| Temple B'nai Israel | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Leadership | Rabbi: Vered Harris Zemer: Linda Sweeney |
| Year consecrated | 1955 |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 4901 N. Pennsylvania, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,  United States |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°31′14″N 97°33′02″W / 35.5205476°N 97.5506019°W |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1955 |
| Website | |
| thetempleokc | |
Temple B'nai Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation located in Oklahoma City.[1], and is the oldest active Jewish synagogue in Oklahoma. [2] The congregation was founded in May 1903[1][3] but it met at St. Luke's Methodist church and other local churches [4]until it constructed its own building in 1907.[1][5] This building was located at 50 Broadway Circle and was dedicated on January 17, 1908[6] (only about 2 months after Oklahoma became a state).
The congregation moved into its currrent building (at what was then the edge of Oklahoma City, near NW 50th & Penn) in 1955.[1][7]
In 1970, the synagogue was hit by a tornado which required significant repairs.[1] In 2004, the synagogue building was bombed but only minor damage was done to the building with no injuries.[8]
Today the congregation holds weekly Shabbat evening services, monthly Shabbat morning services and a variety of special observances for Jewish holidays.[9]
Rabbis edit
- Joseph Blatt (1906-1946)[10][11]
- Joseph Levenson (1946-1976)[12][13]
- David A. Packman (1976-2004)[14][15]
- Barry Cohen (2004-2012)[16]
- Vered Harris (2012-present)[17][18]
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d e Temple B'nai Israel website
- ^ Oklahoma History.org "Judaism in Oklahoma"
- ^ [1]
- ^ [Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation "Historic Marker - First Permanent Jewish House of Worship in Oklahoma"|http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/mdpa/oklahomacityoklahoma.html]
- ^ Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma"
- ^ [Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation "Historic Marker - First Permanent Jewish House of Worship in Oklahoma"|http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/mdpa/oklahomacityoklahoma.html]
- ^ [Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation "Historic Marker - First Permanent Jewish House of Worship in Oklahoma"|http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/mdpa/oklahomacityoklahoma.html]
- ^ [MSNBC "Oklahoma synagogue bomber gets 39 years : Washington state man threw Molotov cocktail, sent letter to congregation" (April 30, 2005) |https://web.archive.org/web/20051227200436/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9136468/]
- ^ [The Oklahoman "Water ritual helps mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year" (Oct. 5, 2019)|Thttps://oklahoman.com/article/5642915/water-ritual-helps-mark-rosh-hashana-the-jewish-new-year]
- ^ [JewishVirtualLibrary.org "Oklahoma Jewish History" |https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/oklahoma-jewish-history]
- ^ [Klinger, Jerry Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation "Oklahoma, a Jewish story"|http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/images/Oklahoma_Marker-3.pdf]
- ^ [The Oklahoman "Obituary - Rabbi Joseph Levenson" (February 3, 2006) |https://oklahoman.com/article/2930018/rabbi-joseph-levenson]
- ^ [Findagrave.com "Joseph Levenson" |https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44430411/joseph-levenson]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [The Oklahoman "Rabbi's retirement recognized" |https://oklahoman.com/article/2856058/rabbis-retirement-recognized]
- ^ [The Oklahoman "Oklahoma City Rabbi's family celebrates miracles during hanukkah" |https://oklahoman.com/article/3632548/oklahoma-city-rabbis-family-celebrates-miracles-during-hanukkah]
- ^ [The Oklahoman "Oklahoma City temple's new rabbi had faith piqued at college" (July 14, 2012)|https://oklahoman.com/article/3692107/oklahoma-city-temples-new-rabbi-had-faith-piqued-at-college-camp]
- ^ [New York Times " Praying for the Home Team in Oklahoma City" (Feb. 28, 2014) |https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/sports/basketball/praying-for-the-home-team-in-oklahoma-city.html]
Category:1903 establishments in Oklahoma Territory
Category:Religious buildings and structures in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Category:Reform synagogues in Oklahoma
Category:Religious organizations established in 1903
Category:Synagogues completed in 1955