Wilshire Boulevard Temple facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wilshire Boulevard Temple
The synagogue building, in 2017
Religion
Affiliation	Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi Steve Leder Rabbi Elissa Ben-Naim Rabbi David Eshel Rabbi Susan Nanus Rabbi Joel Nickerson Rabbi Joel Simonds Rabbi Hannah Elkin Rabbi Karen Fox (Emerita)
Status	Active
Notable artworks	Hugo Ballin murals
Location
Location	3663 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
Country	United States
Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Architecture
Architect(s)	Abram M. Edelman Samuel Tilden Norton
Architectural type	Synagogue architecture
Architectural style	Gothic Revival (1873) Victorian (1896) Byzantine Revival (1928)
Founder	Joseph Newmark
General contractor	Herbert M. Baruch Corporation
Date established	1862 (as a congregation)
Completed	1873 (Temple and Broadway) 1896 (9th and Hope) 1928 (Wilshire Boulevard)
Construction cost	$1.5 million
Specifications
Capacity	1,300 worshipers (sanctuary) 400 worshipers (balcony)
Dome(s)	One
Dome height (outer)	135 feet (41 m)
Dome dia. (outer)	100 feet (30 m)

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple is a famous Jewish place of worship in Los Angeles, California. It is a synagogue that follows Reform Judaism. The temple is located at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard. It was founded in 1862 and was first called Congregation B'nai B'rith. This makes it the oldest Jewish community in Los Angeles.

The main building has a large dome on top. Inside, there are beautiful murals. In 1973, the city of Los Angeles named it a Historic Cultural Monument. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The building was finished in 1929. It was designed by architect Abram M. Edelman.

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple is one of the biggest Jewish groups in Los Angeles. Many important rabbis have led it. One famous leader was Edgar Magnin. He was a rabbi for 69 years, from 1915 to 1984.

In 1998, the temple opened a second location on the Westside. This was because many members had moved there. Even though people thought the temple might sell its old building, they decided to fix it up. Big renovations started in 2008. The main worship area reopened in 2013.

A new building, the Audrey Irmas Pavilion, was built next to the synagogue. It is a large, 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m²) expansion. It was completed between 2018 and 2021. Shohei Shigematsu designed it.

History of the Temple

How the Temple Started

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple began with the first Jewish worship service in Los Angeles. This service happened in 1851. In 1862, a small group of Jewish people in Los Angeles started Congregation B'nai B'rith. Joseph Newmark led the worship at first. Then, Abraham Wolf Edelman became the first rabbi in 1862.

Los Angeles's Jewish community was smaller than San Francisco's. But in 1873, they built their first synagogue. It was a brick building in the Gothic Revival style. It was located at Temple and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Star newspaper called it "the most superior church edifice in Southern California."

Second B'nai B'rith Synagogue, built in 1896

By 1885, many members wanted to move away from Orthodox traditions. Rabbi Edelman left the temple. Ephraim Schreiber became rabbi in 1885 and made some changes. But he soon left too.

In 1896, the B'nai B'rith congregation moved to a bigger building. This new synagogue was at 9th and Hope. It was designed by Abram M. Edelman. It had tall towers with large onion domes.

Sigmund Hecht became rabbi in 1899. In 1903, the temple joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. This is a national group for the Reform movement. Edgar Magnin became an assistant rabbi in 1915. He became the main rabbi when Hecht retired in 1919. Both Hecht and Magnin brought in Reform practices. They used more English in services. They also added organ and choir music.

Rabbi Magnin and the New Building

The current Wilshire Boulevard Temple opened in 1929. It was built near other important churches in the Wilshire Center area. Building this new temple was the dream of Rabbi Edgar Magnin. He worked for seven decades. He helped shape Jewish life in Los Angeles. He was known as the "Rabbi to the stars." He wanted a new synagogue building from the time he was an assistant rabbi.

After World War I, Hollywood moviemakers became more involved. Rabbi Magnin became the main rabbi in 1919. The building project then moved forward. Many Jewish Hollywood producers were from New York. They were not very religious. But they liked Rabbi Magnin's idea of a modern Jewish community. Rabbi Magnin also saw that Los Angeles was growing to the west. Many Jewish people were moving there.

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple was built to serve these new areas. It was one of the first synagogues to be built far from the city center. This meant people would need cars to get there. This was a new idea for Jewish communities at that time.

Art and Design of the Temple

The new temple has amazing artwork. The Warner Memorial Murals show stories from the Bible. Hugo Ballin painted them. The Warner Brothers (who started the movie studio) paid for them. The murals are 320-foot-long (98 m) and 7-foot-tall (2.1 m). They show important moments in Jewish history. Murals like these are not common in synagogues. Rabbi Magnin was inspired by European cathedrals. He also thought about Los Angeles as the movie capital.

The huge dome is like the Pantheon in Rome. It is 100 feet (30 m) wide. Its top is 135 feet (41 m) above the street. There are 28 small towers around its base for support. Irving Thalberg, a movie studio head, paid for the dome's inside decoration. A Hebrew prayer is written around the center of the dome. It says: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."

