Tree of Life Synagogue
The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh ( English - Hebrew : Tree of Life - Or L'Simcha ; Hebrew alphabet : עֵץ חַיִּים - אוֹר לְשִׂמְחָה, German Tree of Life - Light to Joy ) is a synagogue of a conservative Jewish community in Squirrel Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . Originally founded as an Orthodox Jewish community in 1864 , it gradually moved closer to conservatism and was affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary Association in 1886 and the United Synagogue of America some 30 years later . In 1953 the community moved into its present synagogue building. In 2010 it merged with the municipality of Or L'Simcha and now has 530 families. In October 2018, it became the scene of an assassination attempt with eleven dead.
history
Founded in 1864
After a visit to Pittsburgh by the reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise , a reform-oriented group of believers separated from the Orthodox synagogue community Rodef Shalom (founded in 1854) and called themselves the Tree of Life Congregation.
The first group of 16 members met in the house of Gustavus Grafner. The community, which at that time was called under its Hebrew name Etz Chayyim (Hebrew: עץ חיים, lit. "Tree of Life"), was founded in 1865 and purchased land in Sharpsburg for use as a cemetery. In the years to come, the congregation met at different locations in the city center, until in 1883 they bought a former Lutheran church building in the city center. It was then that she became known under her English name Tree of Life . In its early years, Tree of Life was the city's center for Orthodox Judaism and attracted Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In 1883, however, the congregation shortened traditional Orthodox worship and in 1886 was affiliated to the Jewish Theological Seminary Association , a training association for Conservative Judaism . About 30 years later, the congregation joined the conservative national umbrella organization United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism .
In the 20th century
In 1906, the community began building a permanent house on Craft Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In 1907 the synagogue was opened with 750 seats. In the same year, English language prayers were introduced. From the 1920s, the church continued to develop towards left conservatism under the leadership of Rabbi Herman Hailperin, who led the church for 45 years. The practices introduced under him included organ music during church services, the abolition of the rabbinically prescribed second day of public holidays in the diaspora , the election of women to the temple's board of trustees, calling women to read the Torah, and considering women to be counted of a Minjan . In 1953 Tree of Life moved into its current building in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The land for the new building was given to the community by the then synagogue president Charles J. Rosenbloom. The synagogue symbolically showed its bond with Israel with a foundation stone made of Jerusalem stone . The concrete facade shows "rows of swirling modernist stained glass depicting the story of creation, the acceptance of the law of God, the" cycle of life "and the ways in which people should care for the earth and one another". The sanctuary has a capacity of 1,250 people. In 1995 the membership numbered 850 families.
In the 21st century
In the 2000s, aging membership and the migration of the Jewish community to suburban neighborhoods led to a decline in synagogue membership. Tree of Life began renting space in its building to other communities. In 2008, the Or L'Simcha (Hebrew: אור לשמחה, lit. light to joy ) congregation, founded by Rabbi Chuck Diamond in 2005, began its activities in the Tree of Life building. In 2010 the two parishes voted to merge, which was named Tree of Life - Or L'Simcha . This added 120 new members to the community, bringing the total to 530 families. In April 2010, the Dor Hadash Reconstructionist Church began renting rooms in the Tree of Life building. In 2017, the conservative New Light Congregation left their 60-year-old home and carried their Torah scrolls in procession to the Tree of Life building, where they began worshiping in the basement.
attack
On October 27, 2018, Robert Bowers shot dead 11 people and injured six, including four police officers, during Sabbath services in the synagogue. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
management
In 1898 the congregation elected its first spiritual director, Rabbi Michael Fried, a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary . The longest active time as a rabbi in the community has been with Rabbi Herman Hailperin. He entered the office in the early 1920s after his ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary and held this position for 45 years. In 1968 he was appointed Rabbi Emeritus of the community. A few years after Rabbi Alvin K. Berkun's departure until the merger with Or L'Simcha, the synagogue had no spiritual director.
List of rabbis of the Tree of Life Congregation
- Michael Fried (1898–1906)
- Rudolph Coffee (1906-1915)
- Morris Mazure (1915-1922)
- Emeritus Herman Hailperin (1922–1968)
- Solomon Kaplan (1968-1982)
- Emeritus Alvin K. Berkun (1983-2006)
- Chuck Diamond (2010-2017)
- Jeffrey Myers (2017 – present)
The lay leadership of the synagogue built a tradition of volunteering and supporting Jewish social services. Alexander Fink, the synagogue president from 1873 to 1892, was also one of the founders of the city's Hebrew Benevolent Society and later was president of the United Hebrew Relief Association .
Individual evidence
- ^ Tree of Life. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .