Cleveland's Old Synagogues
 The Temple (Tifereth Israel) at University Circle
 

Older Clevelanders will often call The Temple (now The Temple Tifereth Israel), whose Hebrew name has always been Tifereth Israel (Glory of Israel), as "Silver's Temple" because they remember the congregation when it was led by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver. For more on Rabbi Silver, who served this congregation for 46 years, click here.

For 33 years the Euclid Avenue Temple (now Anshe Chesed - Fairmount Temple) was led by Rabbi Barnett Brickner and was called "Brickner's Temple."  One Cleveland Jew, meeting another Jewish Clevelander he believed to be Reform, might ask "Do you go to Silver's or Brickner's?"

Few Clevelanders may have known that these eloquent. distinguished and seemingly very American rabbis were both immigrants and had grown up in the same neighborhood — New York's Yiddish-speaking Lower East Side. In fact they had both belonged to the Herzl Zion Club whose advisor was Rabbi Moses Silver, the father of Abba Hillel (then Abraham) Silver.

To learn more:

Late in 2006 The Temple-Tifereth Israel enlarged its website, making it much deeper and richer in content. Sadly, its History page became smaller when images of all former rabbis were removed. Pictures of Rabbis Moses Gries, Abba Hillel Silver, Daniel Jeremy Silver and Ben Kamin can be found on these pages, but not on the pages of the congregation they served so well and so long.  

 

In 1924 The Temple moved from East 55th Street to this site on the western edge of University Circle. This seven-sided structure was designed by Charles Greco of Boston. While the congregation's main facility (originally called "the branch") is now in Beachwood, five miles to the east.  The Temple at University Circle is used on the High Holy Days, for community events, and for Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, weddings and funerals. The lower level houses the Temple Museum. The large school building to the rear is leased to community schools.

Sue Koletsky, Director of the Temple Museum, welcomes a group on a tour of old Jewish Cleveland led by Nate Arnold. The Sanctuary seats 1,800 persons in pews.

The Silver Sanctuary, named to honor the service of the father (Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver) and son (Rabbi Daniel Jeremy Silver) who spoke from this pulpit for a span of more than 70 years. In the Ark are four Torah scrolls, one a survivor of the Holocaust. We see an Eternal Light, the Ten Commandments and the "Shma". Above the Ark is a loft that was used by a professional choir and organist.

Stained glass windows by Arthur Szyk (pronounced Shick),  1894-1951. Born in Poland and arriving here in 1940 to escape Hitler, Szyk was a great 20th century illuminator whose best-known work is his Haggadah. The windows, completed in 1947, portray three Jewish heroes: (l - r)  Gideon, Samson and Judah Maccabe.

The Gries Memorial Chapel, named to honor Moses Gries, rabbi of The Temple from 1892 - 1917. This chapel was used for Friday evening services and other smaller ceremonies. The stained glass windows represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

A display case of Abba Hillel Silver memorabilia. Front center are a certificate as a "chaplain" and a badge for the 1944 Republican convention. He would also say a prayer at the first inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower in January 1953. more ...
For a larger view of the certificate and badge, click here.
For a larger view of the photograph on the right, click here.

Portrait of Abba Hillel Silver painted by Sylvia Saul.

Photos: Arnold Berger 

Silver memorabilia and portrait (and more than 1,000 other pieces) are at The Temple - Tifereth Israel Museum of Religious Art in Cleveland's University Circle. Founded in 1950 to commemorate The Temple's 100th birthday, it is one of the nation's first Judaica museums. Museum Director Sue Koletsky invites those who wish to tour the building and museum to contact her at (216) 831-3233 ext. 108.

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