History of Temple Isaiah
The Jewish community in Lexington began in the early 1900's, when Jewish families from the West End in Boston heard of a new area of homes built in the country. A little shtetl was formed on Sylvia Street which is half in Lexington and half in Arlington. The people came for many reasons. They were attracted to the restful atmosphere, so different from the crowded tenements and noisy city streets. There was healthful clean air and some families came for a tuberculosis cure. Also the fact the Sylvia Street was at the end of the bus line to Boston was an important factor in its growth.
By 1911 there were enough Jewish families to form the East Lexington Hebrew Congregation. They met in homes until 1916 when land on Sylvia Street was purchased and Temple B'Nai Jacob was built. This structure still stands on Sylvia Street. The ritual was Orthodox. The years between 1920 and 1930 saw much activity concentrated around Temple B'Nai Jacob. Then with the older people passing on and many of the younger ones moving, the low ebb of the community's existence was realized around 1936.
Only the influx of a totally new population could reverse the downward trend, and fortunately this began to develop in the post World War II period. By 1945 B'Nai Jacob had changed to a Conservative affiliation and had begun to grow after the low membership of the pre-war period. There were no Hebrew classes or religious school during this period. The children of religious school age were either sent to Temple B'Nai Brith in Somerville or to Waltham.
In 1945 in the neighboring town of Arlington, a new line of development was being initiated. A group of 30 families organized the Arlington Jewish Center and met in the D.A.R. Hall. Following a pattern that had been well established in other Jewish communities, it flourished as a social and cultural organization, separate and distinct from the East Lexington Hebrew Congregation of Temple B'Nai Jacob, but drawing upon the latter group for its membership. Many families from both towns were active in both groups; the Center at times using the Temple building for special services; yet, each pursued its own aims. One of the founders of this new group was Lou Derby, father of Marshall Derby. The primary goal of the group in 1945 was the establishment of a religious school.
The Temple dues were $6 per family and tuition for children enrolled in the school was $5 per child. Religious services conducted at Temple B'Nai Jacob were now in the Conservative tradition. Members came from many diverse towns, but most were residents of Lexington, Arlington and Bedford.
Great activity and innovation marked this period. The Sunday School grew to include three-days-per-week Hebrew classes, meeting in the basement of the Arlington Heights branch library during the week, with a curriculum drawn from the Bureau of Jewish Education. Youth groups were formed. Harvest suppers, plays, musical frolics, sports events, etc. strengthened the group's determination grow and consolidate all their activities in their own building. The Arlington Jewish Center, incorporated as a charitable institution, started a building fund and became affiliated with the Jewish Centers Association of Greater Boston.
In 1955 an important step was taken by the organization known as the Arlington-Lexington-Bedford Jewish Community Center when they decided to purchase the building at 1508 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington. The sacred scrolls of Temple B'Nai Jacob were transferred and the Temple membership willingly agreed to sell the building on Sylvia Street and apply the moneys to the purchase of the first and only home of the Arlington-Lexington-Bedford Jewish Community Center. With the move into the building, the membership increased to more than 100 families and the desire to move in the direction of a Temple-Center began to be voiced.
A community self-survey conducted at this time demonstrated that the membership regarded itself as a religious body and expressed a desire for a spiritual leader. Rabbi Judah Stempfer, who was then completing doctoral studies in English Literature at Harvard accepted the part time post and served with distinction, offering religious and intellectual inspiration to the congregants during the Friday night and High Holy Day services he led. The first Bar Mitzvah in the new building on Massachusetts Avenue was that of our own Marshall Derby in December 1955..
The Center building soon became too small to hold the membership during the High Holy Day Services, and the Hancock Congregational Church in Lexington granted them the use of one of their large meeting rooms for the next few years.
The facilities of the Center were, in turn, made available to the newly established Pilgrim Church in Lexington, when their needs for Sunday school classrooms and a meeting room for worship services became known.
