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March 3, 2006 WWW.KANESTREET.ORG Terumah
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Issue 9
Congregations Merge
In this issue …
We look at synagogue mergers to commemorate the consolidation of Congregation Baith Israel and Talmud Torah Anshei Emes ninety-eight years ago this week. On March 3, 1908, the Kane Street Synagogue congregation’s two predecessors organized as one, celebrating with pageantry. Baith Israel President Harris M. Copland arrived by horse-drawn carriage at 140 Degraw street and led the united congregants from the Anshei Emes Shul through the streets accompanied by a marching band. Anshei Emes leaders paraded with their Sefer Torahs and placed them in the Ark on 236 Harrison Street. (it became Kane Street in 1928). This tradition of parading Torahs was not new to this community. Brooklyn witnessed Baith Israel’s move in 1862 from Atlantic Street to Boerum Place, and again in 1905 from Boerum to Harrison Street.
Congregational mergers were not uncommon then. The 1908 merger was not the first attempt of Baith Israel to join with another group. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports several instances of meetings held among congregational leaders seeking to unite
On Sunday March 5, 2006, Kane Street Synagogue celebrates the consolidated BIAE with a symposium and exhibit. “Keeping the Faith in Brooklyn: Beginnings of the Jewish Community in the City of Churches” brings scholars together to look at the early development of area synagogues. Our Torah portion of the week, “Terumah,” opens with God’s instruction to Moses, “Speak to the Children of Israel…and they shall make for me a Sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:1 and 8) It is especially fitting for our community to join together in our beautiful sanctuary this Sunday to connect with the generations of the past, and teach the generations of the future.
Carol Levin, Editor
historicaljournal@kanestreet.org
Contents ...
Retells Rabbi Israel Goldfarb’s story about the merger of Baith Israel and Anshei Emes. Includes observations by Joseph Goldfarb and Aaron Copland about the differences between the two congregations.
By Carol Levin
(Scroll down to article)
Archival Research on Hevre Talmud Torah
Kane Street Synagogue’s archives are collected at the Ratner Center Library for the study of Conservative Judaism at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Among the seventy-six volumes in the collection, seventeen pre-date the 1908 merger of our predecessors, Congregation Baith Israel and Hevre Talmud Torah Anshei Emes. Last fall, members Carolyn and Sarah Shapiro, mother and daughter conversant in Yiddish, offered to research Yiddish records in the collection. They PORED through the pages of the Hevre Talmud account book of 1903-1907 to learn more about the composition of the Degraw Street congregation. Their report, which includes many names and addresses of members, is reprinted here.
By Carolyn Shapiro and Sarah Shapiro
(Scroll down to article)
The following Brooklyn Eagle articles deal with Synagogue mergers in the nineteenth century:
“Hebrews Consolidating. A Movement to Unite Three Congregations – Important Action Taken on the Subject”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, April 7, 1883, Page 1
“Consolidation of Local Hebrew Churches”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, April 7, 1883, Page 2
“Union of Hebrews Congregations. A Movement to Consolidate the Three Synagogues in Brooklyn – The Rev. Dr. Chapman’s Passover Sermon in the Temple Israel – The Outlook of Judaism – Local Centralization a Need of the Jewish Church in Brooklyn”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, April 26, 1883, Page 1
Brief History of the 1908 Merger
By Carol Levin
Most people today know this venerable congregation as Kane Street Synagogue. Our official name is Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes, the result of a merger in 1908 of two predecessor congregations, Baith Israel and Anshei Emes. Rabbi Israel Goldfarb wrote a history of the congregation for the seventieth anniversary journal. This is how he described the merger;
“In March, 1908, an amalgamation was effected between Baith Israel and Congregation Talmud Torah Anshei Emes, of Degraw Street. The new congregation was known as Baith Israel Anshei Emes. To celebrate the event fittingly, an impressive and solemn service was held in the synagogue. The Scrolls of the Law were brought in carriages from the Degraw Street Synagogue and, with great ceremony, deposited in the holy ark. Isaac Tuck presided and addresses were delivered by Professor Joseph Mayer Asher, the Rev. H. Maliansky, Samuel T. Maddox, Justice of the Supreme Court, The Rev. Henry S. Morais and Rabbi Israel Goldfarb. The new officers of the consolidated congregation were: H[arris]. M. Copland, president; Philip Leibowitz, vice-president;Louis Summer, treasurer; Maurice Pelz, secretary; Nat N. Tuck, superintendent of the Sunday School, and H[erman]. Alexander, chairman of the Talmud Torah. The trustees were: H[erman]. Alexander, I[saac]. Applebaum, M. Beck, S. Brooks, B. Brown, S[amuel]. Brown, Moss Cohen, H[arris]. M. Copland, I[saac]. A. Goldberg, H. Goldsmith, S.L. Gottlieb, Adolph Kahn, Ludwig Lazar, C. Levin, Philip Leibowitz, Maurice Pelz, Michael Salit, Jacob Schindel, J. Silver, Henry Sonnenstrahl, Louis Summer, Nat N. Tuck and Adolph Weinberger.” (emphasis added)
In an attempt to understand more about the amalgamated Congregation BIAE and its leadership, I’ve marked in bold the names of former Baith Israel members and used italics for former Anshei Emes members. First names were added when known. It appears that the merged congregation combined their leadership positions fairly evenly, at least for that first year. For example, Philip Leibowitz who had been Talmud Torah president, became vice-president of the new congregation.
Joseph Goldfarb, Rabbi Goldfarb’s son, recalls his father telling him that generally speaking, the former members of the Talmud Torah had a difficult time fully adapting to customs at the Harrison Street Synagogue, which Baith Israel had moved to in 1905. Joseph described the Harrison Street Synagogue, as it was then called. “This shul was a merger of two congregations, Baith Israel, a reform German style, bordering on Reform. And then there was a shul of Russian emigrants who came here in the 1890s.” During services, the older men from Anshei Emes sat together in an all-men’s section, “starting five or six rows back from the front on this left hand aisle.” The presence of these two traditions challenged Rabbi Goldfarb to find creative, practical solutions to ritual practice throughout his fifty-six years at the synagogue.
Aaron Copland observed in his autobiography the presence of two groups in BIAE when he was a boy. “Religious observance in the Copland family was mostly a matter of conventional participation rather than a deep commitment to other-worldly experience. Despite this, one very solemn moment remains vivid in my memory: on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the elder greybeards of the Congregation stretched themselves out prone in the aisles of the synagogue and prayed for forgiveness of man’s evil ways.” Aaron’s “greybeards” were the men from Anshei Emes.
In 2006, ninety-eight years since the merger, we celebrate 150 years with the study of our history. Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes continues to be diverse and vibrant. We have grown and flourished.
“Copland 1900 Through 1942” by Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis, St.Martin’s, 1984
Download this Article PDF
Archival Research on Hevre Talmud Torah
By Carolyn Shapiro and Sarah Shapiro
Source: Kane Street account books 1902-1913
Balances in hand of treasurer
227 pages of names
100% English, zero knowledge of Yiddish required so we did not look at it
==================
Source: Hevre Talmud Torah 1903-1907
Names in English and Hebrew - Hebrew often easier to read.
Dues went up from $1.25 a quarter to $1.75 a quarter in 1903.
Under the Hebrew names, between the Hebrew and English names, are bookkeeping notes bringing the previous account to the present volume beginning 1903.
Besides dues, various other donations and fees are listed for each member.
Addresses are written in English
Members' titles are not Mr. but Br., for brother, and bes-resh in Yiddish for bruder, brother.
High Holiday tickets are entered as Ticket Tax 1.75.
The Yiddish notes are for contributions made on holidays and other occasions.
In 1906, there must have been a schism. Many members are noted as having been drummed out of the congregation, with the Yiddish word for excommunication used in the very formal legal note, "In accordance with the decree of the congregation..."
Philip Leibowitz 124 Carroll Street 1903-17
S. (Shlomo) Bruder 37 Atlantic Ave to 1907
Harry Schaffer 292 Atlantic Ave 1903-07
Yiddish says "balance" and the dates for the quarter 12 Aug-12 Nov.
Adolph Weinberger 163 Columbus Ave 1903-07
Samuel Brown 17 Union Street
p49-50
Louis Berman 131 Columbia Street stricken 1906
(that is, stricken from the rolls)
Moritz Sonneschein 182 Columbia Street
dates in Yiddish, 12 Aug - 12 Nov
Late dues for 1903 were paid up in Nov 1904.
on p. 81, his title is Secretary
A. Weinberger listed again
Nathan Bornstein 49 Atlantic Ave
Sigmond Berkowitz 342 Van Brunt Ave stricken 1905
Louis Summer 189 Columbia Street
I. Schindel 63 Union Street
Isaac A. Goldberg 92 Hamilton Ave
p77
Morris Rodgers 32 Atlantic Ave
A. Rudiche (roo-dikhe) 155 Hopkins stricken 1905
p83
James Morris 89 Hamilton Ave stricken 1905
H. Rockman 162 Columbia Street
(Zvi in Hebrew, so Hersh or Hershl in Yiddish and English)
p89
Gerson Miller 169 Columbia Street
p90 moved to 230 Smith Street
p91
D. (Dovid) Rofflowitz 151 Columbia Street
He made a chumash donation in an amount more than the dues - a very large donation!
p95
S. (Shimon) Moskowitz 667 Flushing Avenue stricken 1904
Member since 4 March 1900
p99
Hyman Gold 109 Hamilton Avenue
p 101
Harry Rubin 184 Columbia Street
Ephraim Grossman 171 Columbia Street
He made many additional gifts, including $20.25 for High Holiday tickets 1906
(or maybe he needed 12 tickets @ $1.75)?
p 107
Isaac Livey 172 Columbia Street
(not Levy - in Yiddish it is Livye)
p111
Louis Greenwald 263 Atlantic Ave
(Eliezer Yitzchok bar David Greenwald)
p115
Max Feinberg ?72? Columbia Street stricken 1906
Joined June 17, 1900; stricken June 10, 1906, in accordance with the decision of the hevre.
p116
Hyman Gold (see p. 99) was struck on Dec 8, 1907, following the decree of the congregation
p 119
S.B. Deimantstein 297 Court Street
(Boruch Sholom in Yiddish)
joined 17 Dec 1900
p121
Adolph (Abba Moshe) Kahn 244 Harrison Street
p123
M. (Moshe Yosef) Beck 231 Columbia Street
p127
I. (Yisroel Shlomo) Unterman 23 Union Street
in 1906, address is 204 Columbia Street
Note dated Nov 25 1906 - he was struck in March 1906 in accordance with the decree of the congregation.
p 131
A. (Moshe) Goldenberg 638 3rd Avenue stricken 1904
joined 4 August 1901
I. Schappiro 169 Columbia Street
joined April 14, 1901
His High Holiday ticket was just $1.00, no reason given.
p 137
H. (Zvi) Sindel 312 Atlantic Avenue
left Oct 20, 1907
p141
Louis Tick 1035 Fulton Street. later 163 9th Street left 22 Aug 1905
joined 19 Aug 1902
p 143
K. (Koppel) Fink 317 Van Brunt
145
M. (Moshe) Block 176 Hamilton Ave
A. Bergida 19 Tompkins Place stricken March 5, 1905
joined March 2, 1902
p 151
Theodor Rittoff 523 Court Street
p 152, spelled with one T - Ritoff, first name in Hebrew is Todros
p155
W. (undoubtedly Wolf, Zev in Hebrew) Neuman 184 Columbia Street
joined 9 Nov 1902
p 157
Rosenblatt (no first name in Hebrew or English) stricken 1904
joined 9 Dec 1902
p 159
M. (Menachem Mendel) Brown 10 Union Street
More names to page 257, all in English; any names hard to decipher in English are easy to read in Hebrew.
Yiddish comments are usually English words, either "balance" or "tickets", or the date the member left the congregation, some with the legal formula for being stricken by the rolls by decree of the congregation.
pp420-456
Disbursements
About the Journal …
The Synagogue Journal” is a one-year online publication at www.kanestreet.org/historical_journal.html, designed to highlight the three periods of the Kane Street Synagogue congregation: the first fifty years as Congregation Baith Israel at both the Atlantic Street and the Boerum Place sites; the middle years (1905-1956) with Rabbi Israel Goldfarb as spiritual leader of the consolidated Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes at the present location that was known as Harrison Street, and the last fifty years, as the synagogue evolved to be the Congregation that we know today.
We welcome submissions of reminiscences, letters and photographs to help shape the BIAE story. For a list of upcoming Journal themes or to read past issues, see “Archives,” located under the Journal banner.
Special thanks to: Rabbi Samuel Weintraub; webmaster Dugans Martinez; Paul at www.PaulBernsteinPhotography.com; the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online™, Brooklyn Public Library; www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle
For further information, please contact us at: historicaljournal@kanestreet.org.
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