The Temple's rose window is on the south wall. It was designed by Oliver Smith Studios. Stained glass windows are also on the east and west walls. These windows are considered some of the best in the United States. During a recent repair, the rose window was taken out. It was fixed at the Judson Studios in Los Angeles. The Rose Window shows a Torah Scroll and a Star of David. It also has symbols of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The windows on the east and west walls have about 5,000 to 6,000 pieces of glass each. They also show the 12 tribes of Israel. Film producer Louis B. Mayer paid for these windows.

View of the temple and dome from the east

The Temple's large dome quickly became a famous landmark. The big marble columns inside look impressive. But they are actually hollow plaster columns painted to look like marble. Unlike many synagogues, this temple does not have a center aisle. This was done to make it feel open, like a movie theater.

The Herbert M. Baruch Corporation built the temple. It cost $1.5 million in 1929. It was officially opened in June 1929. Rabbi Magnin led a three-day celebration.

The congregation changed its name to Wilshire Boulevard Temple in 1933. Rabbi Magnin led the temple until he died in 1984. He was seen as an important leader in the community.

In 1980, the street block where the temple is located was named Edgar F. Magnin Square. In 1984, the Temple building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This was because of its important design and history.

New Campuses and Renovations

After Rabbi Magnin's death, Harvey Fields became the senior rabbi in 1985. He led the temple for 18 years. He brought back some older traditions. But he also added more music. The temple hired its first trained cantor.

Rabbi Fields helped start groups to bring different faiths together. These groups helped after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Many temple members moved to the Westside of Los Angeles. So, the temple built a second campus there. It opened in 1998. It was named the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Campus. It has a Jewish day school and other community areas. Even though people thought the temple would leave its old building, Rabbi Fields promised to keep it.

Over the years, many famous people have visited the temple. The Dalai Lama spoke there in 1999.

Rabbi Leder and the Main Building's Future

In 2000, the J. Paul Getty Trust gave the temple a grant. This grant helped to preserve the city's cultural history.

Rabbi Fields retired in 2003. Steven Leder took over as senior rabbi. He had worked at the temple since 1987. In 2004, the temple celebrated 75 years of its historic building. The area around the temple changed a lot. It became part of Koreatown. The temple had to decide whether to sell the building. Most Jewish people in Los Angeles had moved to the Westside.

But the congregation decided to keep its historic building. They wanted to help the community around them. Also, younger Jewish people were moving to areas further east. So, the temple decided to start a big restoration project. They wanted to fix the main worship area and the block around it. The renovations began in 2008. Rabbi Steven Z. Leder led this effort.

The temple worked with architect Brenda Levin starting in 2005. They planned to create a whole campus. This would include the fixed synagogue, a new school, a social service center, and sports facilities. A film called Restoring Tomorrow shows the renovation. It was made by Aaron Wolf, a temple member.

The main worship hall was closed for two years for renovations. It reopened in September 2013 for Rosh Hashanah services.

In 2013, Erika Glazer promised $30 million for the temple's restoration. The Wilshire Center facility is now called the Erika J. Glazer Family Campus. The temple plans to offer community services for everyone. This includes the non-Jewish Korean and Hispanic residents nearby. Local leaders have praised this outreach.

In 2013, Judson Studios fixed the sanctuary's windows. Sculptor Lita Albuquerque designed a memorial wall. Artist Jenny Holzer made a series of benches.

In 2011, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple left the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). This was seen as a protest. They felt the URJ was not effective enough.

Audrey Irmas Pavilion: A New Addition

Audrey Irmas Pavilion
The Audrey Irmas Pavilion located adjacent to the synagogue in 2022
General information
Architectural style	Deconstructivism (attrib.)
Address	3643 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90010
Coordinates	34°03′42″N 118°18′16″W / 34.0618008°N 118.3045415°W / 34.0618008; -118.3045415
Completed	2022
Cost	$95 million
Technical details
Floor count	Three
Floor area	55,000 square feet (5,100 m2)
Design and construction
Architect	Shohei Shigematsu
Architecture firm	Office for Metropolitan Architecture

In 2015, a committee looked at many architectural firms. They wanted to choose a design for the Audrey Irmas Pavilion. Shohei Shigematsu from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture was chosen. His design was for a $75 million building.

The new building is five stories tall. It has a rooftop garden and office spaces. There is a large banquet hall on the ground floor. It replaced a parking lot next to the main temple.

Audrey Irmas pledged $30 million for the pavilion. She got this money from selling a painting. Wallis Annenberg gave another $15 million. She also gave $3 million for a cultural space for older adults. This space is called GenSpace.

The pavilion cost $95 million to build. It was finished in 2022. Its outside walls have 1,230 hexagonal panels. Each panel is set at a different angle. Each panel also has a window set at a unique angle. The ground floor has a 14,000-square-foot event space (1,300 m²). It has a shiny red concrete floor. The second floor has a chapel and an outdoor terrace. On the third floor, Mia Lehrer designed a circular garden.

The building was made for religious and cultural events. It has three main gathering areas. These include a Grand Ballroom, a smaller Chapel, and a sunken garden.

Rabbinical Leaders

These people have served as the main rabbi of Congregation B'nai B'rith:

Notable Members

Many well-known people have been members of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple:

See also

• List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles