Transforming Jewish Congregations in Late 19th and Early 20th Century America: Redefining Diaspora

_{Source: Google Maps.}

In this blog post, we analyze and interpret a significant event in the history of Central Virginia: the 1876 founding of the Temple House of Israel in Staunton, Virginia.¹ The Temple continues to function as a living congregation and its website celebrates its history and current services. As the town of Staunton, opened for settlement in 1716, figures prominently in the early colonial, Revolutionary War, and Civil War eras, this synagogue’s establishment marks an essential chapter in the region’s general and Jewish history.²

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, some evidence exists that indicate that Hebrew congregations in the United States sought to redefine the traditional belief in the Jewish Diaspora, favoring instead a permanent settlement in the US as a new sacred homeland.³ This transformation entered the historical record through the evidence of synagogue naming conventions and Moorish Revival architecture. The synagogue building of the Temple House of Israel in Staunton is a well preserved and exemplarily maintained house of worship built in that style.⁴ It is noteworthy to realize that these tangible transformations were preceded by reformed religious liturgical language and practice. This post argues that these changes signify an intentional departure from the historical memory centered around Israel as an aspirational religious homeland with American settlements perceived as the new locus of Jewish life.

_{Source: Google Maps.}

Key Historical Milestones

Formation of the Congregation: The Temple House of Israel congregation was formed in 1876, marking the beginning of a Jewish religious community in the area. Located in Staunton, Virginia, the congregation initially held services in members’ homes for more than eight years following its founding.

Cemetery Consecration: In 1886, the congregation consecrated their cemetery, emphasizing the importance of burial traditions in maintaining Jewish religious practices.

Construction of the Synagogue: In 1925, the community completed its synagogue building, a significant architectural project symbolizing the congregation’s physical presence in Central Virginia.

Affiliation with the Reform Movement: By 1929, the congregation affiliated with the Reform movement, reflecting a broader trend among American Jews to redefine their religious practices within the context of American society. The Union of Reform Judaism was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

Contextualization: Minhag America

The publication of a new Siddur, Prayer Book, Minhag America by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise of Cincinnati in 1857 significantly shaped American Jewish worship.⁶ Three key changes of this prayer book were

Introduced Hebrew and English texts for American congregations

Edited out traditional elements such as messiah, the resurrection, and rebuilding the Temple

Aimed to create a distinctly American Judaism aligned with ideals of liberty and equality

Wise envisioned a Judaism that adapted to the American context leading to widespread adoption among congregations especially in the western and southern states. In 1883, the Treifa Banquet in Cincinnati marked a turning point for American Reform Judaism.⁶ The nonkosher meal served at the celebration of Hebrew Union College’s first graduating class more than symbolized a break from traditional practices- it ignited ongoing debates between Reform and traditional communities.

The Adoption of Temple

The Temple House of Israel is one of many American reformed synagogues which incorporated the word temple into their names. This symbolized the creation of a temple on American soil. This signified a shift in focus from a historical or future temple in Jerusalem.

Architectural Influences: NeoMoorish Style

The architectural design of these synagogues favored the NeoMoorish style drawing from Islamic architecture prevalent in Spain.⁷ This choice reflected a desire to emulate the golden age of Jewish culture experienced in medieval Spain and to establish America as the next bastion of Jewish cultural and intellectual flourishing.

_{Source: https://thoi.org/cemetery/.}

Counterargument

Despite these significant shifts, some practices such as many of the traditional burial traditions remained unchanged.⁸ Continuity with traditional Jewish beliefs indicates that while certain aspects of Jewish identity were being reimagined others maintained their traditional roots. The ongoing adherence to Jewish burial traditions is evident in practices such as the use of memory stones and the presence of a Geniza Repository in the Temple House of Israel Cemetery. Additionally, the synagogue’s modern-day website emphasizes these traditions with phrases like “the historic core of our sacred space” and “stewards of our sacred burial ground.”

Further research that regretfully is out of the scope of this discussion but would greatly benefit the analysis and interpretation would look at the vernacular memorialization and future imaginaries of present day Hebrew congregations that were founded on anti-Zionist principles in the nineteenth century but are now needing to come to terms with the next-evolution of antisemitism and Jew-hatred of the twenty-first century, incipit impetum, the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians of October 7, 2023.

Further Reading: Ammiel Hirsch, Sermon: “Terrorism in Israel: The Need for Moral Clarity.” New York: Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. October 11, 2023. https://swfs.org/sermons/terrorism-in-israel/.

_______________________________________________________

1. 1. “History and Architecture of Temple House of Israel,” Temple House of Israel, October 29, 2022. https://thoi.org/history/. The facts and images about the Temple in this discussion were all sourced from their website. ↩︎
2. 2. Joseph A. Waddell and Virginia Historical Society, Annals of Augusta County, Virginia From 1726 to 1871, 2nd ed. (Staunton, VA: C. Russell Caldwell, 1902), 18. ↩︎
3. 3. Schechter, a leader of the Conservative movement, used the term Catholic Israel, as catholic is the antonym of diaspora. Zev Eleff, “Review: An American Tale: Reviewed Works: The Birth of Conservative Judaism: Solomon Schechter’s Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement by Michael R. Cohen; the New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections by Dana Evan Kaplan,” Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought 48, no. 1 (2015): 111. ↩︎
4. 4. Temple House of Israel, Synagogue building, Moorish Revival architecture, 1925, Staunton, VA; Anne Carter Lee and Society of Architectural Historians, “Temple House of Israel,” SAH Archipedia, January 7, 2021. ↩︎
5. 5. Sefton D. Temkin, Creating American Reform Judaism: The Life and Times of Isaac Mayer Wise (Portland, OR: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1998), 109. ↩︎
6. 6. Ibid., 286. This source indicates that some reports indicated that Wise blame shifted the nonkosher menu items as a caterer’s error. ↩︎
7. 7. Lee and Society of Architectural Historians, “Temple House of Israel.” ↩︎
8. 8. Eleff, “Review: An American Tale: Reviewed Works: The Birth of Conservative Judaism: Solomon Schechter’s Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement by Michael R. Cohen; The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections by Dana Evan Kaplan,” 106. ↩︎

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography

Eleff, Zev. “Review: An American Tale: Reviewed Works: The Birth of Conservative Judaism: Solomon Schechter’s Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement by Michael R. Cohen; The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections by Dana Evan Kaplan.” Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought 48, no. 1 (2015): 106–17. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44821258.

Temple House of Israel. “History and Architecture of Temple House of Israel,” October 29, 2022. https://thoi.org/history/.

Lee, Anne Carter and Society of Architectural Historians. “Temple House of Israel.” SAH Archipedia, January 7, 2021. https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-02-AU9.

Temkin, Sefton D. Creating American Reform Judaism: The Life and Times of Isaac Mayer Wise. Portland, OR: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1998.

Temple House of Israel. 1925. Primary source. Synagogue building, Moorish Revival architecture. Staunton, VA.

Waddell, Joseph A. and Virginia Historical Society. Annals of Augusta County, Virginia From 1726 to 1871. 2nd ed. Staunton, VA: C. Russell Caldwell, 1902. http://library.logcollegepress.com/Waddell%2C+Joseph+Addison%2C+Annals+of+Augusta+County%2C+Virginia%2C+from+1726+to+1871.pdf.