TEMPLE ISRAEL
THE FIRST 85 YEARS
1878-1963
INCLUDING THE TENURE OF
MY FATHER, RABBI ALBERT MINDA
“Views from the Pews”
Remarks, Roland Minda / August 1, 2014
A
s my title indicates, this is an anecdotal and historical
review of some Temple highlights, from our 1878
beginning and through the years of my father’s rabbinical
tenure, 1922-1963, a total of 85 years. So why am I suddenly
springing my ruminations on you? Why not last year or
why not next year? Here is my candid reply. I have been
hanging around Temple Israel since 1930, starting with
my kindergarten class. Fortunately I am in good health;
nonetheless at 89, I am getting a tad long in the tooth.
So I finally decided that this year would be timely.
Hopefully this will bring you some further awareness
of how we got to be where we are today.
This house became the site
of today’s Temple. Originally
Temple Israel was called
Shaarai Tov – meaning Gates
of Goodness – and remained
so until the name change in
1921 to our current name,
Temple Israel. Our tale begins
when the early Minneapolis
Smith House
Jewish settlers came here in
the post-Civil War 1860’s and 70’s, being primarily of German
Hungarian and Bohemian origin. They came mainly from Midwest
communities such as Cincinnati and Chicago, and from the south,
communities such as Charleston.
Their first important community concern was for Jewish burial.
In those years, Temple had to drive a horse and buggy to Mt. Zion
cemetery in St. Paul. One wintry night, the horse and buggy got stuck
in a blinding snowstorm and all parties, including the deceased, had
to stay overnight along the way. So, in 1876 a burial association was
formed, land was acquired at 42 Street and Third Avenue South,
and a few years later the chapel was built.
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Shaarai Tov was incorporated in 1878 with 22 charter members.
Initially, services were held in a three story downtown hall, then the
city’s tallest building, located at Nicollet and Washington Avenues.
In 1880 a small, wooden, Moorish-style structure was built on Fifth
Street between First and Second Avenue South. Later, in 1888 it was
moved to the corner of Tenth Street and Fifth Avenue South.
In 1901 with the occupancy of the pulpit by Rabbi Samuel Deinard,
a new era began. The Temple not only saw membership grow, but
also achieved status and influence in the life of the Jewish and general
community. Rabbi Deinard was a man of excellent scholarship ability.
A warm, genial personality, he was very popular in congregational
and social life
The following year, 1902,
Shaarai Tov was destroyed by
fire and a new brick structure
was built, again at the same site,
10th street and 5th Avenue.
Soon Temple needed more space
to accommodate Sunday school
and Sisterhood functions.
Shaarai Tov
In 1914 a large 1890’s house, the
Smith house, was purchased on the corner of 24th & Emerson Avenue
South, the same site where we are worshiping tonight. In 1921 the
name Shaarai Tov was changed to Temple Israel. The same year Rabbi
Deinard unexpectedly died of a heart attack on Yom Kippur eve.
The following year, 1922, my
parents came to Minneapolis
as newlyweds. Rabbi Minda’s
first pulpit had been in South
Bend, Indiana, for three years,
and there he met my mother
Frances, a South Bend native.
Temple Israel Cemetery Chapel
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At the time of their Minneapolis arrival, the membership had grown
to 275 families and the synagogue had become inadequate for the
congregation’s diverse needs. As a result, in the mid-1920’s, the
congregation ran a successful fund raising drive and a young and
very able architect, Jack Liebenberg, was hired. The Smith house,
the name of the former owner, was torn down in 1927 and in
1928 Temple Israel had a dedication ceremony. Jack and my father
remained life-long friends after working together to build our
Temple.
Here I am quoting from “The Story of Temple Israel”, published by
my father in 1971.
“Progress went well so that we were able to set a date for the
dedication weekend, Sept 7th thru 9, 1928. On Thursday night before
the Friday of the dedication day, as I stepped into the Temple, what
I saw made me fear that we could never be ready on time. Carpenters
were still setting up the pews. Even more important, the tablets of the
10 commandments were not yet in place in the space above the ark,
but instead were suspended by a cable attached to a derrick. Jack
Liebenberg was standing on a ladder, helping maneuver them into
their proper place. The 10 Commandments, made of Kasota stone
and weighing a thousand pounds, were to be placed in a slanting
position. I stood watching the entire scene as long as I could stand
it and finally left, praying that God would perform a miracle.
Lo and behold, Friday night all was ready, and thanks to Jack
Liebenberg, the Sabbath eve dedication service took place as planned.
It was an awe-inspiring evening filled with light and sanctity.”
Over the years we have benefited from two very important auxiliary
organizations: Sisterhood, and the Men’s club.
