Beth Israel Synagogue (San Francisco)
The Beth Israel Synagogue in San Francisco was the synagogue of the Beth Israel Congregation.
History of the synagogue
Beth Israel was founded in 1860 as an Orthodox denomination. In 1879 the community built its first building on Turk Street; The Beth Israel Synagogue followed in 1905 at 1839 Geary Boulevard as the community's fifth synagogue. Geary Street Temple of Congregation Beth Israel held 1,500 visitors.
In 1906 the building, which had just been erected , was badly damaged by the earthquake in April . However, it was repaired and finally inaugurated in 1908. It was used as a synagogue until 1969. It was then that the church teamed up with another and moved to the Brotherhood Way. She united with the Reform Synagogue to form the Beth-Israel Judea Congregation
The Fillmore district, which was heavily influenced by Jews until the 1950s, changed its face with the emigration of Jewish residents and institutions. While Jewish residents now preferred the suburbs, the neighborhood, which had once housed numerous Jewish institutions, was populated by blacks and Asians.
Near the synagogue, on 1959 Geary Boulevard, was the Albert Pike Memorial Scottish Rite Temple, which was later used by Jim Jones and his congregation as the Peoples Temple until Jones and his followers moved to Jonestown. The building dates from the 19th century and was also badly damaged during the earthquake in April 1906, while the Fillmore Auditorium, which later also belonged to the neighborhood of the synagogue, was not yet in place. Until the 1980s, these three buildings would later shape the image of the street.
Later use
Bill Graham was an important figure in the music history of San Francisco during the hippie era. He owned the building for a short time, but in 1969 he sold it to a self-help group for ghetto teenagers and concentrated on the Fillmore West . Apparently the former synagogue, which had good acoustics, was still used for concerts, now under the name Temple Beautiful. Among other things, The Clash performed there. The building was later named The Duquette Pavilion and housed an arrangement by the artist Anthony Duquette .
Tony Duquette's attention was drawn to the then completely neglected building in the late 1980s. He bought the former synagogue and completely redesigned it in order to install his exhibition The Canticle of the Sun of Saint Francis of Assisi in it. He built windows into the two towers of the former synagogue; He replaced the large glass main window with the decalogue with a work of art that was partly made of Plexiglas and everyday objects such as golf balls, plastic drinking cups and similar materials. Inside the building, the teachings of Francis of Assisi were displayed; a statue of the saint from the 18th century took the central place, surrounded by a flock of artificial birds. The arrangement was complemented by vessels made of imitated malachite , which came from a building in Austria from the 18th century, as well as trees with golden leaves. The pipes of the old organ of the synagogue were transformed into a sun-like structure above this group. The 80 by 80 foot room was surrounded by a gallery on which Duquette installed a bevy of giant angels and a Madonna. The scenery could only be seen when backlit. Further works of art were housed under the gallery. The environment was accompanied by music by Herb Alpert , by the recitation of a Bradbury poem by Charlton Heston and by lighting effects. In the basement there were several halls and gallery rooms in which, among other things, paintings by Elizabeth Beegle Duquette were on view. The exhibition was very successful but went up in flames shortly after it opened.
The end of the building
The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and the fires that broke out after it severely damaged the Fillmore Auditorium, the Duquette Pavilion and the former Albert Pike Memorial Scottisch Rite Temple. While the Fillmore Auditorium was later restored, the fire marked the end of the former synagogue and Masonic Temple. There is now a post office building on property at 1859 Geary Street.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Theater 1839, 1839 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA , on: jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.de
- ↑ a b c d e Jewish Fillmore on newfillmore.wordpress.com
- ↑ Olitzky, Kerry M .; Raphael, Marc Lee. The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook, Greenwood Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-313-28856-2 , p. 63.
- ↑ American Jewish Year Book, Vol. 21, p. 344.
- ↑ Stephen Marc Dobbs, Jewish Community , on: sfhistoryencyclopedia.com ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Wendy Goodman and Hutton Wilkinson, From Tony Duquette, a magical space , at: newfillmore.wordpress.com