In 1958, the Center had a membership of about 150 families. The school was vibrant and active, extending over six or seven grades. In 1959 a Rabbi Selection Committee was formed. It was at this point that many of the underlying differences, which had existed, between the Reform and the Conservative elements in the membership became evident. The Board voted to select Rabbi Bernard Bloom, a Reform rabbi, as its spiritual leader. Then members of the Board who leaned toward a Conservative rabbi called a meeting of the entire membership, which, on 27 June 1959, rescinded the decision of the Board to hire Rabbi Bloom.
At this point, a group of 40 families honoring the commitment to Rabbi Bloom made their decision to form a congregation dedicated to liberal Judaism. Temple Isaiah was born on June 5, 1959 at the home of Edith and Sherman Starr. Under the vigorous leadership of its first president, Leo Dunn and Rabbi Bloom, a full program of religious, educational and social activities was immediately set in motion. A series of temporary homes was found. During that first summer, the Methodist Church of Lexington was the host. For the next three years, the First Parish Church (Unitarian) was used for our High Holy Days and the Hancock Congregational Church for our year-round services and school classes. The magnificent hospitality of these good neighbors in Lexington will never be forgotten.
On the 9th of September in 1959, at a business meeting held in Esterbrook Hall in Lexington a set of by-laws was passed. Three days later on 12 September the opening session of the Temple Isaiah Religious School was held. Six days later on 18 September Rabbi Ronald B Gittelsohn of Temple Israel, Boston, installed Rabbi Bloom. The ceremony was held in the Meeting House of the Hancock Congregational Church. In the month of November 1959 the founding member list was closed. There were 63 founding members. On 19 November a Building Committee under Hugh Gordon was formed to study the needs for a permanent building
Shortly thereafter on December 11, 1959 Temple Isaiah received the charter of membership in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
The membership as of the end of the year was 71 families. For the record, the members of Temple Isaiah as of 8 December 1959 were:
| Dr. & Mrs. Walter Abelman |
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Gohd |
Mr. & Mrs. Lewis Pollack |
| Mr. & Mrs. Philip Abrams |
Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Goldman |
Mr. & Mrs. Barney Reiffen |
| Dr. & Mrs. Howard Asarkof |
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Goldstein |
Mr. & Mrs. William Revis |
| Mr. & Mrs. Robert Asher |
Mr. & Mrs. Hubert Gordon |
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Rosenberg |
| Rabbi & Mrs. Bernard Bloom |
Mr. & Mrs. Milton Gould |
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Roth |
| Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Bandes |
Mr. & Mrs. William Hammer |
Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Sack |
| Mr. & Mrs. Murray Black |
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Harrison |
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Savenor |
| Mr. & Mrs. Ervin Blake |
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Hartstone |
Mr. & Mrs. David Schneider |
| Mr. & Mrs. Raymond C. Block |
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Hawthorne |
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Sherman |
| Mr. & Mrs. Richard Bloom |
Mr. & Mrs. Arnold Heller |
Mr. & Mrs. Leon Schreiber |
| Mr. & Mrs. Morris Bloomberg |
Mr. & Mrs. Abraham Hoffman |
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Simons |
| Mr. & Mrs. Philip Bosinoff |
Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Kaplan |
Mr. & Mrs. Martin Small |
| Mr. & Mrs. Donald Brick |
Dr. & Mrs. Edward Kass |
Mr. & Mrs. Sherman Starr |
| Mr. & Mrs. Bernard Budiansky |
Mr. & Mrs. Keith Klane |
Mr. & Mrs. Emanuel Sugerman |
| Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Coplon/td> |
Mr. & Mrs. Harold Koffman |
Mr. & Mrs. Jules Sussman |
| Mr. & Mrs. Sydney Corday |
Mr. & Mrs. Myer Kolker |
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Wertheim |
| Mr. & Mrs. Edward Cowen |
Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Lesensky |
Mr. & Mrs. Arnold Wolf |
| Mr. & Mrs. Frederic Davis |
Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Levy |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Dubin |
Dr. & Mrs. Jason Lucas |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Leo Dun |
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Malech |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Archie Ehrenberg |
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Masters |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Martin Ernst |
Mr. & Mrs. Alan Michaels |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Bernard Esecson |
Mr. & Mrs. Dean Nicholson |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Phil Friedlander |
Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Paris |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Martin Friedman |
Dr. & Mrs. Norman Paul |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Robert Glassman |
Dr & Mrs. Julian Pearlman |
|
| Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Globe |
Mr. & Mrs. Perry Pollins |
|
In May 1960 the Board of Trustees issued the first Annual Report of Temple Isaiah. In eleven months the Temple had made some remarkable achievements.. They initiated meaningful religious services under Rabbi Bloom enhanced by the beautiful music of the choir directed by Martha Globe with soloists Florence Gould and Richard Wertheim. The custom of Onegim Shabbat was started under a gracious corps of hostesses headed by Seyma Friedman. They established Bible study and adult education classes. Most important a youth education program was firmly established with a successful Sabbath School, Mid-week Hebrew School and a Junior High Seminar with high standards of accomplishment throughout. Seventy three children were enrolled in the Religious School representing 43 families. Over half of these were concentrated in Kindergarten, and Grades One and Two indicating an inevitable expansion of the School.
The year of 1960 became a year of "firsts". The first Torah was received. The first Bar Mitzvah ceremony at Temple Isaiah was observed when Lawrence Globe conducted the service and read from the Torah on 26 March 1960. On 6 April 1960 the Temple Isaiah Sisterhood was formed in the home of Mrs. Fred Davis. Florence Gould was elected president. On 14 April the permanent building committee was authorized to negotiate for the purchase of land for a future Temple home and in May the School Committee received approval of the Board to hire a part-time Hebrew teacher, if necessary.(Italics ours)
Continuing our firsts, On 3 June 1960 the Torah was dedicated on the occasion of Temple Isaiah's first birthday. Two days later on 5 June Temple Isaiah's first anniversary dance was held at the Colonial in Lynnfield. The first Bat Mitzvah ceremony was held at Temple Isaiah when Ellen Kaplan conducted the service and read from the Torah on 16 September 1960.
By November a part of Westview Cemetery was officially dedicated as a Jewish cemetery. Also In November the purchase agreement for the land on Lincoln Street was signed and $1,000 furnished as a binder. By the end of the year the Temple added 41 new members bringing the total to 73 member families. The Temple Isaiah budget for Fiscal Year 1960 was $12,000.
On 9 February 1961 the Board approved the hiring of 13 teachers for the following school year of 1962 comprising a complete professional staff. Building fever started to spread throughout the congregation. On 19 February 1961 the Temple Isaiah Advanced Gifts Campaign was established to raise funds for a Temple site. At the kick-off meeting Milt Gould was chosen to head this effort. In March the annual dues was set at $175.
In these days of computers it is interesting to not that a really high spot in Temple administration was when, at a Board meeting, Dick Wertheim happily informed the Board that the Temple had an Addressograph machine. In the future addresses on our mailings would not have to be typed or hand written.
In June of 1961 Dr Samuel Globe was elected second Temple president. In July he wrote a letter to the membership, raising the questions of "how much, how big, and how soon" with regard to the proposed new building. He answered these questions by saying, "while we recognize the need for a new building, we do not intend to build elaborately or extravagantly. Good taste rather than extravagance will guide us..."
We were committed and now we had to raise the necessary funding. In the opening days of the Building Fund $60,750 was raised at a September Sunday morning meeting at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Arnold Wolf. The goal was $150,000. By December Milt Gould reported that the Building Fund goal of $150,000 had been exceeded. After many interviews with architects and many works examined, the architectural firm of Perley F. Gilbert Associates of Lowell Massachusetts was selected. The principal architect and president of the firm was Herbert H. Glassman, A.I.A., a member of our congregation.
In January 1962 a Senior High Youth Group was formed with Alita Fishlin as president. Then in April the first Sisterhood Donor Dinner was held at the Battle Green Inn featuring a Spring Millinery show. As the year progressed we became more and more excited about the prospect of our own building. On 6 May 1962 at 2:30 p.m. ground was broken at 47 Lincoln Street for the new Temple building. Participating in the ceremonies was Rabbi Alexander Schindler, UAHC, and a distinguished group of notables.
In May Dr Globe was succeeded by Leo Dunn, our first president, who agreed to serve another term. By the end of the year our membership had climbed to 108 families, our professional school faculty numbered 13 and our school enrollment was over 200 children between the ages of 5 and 15. The walls of the building rose swiftly along with all the accoutrements that turn a building into a house of worship.
In early 1963 the dues structure was created as follows:
Single Membership without Religious School................... $50
Incentive Membership (no children, under age 30).......... $100
Family Membership (Including Religious School)............$210
In May 1963 the first Annual Meeting was held in the new building. The Board elected Rabbi Haskell Bernat as spiritual leader effective 1 August 1963. Milton Gould was elected President.
The weekend of 13-15 September was the Dedication Weekend for the new building. There was a feeling of elation and accomplishment, as the congregation which now numbered 160 families participated in:
Sabbath Dedication
Service Installation of Rabbi Bernat
Dedication Dinner Dance
Dedication ceremonies
During 1963 the Congregation, together with Rabbi Bernat turned the situation of a Sanctuary without permanent seating into an opportunity to experiment and innovate with various forms of worship and interaction. Combined Adult Education Classes were initiated with Temple Emunah together with joint Sisterhood and Brotherhood meetings and events.
On 17 September 1963, at a special congregational meeting it was voted to purchase the Tocci land adjacent to the Temple.
The Temple Choir continued as an integral part of our Shabbat Service with the addition of a folk musician, giving us the reputation of a "singing congregation".
In January 1964, the first wedding was held in the new Temple building. For this occasion the Temple Board voted to purchase 75 chairs. At the same time the dues was set at $220 per family in accordance with the Treasurer's recommendation.
In May 1964, Bill Hammer was elected President of the congregation. The first Brotherhood breakfast was held and was addressed by Dr. John Sturrock, an Australian psychiatrist. Under Bill Hammer (1964-1966) Edward Furash (1966-1968) and Arnold Wolf (1968-1970). the congregation and the religious school continued to grow. A professional educator was hired as principal of the School. The rapid growth necessitated double sessions on Saturday and Sunday. For the body of the congregation we tried double sessions in the Temple building for the High Holy Days. This didn't work so for two years we used the Lexington Armory for High Holy Days. We were rapidly outgrowing our facilities.
In the winter of 1964, Rabbi Bernat and Maia Sherman inaugurated the first season of the Isaiah Arts Institute with a Sabbath evening exploring the possibilities of sacred dance. Naomi Aleh-Leaf, a leading exponent if Israeli and Modern Dance challenged Rabbi Bernat and the congregation to create a Sabbath service utilizing the dance medium to interpret the music and meaning of the worship. While sacred dance had been used at Jewish summer camps for well over a decade, Isaiah's foray the following year was recognized as the first synagogue since ancient times to utilize formal dance to enhance public worship. It became a yearly event and in 1966, Temple Isaiah made the pages and pictures of LIFE magazine in recognition of its boldness and creativity.
The partnership of Rabbi Bernat and Ms Sherman, Chair of the Arts Institute, commissioned choreographers and dancers from preeminent companies, such as Jose Limon, Anna Sokolow and the famed Inbal Yemenite Dance Company of Israel were commissioned to collaborate with the congregation in enhancing Jewish life and expanding the limits of Jewish liturgical innovation. In 1969, Rabbi Bernat was invited to present a dance service at the Biennial Convention of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in Miami. Before an audience of 2000 delegates a service previously performed at Temple Isaiah brought the audience to their feet and the Temple into national recognition.
There were successes in other artistic media. Authors Isaac Bashevis Singer, Maurice Samuels and Howard Fast explored with the congregation how Judaism inspired their work and the congregation, in turn, delighted the writers by using their writings as texts for the worship service.
Many painters including Boston-born, internationally celebrated artist Jack Levine exhibited images at the Temple as did Louis Kahn, America's architect laureate.
Martha Schlemme, a personal friend of Arts Chairperson Maia Sherman represented Jewish music. This acclaimed Yiddish folk singer and interpreter of Kurt Weill, was followed by Shlomo Carlebach, a Hassidic troubadour as well as a complement of composers, performance artists, mimes and even a cinematographer.
The philosophy of linking the sacred with the artistic was summed up in the yearly Arts Institute brochure: "Art is the signature of a creative living culture. Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people; a vital force constantly searching for and creating new forms of artistic experience. In response to this conviction the Isaiah Arts Institute was born".
On 19 November 1966 these facility needs of the congregation were recognized when the semi annual congregational meeting "discussed the problems of congregational growth and consequent needs for additional facilities resolving that the Board appoint a committee of seven at least two of which shall be women" (italics ours) . A Long-Range Planning Committee was formed to study the future needs of the congregation. On 27 November 1967, at the annual meeting the congregation approved the building program recommended by the Board, it:
-authorized the President to appoint a Building Committee and a Finance Committee,
-authorized the Building Committee to select and engage an architect
-authorized the Building Committee to return with designs for a building addition and
-requested the Finance Committee to come up with a financing plan.
Shortly thereafter a Building Committee was established to work with our architect to provide suitable plans for meeting our present and future space requirement needs.
In February 1968 the Board of Trustees authorized the School Committee to engage a full time principal. At the time there were nearly 500 children in the religious school. In March of that year Herb Glassman the original architect for the Temple was engaged as the architect for the addition.
On 13 May 1968 at the annual meeting the congregation elected Arnold Wolf as President. The Board was instructed to negotiate with Mr. Conant for possession of his house and property which was adjacent to the Temple and, that if successful, to proceed with detailed plans for a10 classroom library wing addition.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Temple founding the Celebrations Committee with George Kolovson as chair and the Social Committee under Frank Suskind sponsored a weekend of festivities on October 10th and 11th 1969. Rabbi Sandford Seltzer, Regional Director of UAHC spoke on "THE NEXT TEN YEARS.".
On 24 November 1969 the semi-annual congregational meeting voted an expansion program proposed by the Board of Trustees. The program included an expanded sanctuary-social hall, a kitchen, a gift shop and a Rabbi's study. The cost was estimated at $342,000. Each member family was asked to pledge $1500 payable over a 10-year period. Buddy Werrick was named as General Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee.
On 11 May 1970 Alan Dickerman was elected president of the congregation. In December 1970 the Temple welcomed its first third generation member with the arrival of Jay Matthew Kline son of Susi and Brickey Kline and grandson of Florence and Milton Gould.