The scope of Sisterhood functions throughout Temple history is
remarkable. Again reading from my father’s Story of Temple Israel:
“I quickly came to regard Sisterhood as my right hand – in the days
when money was scarce and caterers could not be had, it was the
women of Sisterhood that volunteered to create lunches and dinners –
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Sisterhood women in costume, 1952
Boy Scout Troop, 1931
along with classes in Jewish education. Interfaith activities, volunteer
choir, plus fund-raising, sorely needed during the depression years.”
Another major Sisterhood function initiated in the 1940’s – the
Braille project which Sisterhood started and many other churches
followed. The Red Cross had asked for a voluntary Braille group
to be sponsored by a church group. It would be open to any
group who wished to learn Braille and transcribe for blind people.
It became a remarkably successful program with in-depth Sisterhood
participation for many years. Sisterhood fund-raising continues
yearly with its glorious fund raising summer garage sale.
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Within a year of my father’s arrival in 1922, the Men’s club was
organized. The first major program established Boy Scout Troop 10.
In 1965 The Men’s Club bought the Boy Scout camp at Lake
Minnetonka and turned it into Camp Teko, a historic achievement.
In the current Hakol, Rabbi Gertman says in part “When we send
our children to Jewish summer camp we send them into a world
where they can live and breathe Jewish tradition and values with
every step they take. I believe this is why Jewish summer camp
is such a powerful tool in keeping students connected to Judaism.”
The positive spirit of Temple members when the new Temple was
completed in 1928 was in decided contrast to the congregation’s
financial concerns in 1932. Here was what my father wrote:
“Minnesota did not feel the depression as severely as other parts
of the country did until 1932. It was then that the Temple board of
directors meetings became nightmares. Resignations of members,
cancellation of pledges were the order of the day. In the meantime
obligations to the banks had to be met. The thought of going
through bankruptcy was intolerable to the leadership. But what
could be done?”
A committee was formed
to seek answers – and one
answer came in the form
of the Rigadoo, a massive
and successful fund raiser
which literally kept Temple
from bankruptcy. In the
dictionary, the word
rigadoon is found as the
name of an old English
Rigadoo volunteers, 1933
dance. So the name Rigadoo
was coined to become the title of a highly successful fund raising
bazaar. Over the Rigadoo’s five years, 1933-1937, Temple was able
to raise the net sum of $25,000, sufficient to pay the interest on
our mortgage. This amount may not seem much now, but it meant
everything during the days of the depression.
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Throughout his career my father achieved a collegial relationship with
the rabbis on the North Side and also made friends with North Side
congregants. It was to be expected that there were exceptions, those
who could not comprehend Reform practices. During his early years,
he recalled receiving a call from a Northside Jewish lady. She told him
that she had asked a couple of North Side rabbis about a ritual matter
but she did not like their answers. Therefore she had decided to call
the “goyisha” rabbi.
Another topic of great concern during that period was the level of
anti-Semitism in Minneapolis. Many of you remember this period.
In 1945 a prominent journalist, Cary McWilliams, wrote an article in
the national publication, Nation, and called Minneapolis the capital
of anti-Semitism. The article had justification: No major industries
or businesses would hire Jewish men. Most Minneapolis hospitals
would not allow Jewish doctors to admit their patients; they had to
make arrangements for non-Jewish doctors to admit their patients;
virtually no civic or service clubs would admit Jewish members. This
even included the Minneapolis Triple AAA auto club because of their
country club. There were also housing restrictions in many suburbs.
One major measure to counter this prejudice was to establish a local
chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. At that
time one of the projects was for a rabbi, a priest, and a minister to
speak, expressing the idea that their common ties of fellowship and
brotherhood. As a founder, my father spoke often before civic groups,
service clubs, women’s organizations, labor groups, any organization
that would be concerned with human fellowship. My father even
demonstrated against the showing of the racist film “Birth of a Nation.”
What was it like growing up the son of a Reform rabbi, during the
classic Reform period? My first and most dramatic response is that
my contemporaries and I were Hebrew-challenged; there were no
Bar Mitzvahs and there was little Hebrew. Some of us, out of pure
self-defense, later picked up the basic prayers. Much more ritual
also disappeared during this early classic Reform time frame, but the
no Bar Mitzvah rationale was that we were too young to handle it.
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By confirmation time we
would be sufficiently mature.
Evidently we were perceived
as being unequal to the
Biblical 13 year-old adult
sheepherder in the hills.
As for my status of being a
person of unique status, this
issue didn’t exist. I was in
First Consecration Class, 1930 (Roland in front row,
school from 1930 to 1942.
holding hands with best friend Bobby Rees)
For most of that time, this
was prime depression, and almost all family financial concerns
eclipsed any interest in viewing how readily I shaped up.
While I was growing up, my parents’ circumstances were far different
than today. Temple staff totaled 3: the Rabbi, the secretary and the
maintenance man. Here is what depression meant. In 1932 Rabbi
Minda led the fundraising for the first Minneapolis Federation drive,
and the total came to $30,000. My parents were rarely home evenings.
