A pioneer Los Angeles synagogue which was started as an Orthodox congregation in 1854 and grew to become one of the largest Reform congregations in the world, marked its 106th birthday here last Friday. Dr. Edgar F. Mangin, senior rabbi of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, celebrated the occasion at special services. Rabbi Mangain has been with the congregation for 54 years. He is assisted by Dr. Alfred Wolf, Dr. Maxwell H. Dubin and Dr. Henri E. Front who took his post recently. The congregation was established as B’nai B’rith Congregation by a handful of Jews when Los Angeles was a small village and California was recovering from the “gold rush” fever. Its first rabbi was Joseph Newmark who volunteered his services. Dr. Georg Piness, president of the Temple, presided at the anniversary celebrations.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