In March 1971 the congregation gave full approval to the proposal for a "minimal building expansion". Paul London was chairman of the Building Committee. In the spring of 1971 Rabbi Bernat accepted the offer of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) to become regional director of the Chicago area. An extract from the Board of Trustees resolution in June 1971 reads, "...The Board of Trustees wishes to express its gratitude to Rabbi Bernat for his eight years of service to our Congregation and clearly recognizes that his creativity and magnetism have been major factors in the success and growth of our Congregation and in the spiritual life of each of our families." A Rabbinical Search Committee was formed with Stan Kolodkin as Chair. Their choice which was approved by the Board and the Congregation was, perhaps, the most significant in the history of Temple Isaiah to date. They chose a young Cary David Yales, who, along with his wife, Bonnie, brought a new era to the Temple. Reared in Jacksonville, Florida, he jokingly said he was the product of a "mixed marriage" (his father was descendent of German Jewry and his mother a descendent of Russian Jewry). Actively involved in the Youth Group Movement in Jacksonville, he was elected president of the Southeastern Federation of Temple Youth and received the "Outstanding Jewish Youth Award" from that organization. He was educated at the University of Cincinnati and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He was ordained in1967. He served two years as U.S. Army Chaplain in Colorado and became Assistant Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Newton, Massachusetts in 1969. In 1971 he was engaged as Rabbi of Temple Isaiah.
The Rabbi’s Message on the first High Holy Days after his arrival bespoke the kind of leader we had chosen.
“Dear Friends,
On occasion, the personal events of our lives become interwoven with the fabric of our faith, and together they assume a measure of beauty and significance not to be found apart. This Rosh Hashanah will be such an occasion in my life and that of my family. The New Year finds us in a new congregation and a new community, with all the hopes and dreams that one would expect to be a part of such a change in the life of a Rabbi and his family.
I am honored by my election as your Rabbi, and I am genuinely grateful for the trust you have placed in me. It is my prayer that this trust will be well-deserved and that together we will go from strength to strength in worthy service to God and Israel.
Bonnie and I have never experienced the sense of warmth and hospitality as we have in your midst. So many have done so much to welcome us and make us feel at home. To be sure this Rosh Hashanah will be marked by us with a special expression of gratitude.
Bonnie joins me in wishing you a “Shanah Tovah”, a year of peace and blessing, a year which finds each of us closer to our spiritual goals.
Faithfully,
Rabbi Cary David Yales”
As we got to know Rabbi Yales through the years we found that (to use a cliche) he said what he meant and he meant what he said.
As 1971 progressed the new Rabbi made his presence felt in our community. His quiet, almost shy, demeanor hid strong opinions and the fortitude to pursue them. His tact and pleasant disposition cleared many hurdles without eliciting rancor. In April 1972 the Rabbi prepared for what was to become a looked-forward to event, his conducted tour of Israel. The first one was scheduled in February 1973.
In May 1972 Stan Kolodkin was elected president of the congregation. In his parting message to the congregation, outgoing president, Allen Dickerman summed up the health of the congregation:
“Our administration began with some serious problems:
1. A large building expansion had just been disapproved at a heated congregational meeting. Many felt that while the need existed, the financial burden was too great to bear in a deteriorating economy.
2. The operating budget, which we inherited, was so out of touch with reality that drastic changes had to be made to upgrade the quality of life in our congregation on a sound fiscal basis. The fact that some of our congregants lost their source of employment as a result of defense related cutbacks did not make our task an easy one.
With the support (of the congregation) we have weathered the storms fairly well. Our facilities have been expanded on a smaller scale with no additional burden (on the congregants).
.....I believe that for the most part the congregation is quite sound spiritually and fiscally and growing as fast as ever.........”
The incoming president, Stan Kolodkin, recognized that problems existed. His words to the congregation included:
“With the beginning of the New Year, our congregation is faced with some problems, some solutions, and some uncertainty with regard to our future direction.
On the positive side, we begin the school year with adequate space in our new addition. For the first time in many years, our library is available to all members on the week-ends, and we have office space need to efficiently operate our Temple.
We are growing at an unprecedented rate; this is good but it will present future problems. Our Sanctuary is crowded particularly at Family, Holiday, and Arts Institute Sabbaths, as well as for many Bar Mitzvahs We do not have adequate facilities for the social occasions many of our members want.
........While expansion may be desirable it cannot and will not be considered without an adequate and acceptable financial plan worked out in advance.........”