First he had to deal with Jewish concerns. Since he had the ability to
relate well with non-Jewish leaders, he could speak to a broad range
of audiences. My father became the unofficial point man representing
the broader Jewish community.
Then came World War II. I well remember the morning of Dec. 8, 1941.
My father answered the phone. He started to cry almost immediately
because he had learned that Ira Weil Jeffrey, the son of one of our
members, had been killed at Pearl Harbor while on duty on the
battleship U.S.S. California. Ira Jeffrey was the first Minneapolis man
to die at Pearl Harbor. Altogether, 180 Temple members or their
children went into World War II service, including myself, and 9 died
in that conflict. You can see the memorial to Ira and several others in
the main floor hallway outside the Sanctuary.
For the post war I can quickly mention positive events. Since WWII
our congregation has had remarkable growth. In 1945 we had 406
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families and in 1958, we reached 1,000 families. In 1963, the year
my father became emeritus, we had 1,250 families. And currently
we are over 2,100 families.
As for the significantly reduced post-war levels of anti-Semitism,
those of us who lived thru that hostile environment still continue to
express great satisfaction at the remarkable Minneapolis turnaround.
We are mainstream and a major player in the Minneapolis community.
Now for a lighter side of the Minda family: In 1958 the congregants
put on their first “Big Show.” My parents participated in period
costume. This was the year there was a popular Hollywood movie
called “Around the World in 80 Days.” The movie also had a very
popular song which many of you may recall.
Here is what you do. You hire a professional theatre company. They
provide a director, furnish props and the director explains to at least
100 interested congregants how to put on a show. 1958 was also the
80th Anniversary for Temple Israel – 1878 thru 1958. For the show,
I wrote some original lyrics for the song, my parents did the singing
in full period costume. Here is the first verse.
TEMPLE’S 80 YEARS
(to the tune of Around the World in 80 Days)
Lyrics by Roland Minda
“Our pioneers went round the globe
And started biz, for Temple Iz
But called it Shaarai Tov;
The time was back some eighty years
We raised the dues; to build the pews
To tell of Israel’s seers
To Darwin’s threat, they went tish-tosh
They were 4-square, for steady prayer
All else was ‘mishe-gos’
For eighty years, it’s all around the town
That Temple is, our world at home!”
Rabbi & Frances Minda
in the “Big Show” 1958
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There has been a long tradition among most American Jewish
congregations, be they Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, that for
the most part has disappeared. I refer to the rabbi’s co-worker, the
wife, called colloquially the Rebbitzen. She worked unpaid alongside
the rabbi, taking on a number of congregation activities. She began
to disappear after World War Two, and by now the Rebbitzen is
almost extinct. Initially, when women were moving into the
workplace, the Rebbitzens joined the movement. Next, at least in
the Reform movement, Jewish women began to study to become
rabbis. Today at Hebrew Union College they actually are a majority
of the graduates.
My mother was a traditional
Rebbitzen (although she never
appreciated nor used the title).
As I mentioned, she grew up in
South Bend, meeting my father
there. Mother had no idea how
to be a Rebbitzen, so she had
to train quickly to get the knack
of it. She did so quite admirably,
her favorite niche becoming
Sisterhood. She also doubled in
community functions, early on
becoming involved in major
non-Jewish city and state causes,
including the first Governor’s
Rabbi Albert & Frances Minda, 1941
Council on the status of
Women. FYI the Frances Minda Memorial Gallery is downstairs,
in the hallway outside Minda Hall. It is a cornucopia of Temple
Israel photo history.
I have previously mentioned my father’s book, “The Story of Temple
Israel.” There are copies of the book to borrow; just request a copy
from our librarian Georgia Kalman.
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Father became rabbi emeritus
in 1963. Briefly, how is Temple
Israel faring today? I heard
our president Alan Silver speak
at our spring annual meeting
about the state of Temple Israel.
It was most reassuring.
Today, our membership is at
an all-time high, and we are in
the black. Our membership is
Laying Cornerstone,
getting younger, which is not
Religious School addition, 1955
the case in many large size urban
congregations. An independent survey company, which covered
the Temple’s psychic health, found that a huge majority of the
congregation responded to the survey and felt positive about
Temple; the survey strongly indicated that congregants felt a strong
sense of community, of belonging, and a willingness to participate
in programs such as our innovative lifelong learning program.
I want to conclude with what my father predicted, in part, in 1971
for the Temple. What he said then is particularly relevant for the
times facing Jews and Israel today.
“The problems facing America and American Jews today
are many and at times provoke a sense of pessimism
and frustration. The Jew of history, however, has been
the eternal optimist who has always believed in a divine
plan. No matter how dark and threatening the horizons,
Jews hold the conviction with firmness of faith that the
dawn of a better day will break through the darkness.”
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Roland and Merle Minda, married in 1977
Front and back cover photo: Temple Israel Sanctuary, built in 1928