Temple Israel of the City of New York

Temple Israel traces its founding to 1870, when a group of German-origin Jews established Congregation "Hand in Hand" (Yad b'Yad) in Harlem, then a remote Jewish community.[2] The founders were traditionally observant people described as "people of moderate circumstances," many of whom kept small stores on Third Avenue and lived behind their shops.[2] The congregation's earliest worship took place above a printing shop on East 125th Street.[2]

The congregation established a religious school called "The Gates of Learning" in its early years, and both school and congregation grew quickly.[2] They moved to larger quarters on 124th Street in 1874, and two years later relocated to a former church on 116th Street between First and Second Avenues.[2] An Encyclopedia Judaica account uses 1874 as Temple Israel's establishment date and says it was then Harlem's sole congregation. It reports that fourteen years later, in 1888, the congregation dedicated a synagogue at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street; by then three other small congregations served Harlem, and by 1900 the neighborhood had 13 permanent synagogues.[6]

In 1882, Maurice H. Harris — then a student at Columbia College and Emanu-El Theological Seminary — became the congregation's first permanent rabbi.[2] The Jewish Encyclopedia reports that Harris, who was born in London in 1859, was elected rabbi of Temple Israel of Harlem in 1883 and still held the position in 1904.[7] Over a 48-year rabbinate, the congregation's history credits him with transforming it into a major cultural institution and becoming a prominent spokesman for progressive Judaism and a founder of major Reform Jewish organizations.[2] During his tenure, Daniel P. Hays served 33 years as president; the period under Harris and Hays drew prominent Jewish members and a range of progressive activities.[2]

In 1887, the congregation held a Chanukah Dress Ball at Harlem Casino to raise funds for the Hebrew School of Harlem — an event the temple's history estimates drew 2,000 elegantly costumed guests.[2] That same year the congregation purchased a former church at 125th Street and Fifth Avenue for its first permanent home, rededicated in 1888, when it took the name Temple Israel of Harlem.[2] A Jewish communal directory from this era lists a Temple Israel Sisterhood of Personal Service at 311–313 East 116th Street, with activities including a kindergarten, Sunday school, sewing circles, and religious services, organized from 1891.[8]

In 1907, Temple Israel built a limestone synagogue at the northwest corner of 120th Street and Lenox Avenue, designed by architect Arnold W. Brunner.[2] Departing from the Moorish Revival style typical of many synagogues of the period, the building was later likened by New York Times columnist David W. Dunlap to a Roman temple whose Jewish identity emerged in Stars of David in its capitals, fanlights, and spandrel panels. He suggested that it "may rank as the single best Neoclassical synagogue in Manhattan."[2] The building is now Mt. Olivet Baptist Church.[2]

Temple Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations — now the Union for Reform Judaism — in 1909.[2] A few years later it merged with Shaaray Beracha, a congregation of Alsatian Jews.[2] The congregation moved to a new building at 210 West 91st Street in 1920, designed by William Tachau and dedicated in 1922.[2] In 1921 it elected its first woman trustee, and in 1924 officially changed its name from Temple Israel of Harlem to Temple Israel of the City of New York.[2] The 1960 American Synagogue Directory lists the congregation at 210 West 91st Street under Rabbi Dr. William F. Rosenblum.[9]

William F. Rosenblum was appointed rabbi in 1930.[2] The congregation continued its activities during the Great Depression, providing relief to those affected by the crisis, and during World War II it focused on supporting the nation as educated and informed Jewish Americans.[2] Temple Israel's own history says Rosenblum initially opposed advocacy for a Jewish state because he believed Jewish faith transcended national divisions, but later supported the Jewish homeland in the postwar period.[2]

In 1927, the congregation was described as "the second largest reform congregation in New York City."[3] Rabbi Abraham L. Feinberg served at Temple Israel during this period before resigning from the rabbinate on February 28, 1930; his resignation was publicized in newspapers around the world and precipitated a nationwide debate.[3] In his resignation sermon, Feinberg said the role had become "more a promoter and social director of a complex organization than a pastor of human souls."[3]

The congregation's trustees decided to move from the Upper West Side to the Upper East Side, and construction began in 1964 on a new synagogue at 112 East 75th Street.[2] Designed by Peter Claman of Schuman & Lichtenstein, the Brutalist building was completed in 1967, and the congregation identifies that address — 112 East 75th Street, New York, New York 10021 — as its present home.[2] The 1963 American Synagogue Directory listed the congregation at 12 East 86th Street, indicating that it had left the Upper West Side before the new building was ready.[10]

Martin Zion was chosen as Rosenblum's successor in 1963.[2] The congregation's account recalls its engagement during the 1960s and 1970s with the cause of Soviet Jewry, support for Israel during the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, and efforts to rescue Ethiopian Jews, alongside involvement in the Civil Rights movement and debate over the Vietnam War.[2] Zion's leadership is also credited with making the congregation welcoming to people in interfaith marriages and to Jews described as marginal or alienated.[2]