President Kolodkin then appointed a Long Range Planning Committee under Mort Hodin to plan the future of the Temple.
The Kolin Torah was dedicated by Temple Isaiah on Kol Nidre Eve, September 17, 1972 as a memorial to the six million. It is on permanent loan to the Temple from the Memorial Scrolls Committee of Westminster Synagogue in London. The story of the Kolin Torah is best told in excerpts from Rabbi Yales’ words at the dedication.
“...Our Torah comes from Czechoslovakia. When one speaks of Czech Jewry, one speaks predominantly of Prague. Here in this once vital and populous center of Jewish life in Bohemia, is the Alt-Neu Schule, the oldest extant synagogue in Europe, built in the 13th century. This is the city of the famous Jewish Town Hall with its Hebrew clock. Here, too, is the Jewish cemetery known as the “City of the Dead” where the Jews are buried on top of each other - 200, 000 of them it is said because Prague would not grant the Jews additional space for a new cemetery....
The Nazis took the Kolin scroll to this city of Prague, capital of the “protectorate” of Czechoslovakia. Adolph Hitler (had) decided that there should be visual reminders of testimony to the uncivilized, non-Aryan race he was determined to destroy....
At a collection point in Prague were gathered 1,564 Torah scrolls from central Europe. Here from synagogues throughout Czechoslovakia and other countries were brought Torah crowns, rimonim, breastplates of gold and silver, the curtains from the arks, menorahs, Passover plates, illuminated manuscripts--and books--books by the carload. A thousand years of Jewish culture in Europe were dumped in synagogues, which were being used as warehouses.
After the war a museum was established the famous old Klausen synagogue in Prague. Included in the museum’s collection were over 1,500 Torah scrolls, which were slowly, but surely deteriorating. A proper disposition of these scrolls was required. After almost twenty years of unsuccessful attempts to rescue the scrolls, in 1963 a well-known London art dealer was able to negotiate with agents of the Czechoslovakian government to take possession of the scrolls. On February 7, 1964 all the scrolls began to arrive at the Westminster Synagogue in London. Each of the 1,564 scrolls was given a number and put in a separate bin. The Koln Torah slept in Bin #330. While the scrolls were being examined and sorted a Memorial Scrolls Committee was established to review requests for the scrolls....
(I) wrote to my colleague, Rabbi Albert Friedlander of Westminster Synagogue to request that our congregation be considered as a home for one of these scrolls. After many months of correspondence the Committee granted our request for a special scroll, one deemed “Pasul” (beyond repair),and legally unfit for reading because of its broken and illegible letters.
.....Come beloved Torah, your life has been long and hard. Come enter into our lives that we may do you honor.”
During early 1973, Rabbi Yales felt comfortable enough with his congregation to start forming the attitude of the congregation in social and political matters. A rabbinic letter in the January 1973 Bulletin urged the congregation to boycott lettuce in support of the United Farm Workers. Later that year, at Purim, Rabbi Yales wrote “...throughout our history there have been those Jews who separated themselves from the community, who thought it possible to stand aside because of their acquired position and prestige......like those Jews in Germany, who because of the position and prestige they enjoyed, could not imagine that Hitler’s policies included them....We must learn from them that history’s lessons have not been ignored, and that we accept our privileged status as the profound responsibility that it is...”.
A subtle change was taking place in Temple Isaiah. Whereas Rabbi Bernat had coupled spirituality with arts and cultural matters, building a solid congregational entity, Rabbi Yales determined to continue Rabbi Bernat’s cultural thrust and broaden the existing social and political conscience. As a matter of fact, Rabbi Yales, along with five other rabbis was arrested on May 18, 1972 in front of the JFK Building in Boston while protesting the Viet Nam War. After spending a few hours in jail the group was released. Many letters from prominent clerical and lay personnel applauded Rabbi Yales’ action.
