohn's time, the community started calling itself "Temple Beth Israel." Under his leadership, the synagogue grew a lot.
During World War II, Beth Israel held religious services for soldiers. They also hosted dances for military members. In 1942, the community started its Jewish library. It began with 60 books on one shelf.
By the late 1940s, the community had grown to about 300 families. The original building was too small. In 1949, the community moved to a new location at Eleventh and Flower. They officially joined the Reform movement. The old building was sold to a church. It was used by different churches until 2002. The Jewish community then raised money to buy it back. The building is now a historic landmark.
When Krohn retired in 1953 due to poor health, the community had grown to 538 families. Krohn also worked to build good relationships between different faiths. He was named Man of the Year by the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1958. He passed away five months later.
Plotkin and Segel Years
By 1955, Phoenix had over 3,000 Jewish families. Albert Plotkin became Beth Israel's rabbi that year. He was born in 1920. His parents were immigrants from Russia. He became a rabbi in 1948. He had worked as an assistant rabbi in Seattle before coming to Phoenix.
During his time at Beth Israel, Plotkin was very involved in both Jewish and non-Jewish communities. He strongly supported Israel and civil rights. He also supported the arts. He started the Jewish Studies program at Arizona State University. He volunteered as a chaplain at Phoenix Veterans Hospital for 25 years. In 1972, he received an award for his work in promoting understanding between different groups.
Beth Israel added a "cultural and educational wing" to its Flower Street building in 1967. In this new part, Sylvia Plotkin, Albert's wife, started a Jewish museum. The museum had three areas. One held items from a synagogue in Tunisia. Another had a collection showing the history of Jewish people in Arizona. The third was for special exhibits. Sylvia Plotkin led the museum until she passed away in 1996. The museum was renamed the "Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum" and became one of the largest synagogue museums in the United States.
Albert Plotkin served as the community's rabbi for almost 40 years. He retired in 1992 and became rabbi emeritus. He loved opera music. Two years after retiring, he sang professionally with the Arizona Opera.
Kenneth Segel took over as rabbi in 1992. In 1993, Howard Tabaknek joined as cantor. In 1997, the community moved to its current location at 10460 North 56th Street. The building is 45,000 square feet. It has a main worship area that seats 450 people and a smaller chapel that seats 200. The Torah ark is decorated with beautiful colored glass.
Tabaknek left in 2000. Andrew Meyer became the new cantor, and Michael Sokol became the "cantorial soloist." Segel served as rabbi until 2002.
Recent Events
Stephen Kahn became Beth Israel's rabbi in July 2003. By then, the community had about 1,000 families. It was the largest Jewish community in Arizona. The synagogue's library had grown to over 20,000 books. It was one of the largest Jewish libraries in the Southwestern United States.
In 2005, the community bought a 1.25-acre lot across the street for future growth. At that time, the synagogue had over 900 member families.
That year, the community also went back to its original name, "Congregation Beth Israel." Rabbi Kahn felt that "congregation" better showed that the group was about people and community.
In 2007, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society started a project to raise $4 million. This money was to restore the original synagogue building and create the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center. The center would include a museum and other public spaces. These spaces would show the history of the Jewish community in Arizona. By August 2008, much of the restoration work was done.
In 2007, Beth Israel opened the Phoenix metropolitan area's first mikvah (ritual bath). This was a special event. It was the first time a mikvah was built and approved by Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox rabbis working together.
The community also hired Jaime Shpall as cantor that year. Plotkin passed away in February 2010.
As of 2014, Beth Israel was the oldest Jewish community in the Phoenix area. Stephen Kahn was the senior rabbi, Rony Keller was the associate rabbi, and Jaime Shpall was the cantor. The community also owns and runs Camp Daisy and Harry Stein. This is a Jewish overnight camp near Prescott, Arizona. It is the only Jewish camp in the area.
Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center
The Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center is located in the historic former synagogue building at 122 East Culver Street, Phoenix. It was named after Rabbi Emeritus Albert Plotkin and Lawrence Cutler, a major donor. The building was designed in 1920 by architects Lescher, Kibbey, and Mahoney. It was built in the style of a Spanish mission.
The community sold the building in 1949. It was then used by different Baptist churches. In 2002, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society bought the property. After being restored, the former synagogue site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. It is also recognized as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride.
See also
In Spanish: Congregación Beth Israel para niños
- List of historic properties in Phoenix
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix Historic Property Register
