Synagogues / Temple Beth Israel
Overview
Temple Beth Israel origins lie in the East Side and the incorporation of two separate synagogues in the early 1920s. A small group of Orthodox Jews led by Joseph Rosenblatt, an East Side baker by trade, wanted an orthodox congregation in the vicinity of Elmwood Avenue, near where they lived. The nearest synagogue on the West Side, Temple Beth El, that had moved to Conservative Judaism was increasing too modern in custom, and more traditional minded Jews in the Elwood area founded Temple Beth Israel in 1919, meeting near Ashburn and later at Saint Andrews Scottish club at 509 Lafayette Ave. This group splintered in 1921 part of the group retained the name of Temple Beth Israel with them, and the other grouping became Congregation Beth Abraham.
Both congregations were heavily impacted first by the Great Depression and by the movement to North Buffalo and the suburbs. In the 1950s, Temple Beth Israel merged with Congregation Beth Abraham and made their joint congregational home at 1073 Elmwood Ave. Both 1045 Elmwood Avenue and 1073 Elmwood Ave were built in the 1910s as Colonial Revival frame buildings with mainly double hung wood windows. 1073 Elmwood Avenue had formerly been the home of Elmwood Chapel of the United Brethren in Christ. A section at the back of the main sanctuary was allocated as the women’s section, rather than a separate Ladies Gallery that distinguished the 1045 Elmwood Avenue site. In 1957, the consolidation of the two congregations was formalized with Oscar Smuckler as counsel for Beth Israel and Maurice Yellen for Beth Abraham.
Locations
Newspaper Clippings
- “Court Approves Synagogue Merger,” Buffalo Courier Express, September 26, 1957. [Beth Israel at 1073 Elmwood and Congregation Beth Abraham, 1045 Elmwood. Will use 1073 as new merged congregation site].
- “Court Approves Synagogue Merger,” Buffalo Evening News, September 26, 1957. [Beth Israel founded 1924, Congregation Beth Abraham, founded 1910, new merged congregation will have 200 members].
For assistance with access to these articles, please contact the Buffalo State College Archives.
Associated Families
Member names of Congregation Beth Abraham and Temple Beth Israel were intertwined for much of their respective histories and include the names of:
- Siegel
- Leff
- Cornblum
- Steinhardt
- Levy
- Cecil Raych
- Gordon
- Appert
- Isenberg
- Axelrod
- Rosalie Faber
- Goldstein
- Goldberg
- Lerner
Families listed from the memorial boards:
- Aber
- Alt
- Baer
- Banditson
- Barden
- Becker
- Bleichfeld
- Bloch
- Bloom
- Brevis
- Brezen
- Brock
- Brodsky
- Bronstein
- Brown
- Brownrout
- Cantor
- Celniker
- Cheplove
- Cheplowitch
- Cheplowitz
- Churulnick
- Cohen
- Cornblum
- Darlich
- Dosorets
- Dozoretz
- Dubbs
- Dubs
- Felder
- Flanel
- Fogel
- Fox
- Friedland
- Friedman
- Futernick
- Gellman
- Gelman
- Gilden
- Giller
- Goldman
- Goldstein
- Goodman
- Greenberg
- Grosse
- Gutman
- Haber
- Hartzberg
- Hoffman
- Hyman
- Kaprove Rabbi Gedaliah
- Karch
- Karovetz
- Katz
- Kaufman
- Kemp
- Kimmel
- Kramer
- Krieger
- Kuflick
- Kulowski
- Lansky
- Laufere
- Laufer-Simon
- Lazar
- Leff
- Lenzner
- Lerner
- Levine
- Liberman
- Macoff
- Maisel
- Markovitz
- Milch
- Neifach
- Ochberg
- Old
- Penn
- Pomerantz
- Posner
- Pugach
- Rabin
- Ravitzky
- Ravnitsky
- Resnikoff
- Rinchun
- Rodney
- Rose
- Rosenberg
- Rosenblatt
- Rozansky
- Rubensateun
- Rubenstein
- Russack
- Sanin
- Sapowitch
- Schapiro
- Schechter
- Schecter
- Schiff
- Schprince
- Schrutt
- Schultz
- Sekorova
- Seligman
- Siegel
- Siemans
- Simon
- Singer
- Slick
- Smuckler
- Snitzer
- Sonnabend
- Spitalny
- Swimon
- Teplitsky
- Unher
- Urkofsky
- Wallens
- Warshafsky
- Weil
- Weinrib
- Weinstein
- Werblow
- Wienstein
- Woodman
- Wormser
- Yellen
- Zell
- Zubin
Gallery
Temple Beth Israel signage, Hebrew trans: Temple Beit Israel Picnic, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel Signage, Hebrew Trans
Temple Beth Israel, Hear of Israel Ten Commandments Board, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Hear of Israel Ten Commandments Board
Temple Beth Israel signage, Hebrew trans: Temple Beit Israel Ladies Auxiliary, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel Signage
Star of David window pattern detail, at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Star of David
Remaining features of the former Ladies Section Balcony 3 at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Former Ladies Section Balcony 3
Remaining features of the former Ladies Section Balcony 2 at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Former Ladies Section Balcony 2
Remaining features of the former Ladies Section Balcony at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Former Ladies Section Balcony 1
Original sanctuary doors, at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Original Sanctuary Doors
Sanctuary area, at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Sanctuary Area
Original candelabra and Star of David window, at former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, Original Candelabra and Star of David Window
External of 1045, side view, former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, External of 1045, Side View
External of 1045 Art Gallery, former home of Temple Beth Israel, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.
Temple Beth Israel, External of 1045 Art Gallery
Clipping, Louis Silverstein, “Buffalo’s Last Shochet,” Buffalo Jewish Review, July 9, 1976, p.2-3.
The Last Shochet
Discover More
- Certificate of Incorporation, (signed Joseph Freedman, Joseph Rosenblatt and Max Cornblum) January 23, 1922. For assistance with access to this document, please contact Buffalo City Hall.
- Order of Consolidation, Beth Israel and Congregation Beth Abraham, September 24, 1957. For assistance with access to this document, please contact Buffalo City Hall.