On March 30,1973 Temple Isaiah hosted a regional Union Service which included the guest congregations of Temple Beth El in Belmont, Temple Emanuel in Lowell, Congregation Shalom in Chelmsford and Temple Shalom Emeth in Burlington.
In May 1973 the Isaiah Arts Institute presented the Moshe Ariel Dance Company for the Sabbath Program honoring the 25th Anniversary of Israel’s Independence. This was a stirring performance of interpretive dance theater from the land of the bible, the Diaspora and modern Israel.
In April 1973, a new three-year contract was approved for Rabbi Yales with his salary increased to $17,500 for the next year.
Rabbi Yales did not confine himself to Temple spiritual matters. At a Board meeting in May 1973 he suggested a Long Range Planning Committee to plan the future need of the physical plant of the Temple. President Kolodkin appointed Florence Gould, Bobbi Kramer, Bernie Levenson and Ann Suskind to discuss this issue further.
From the Bulletin September 1973
CHAIRS
Seven white plastic chairs (rented from United Rental) were apparently borrowed over last Passover weekend. It will cost over $100 to replace them. If anyone knows anything of their whereabouts, please let us know.
The concept of Chavurot was put forth by Rabbi Yales in November 1973. It later grew to great acceptance throughout the congregation.
At the beginning of 1974 the Temple had 313 families and an FY1975 budget of $134,000.
In May 1974 on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Temple Isaiah Rabbi Yales wrote:
“Dear Friends,
The weekend of May 31st and June 1st is a very special one in the life of our congregation as we gather to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of Temple Isaiah.”
“…Fifteen years. To some particularly to those who are founding or long-time members of the congregation, it must be like watching the growth of a child from its first precarious steps to adolescence. What “nachas” for those whose vision and unstinting labor have brought us to this day….”
“for the past, my gratitude is boundless. For the future, my vision is endless. With your help we shall see to it that the synagogue, our synagogue will continue to be Israel’s sublime gift to the world.
Fondly,
Cary Yales”
A significant generic event took place in April 1974. Up until that time the office of President and Vice-Presidents had been filled by males. On that date Barbara (Bobbi) Kramer resigned from the Board. Her resignation letter stated in part “When women are nominated to serve among the top elected officials of our congregation I hope I will once again be asked to serve. Since that time Temple Isaiah has had 2 female presidents.
At the beginning of 1975 the Treasurer reported a $10,000 cash deficit and predicted double that in the next year. The ideas for solving the problem have been repeated ever since:
Temple run a fund raiser
Orient the Arts Institute for greater income
Set up a trust fund (long term endowment type)
A special purpose fund (such as heating)
Replace old members who have dropped out with new members
By 1976 Temple Isaiah had grown numerically and spiritually. In the November 1976 Bulletin Rabbi Yales wrote:
“I maintain that there is a spirit about our congregation which is truly unique. Temple Isaiah is alive and vibrant with Jewishness. There is “soul” here for all those who allow it into their lives.
It is not I alone who boast about our congregation. Hardly a week goes by when visitors to our midst do not take me aside to explain about this spirit. They speak of a congregation that participates in services, sings with “Kavanah” (feeling), and senses that it is involved in a drama that has no equal: the story of the Jew and his God, his Torah, his people, his vision
Just last week, in addition to informal comments, I received two letters from visitors who wrote to express their appreciation for what Temple Isaiah is uniquely, commenting in particular on the joy of the service and the warmth of the congregation. They even enclosed checks as an expression of their appreciation to help our congregation carry our Israel Bond.
Yes, there is a unique spirit about our congregation and it is my chief joy to be a part of it.
Let us rejoice and go forward with gratitude – for the Master is urgent
With affection,
Cary Yales”
In April 1978 a Design Committee presented to the congregation a planned expansion to the Temple.
Compiled by Stan Bernstein, a previous Temple Isaiah Archivist and current Temple Isaiah Archivist, Becky Derby. To send comments to Becky, click here.