Is a self-sustaining Reform Temple possible in the very heart of the Jewish immigrant section of the city? Leaders of Reform Judaism in Philadelphia are of the opinion that it is. So certain are they of the outcome that they are ready to experiment. A charter for a Reformed Temple to be called Sinai, has been obtained form the Commonwealth; a dinner was given to several hundred young people, and a request was made to the Directors of the Federation of Jewish Charities to allow these young people the use of one of the Community Center Buildings in the extreme southern section of the city, as a permanent Temple for services.
Under the general guidance of Dr. William Fineshriber, of Reform Congregation Kenesseth Israel, and Rabbi Louis Wolsey of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, these young people are being given every encouragement in the hope that something may come of these efforts.
To appreciate the significance of this incident, it should be explained that the Jewish Community of Philadelphia is one of the strongest fortresses of Conservative and traditional Judaism in this country. It was here that the Jewish Theological Seminary of America had its first founders. Here Dr. Cyrus Adler, president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and one of the pillars of traditional Judaism, resides. The United Synagogue of America not only numbers some of its founders among the leaders of this community, but also has in this city, one of its strongest, if not the strongest—branch. It is therefore not surprising that of the fourteen or fifteen congregations with English speaking rabbis, only two are of the Reform wing in American Israel. In the course of the past ten years, seven or eight new congregations were organized and are functioning. These all belong to the Conservative group.
Religiously considered this naturally places the Reform element in the position of a minority group. Though the matter was never made a subject of public discussion it is known to have caused considerable concern to some of the spokesmen of the Reform wing. This concern is not altogether new. More than a quarter of a century ago—in the days of Rabbi J. Leonard Levy and Dr. Joseph Krauskopf—the leaders of Reform in this city, were similarly concerned and made similar efforts to invade the so-called “downtown” section of the city. Other attempts were made in more recent years, but all without success.
Little attention would have been paid to the present attempt if the Federation of Jewish Charities were not dragged into it. The Federation has two Community Centers in the southern section of the city. These Centers
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.