Judith Lewis became Temple Israel's fourth rabbi in 1991, having previously served six years as its Director of Education.[11][2] A 2011 Congressional Record tribute states that she served as Senior Rabbi for 14 years before becoming rabbi of Riverdale Temple in the summer of 2006.[11] The congregation's history credits her with responding to congregants' needs and introducing the modern egalitarian concept of female clergy, placing her tenure amid broader debates over American Jewish identity, assimilation, and secularization.[2]

David J. Gelfand became the fifth rabbi in 2006.[2] Under his leadership, the congregation placed renewed emphasis on spirituality, Torah, lifelong learning, cultural programming, inclusion, social justice, and tikkun olam.[2] Early in his tenure, 350 families participated in writing a new Torah scroll.[2] Gelfand led more than 1,000 people on trips to Israel and organized Jewish heritage trips to Eastern Europe, Cuba, Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.[12] He served as Senior Rabbi until June 30, 2026, and is now Rabbi Emeritus.[12][4]

Following a search process that began in June 2025, the congregation ratified Rabbi Matt Reimer's appointment as its sixth rabbi at a special meeting on February 24, 2026; he assumed the role on July 1, 2026.[4] The search committee received 25 applications, conducted 12 first-round interviews, six second-round interviews, and five third-round interviews, and invited three candidates for in-person visits. In all, it reported conducting 23 Zoom interviews and calling more than a dozen references.[4]

Cantor Irena Altshul has served on Temple Israel's clergy team since her cantorial investiture in 2003.[13] Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she spent her formative years in Israel before coming to New York as a graduate student.[13] Keeping the congregation educated and engaged with Israel has been described as a longtime priority for both Rabbi Gelfand and Cantor Altshul.[14]

Following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the congregation held almost daily learning sessions, discussions with Israeli clergy, workshops on combating antisemitism, and opportunities to join citywide protests and vigils.[14] The clergy turned to partners and experts including David Harris and IsraAID in the weeks that followed.[14] Altshul said Jewish education required clergy, educators, and parents to model engagement with Israel and Jewish communal life, concluding, "it's not enough just to be Jewish, we need to 'Live Jewish.'"[14]

An April 2024 Hebrew Union College listing identified Temple Israel as a participant in the NYC Shabbat Collective alongside several other New York congregations and the college, organizing a Friday-night service and gathering for people in their 20s and 30s.[15] A 2008 census of Jewish supplementary schools listed Temple Israel's religious school as a Reform institution at 112 East 75th Street.[16] Temple Israel also appears in the ADL's September 2026 active-synagogue list and its Kulanu network of synagogues acting against antisemitism.[17][18]

A National Library of Israel catalog record attributes a 1955 recording in the series Three Hundred Years of Jewish Music in America to Temple Israel of the City of New York, the Temple Israel Choir, Cantor David Benedict, organist and music director Isadore Freed, and rabbi-narrator Judah Cahn.[19] The same record gives the performance location as "Temple Israel Lawrence New York," leaving the relationship between the cataloged venue and the named congregation unclear.[19]

The catalog lists repertoire ranging from the liturgical "Hashkivenu" and "By the rivers of Babylon" to the dramatic "Rabbi Akiba" and a closing hymn titled "All the world," with works by composers including Leonard Bernstein, Ernst Bloch, David Diamond, and Abraham W. Binder.[19] It classifies the recording as synagogue music and liberal/Reform congregational music, sung in Hebrew and English.[19]

The congregation's current home at 112 East 75th Street is recognized by Temple Israel as a contributing building in the Upper East Side Historic District and as an important example of Brutalist architecture.[20] A synagogue-architecture publication includes an interior image captioned as showing the ark and a plan labeled "Temple Israel, New York City." The captions do not provide a date or address, so they should not be assumed to depict the congregation's current building.[21]

Rising maintenance and operating costs, evolving congregational needs, and the goal of creating a healthier and more comfortable environment prompted a comprehensive renovation.[20] Plans included a flexible and modernized sanctuary, chapel expansion, courtyard enclosure, improved security, updated mechanical systems, lighting and elevators, and replacement windows.[22][20] The total project cost was listed at $39.7 million; at the time the capital-campaign brochure was published, 112 members and friends had contributed more than $28 million.[22] The work was divided into three phases: renovation of the Main Sanctuary, chapel, and courtyard; enhancements to floors four, five, and six, including the Early Childhood Learning Center and Lifelong Learning Department; and updates to the ballroom level.[22]

For Rosh Hashanah 5785 in autumn 2024, the congregation announced that the holiday would mark its first full year of worship and programming in the renovated Main Sanctuary.[23] A dedication of the renovated space was scheduled for October 3, 2024, with two Rosh Hashanah morning services planned so the full community could participate.[23]

Temple Israel Cemetery was founded by the congregation's first generation in 1896.[5] Located at 388 Saw Mill River Road in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, the property encompasses approximately 16 acres.[5] JewishGen's burial registry records 3,131 burials and 3,120 photographs associated with the Temple Israel section there.[24]

The cemetery's Board of Trustees maintains exclusive responsibility for the grounds and policies.[5] The facility includes family plots, walking paths, a chapel for memorial services, mausoleum crypts, lawn-plan areas, cremation-urn niches, and traditional family plots.[5] The congregation states that synagogue membership is not required to purchase a plot, but that only Jewish burials are permitted.[5]