Tree-of-Life-Synagoge

Vorlage:Infobox religious building Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation (Vorlage:Lang-he-n) is a Conservative Jewish synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as an Orthodox Jewish congregation in 1864, it gradually moved closer to Conservativism, becoming affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary Association in 1886 and with the United Synagogue of America some 30 years later. The congregation moved into its present synagogue building in 1953. It merged with Congregation Or L'Simcha in 2010, bringing its membership to 530 families.

History

Tree of Life Congregation was formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1864 as a breakaway group from Rodef Shalom, an Orthodox synagogue founded in 1854 which began adopting Reform practices following the visit of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise to the city.Vorlage:SfnVorlage:Sfn The initial group of 16 members met in the home of Gustavus Grafner.Vorlage:Sfn Then called by its Hebrew name, Etz Chayyim (Vorlage:Lang-he-n), the congregation was chartered in 1865 and acquired land in Sharpsburg for use as a cemetery. The congregation met in temporary locations in the downtown area over the coming years,Vorlage:Sfn until in 1883 it bought a former Lutheran church property downtown.Vorlage:Sfn At that point, it became known by its English name, Tree of Life.

In its early years, Tree of Life was the city's center for Orthodox Judaism, and attracted Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.Vorlage:Sfn In 1883, however, it shortened the traditional Orthodox prayer service,Vorlage:Sfn and in 1886 became affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary Association, a Conservative rabbinical training group.Vorlage:Sfn Around 30 years later, the congregation joined the national Conservative network, the United Synagogue of America.Vorlage:Sfn

In 1906, the congregation began constructing a permanent home on Craft Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.Vorlage:Sfn The synagogue opened in 1907 with sanctuary seating for 750.Vorlage:Efn English-language prayers were introduced the same year.Vorlage:Sfn

Beginning in the 1920s, Tree of Life shifted further toward left-wing Conservatism under the direction of Rabbi Herman Hailperin, who led the congregation for 45 years.Vorlage:Sfn Among the practices Hailperin instituted were organ music during the prayer services, the elimination of the rabbinically-mandated second day of festival observance, the election of women to the temple's board of trustees, the calling of women to the Torah reading, and counting women as part of the minyan.Vorlage:SfnVorlage:Sfn

In 1953, Tree of Life moved into its present building in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.Vorlage:Sfn The land for the new structure was gifted by then-synagogue president Charles J. Rosenbloom. The synagogue symbolically showed its ties to Israel with a cornerstone hewn from limestone quarried in Jerusalem. The concrete facade features "rows of swirling, modernistic stained-glass windows illustrating the story of creation, the acceptance of God's law, the 'life cycle' and 'how human-beings should care for the earth and one another." The sanctuary has capacity seating for 1,250. In 1995, membership numbered 850 families.Vorlage:Sfn

In the 2000s, an aging membership and the migration of the Jewish community to suburban neighborhoods led to decreasing synagogue membership. Tree of Life began renting space in its building to other congregations. In 2008, Congregation Or L'Simcha (אור לשמחה "Light of Joy"), founded by Rabbi Chuck Diamond in 2005, began holding services in the Tree of Life building. In 2010, the two congregations voted to merge and became known as Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation. The merger added 120 congregants to Tree of Life's membership rolls, bringing the combined membership to 530 families.

In April 2010, the Dor Hadash Reconstructionist temple began renting space in the Tree of Life building. In 2017, the New Light Conservative congregation left its home of 60 years and carried its Torah scrolls in a procession to the Tree of Life building, where it began holding services in the basement.

Circumcision incident

In 2013, a lawsuit was filed against rabbi and mohel Mordecai Rosenberg after an infant's penis was accidentally severed during a bris ceremony at the synagogue. The baby was treated by emergency microsurgery at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in an eight-hour procedure, but the success of the operation was not assured. The mohel, certified by the American Board of Ritual Circumcision, was in compliance with relevant law and continued performing circumcisions at the site. The mohel defended his technique in a subsequent filing.

Mass shooting

A mass shooting occurred in the Tree of Life syangogue during Shabbat morning services on October 27, 2018. A gunman entered the building shouting anti-semitic statements and opened fire, killing 11 and injuring 6, including four police officers. The suspect, Robert Bowers, was apprehended.

Leadership

Following is the rabbinical leadership of the Tree of Life Congregation:Vorlage:Sfn

• Rabbi Michael Fried (1898–1906)
• Rabbi Rudolph Coffee (1906–1915)
• Rabbi Morris Mazure (1915–1922)
• Rabbi Emeritus Herman Hailperin (1922–1968)
• Rabbi Solomon Kaplan (1968–1982)
• Rabbi Emeritus Alvin K. Berkun (1983–2006)
• Rabbi Chuck Diamond (2010–2017)
• Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers (2017–present)

The synagogue's lay leadership established a tradition of volunteering and support for Jewish social service activities. Alexander Fink, the synagogue president from 1873 to 1892, was also a founder of the city's Hebrew Benevolent Society and later served as president of the United Hebrew Relief Association.

Sources

• Kenneth J. Heineman: Catholic New Deal: Religion and Reform in Depression Pittsburgh. Penn State Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-271-04345-6 (google.com). 
• Pamela S. Nadell, Marc Lee Raphael: Conservative Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook. ABC-CLIO, 1988, ISBN 978-0-313-24205-2 (google.com). 
• Kerry M. Olitzky, Marc Lee Raphael: The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, ISBN 978-0-313-28856-2 (google.com). 
• Squirrel Hill Historical Society: Squirrel Hill. Arcadia Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-0-7385-3717-7 (google.com). 

Further reading

• Commemorating Rabbi Herman Halperin's Tenth Anniversary at Tree of Life Congregation. Congregation Tree of Life, 1932 (google.com). 

External links

• Vorlage:Official