Temple Emanu-El

Temple Emanu-El is a Jewish congregation founded in 1882 in Birmingham. The current synagogue is located at 2100 Highland Avenue.

History

Temple Emanu-El was founded in 1882 by early Jewish settlers who came to the small town of Birmingham. By 1886, the Temple’s membership had grown to 86 families, and the congregation laid the cornerstone for the first synagogue to be built in Jefferson County.

This first house of worship, located on the southeast corner of 5th Avenue North and 17th Street, served the congregation for the next 24 years. These early settlers assumed leadership roles in all aspects of civic affairs — beginning a tradition of community involvement that continues among the Temple membership today.

In 1895, Rabbi Morris Newfield, a young Hungarian immigrant, was elected to lead the congregation — which he continued to do for over 45 years. Under his leadership, the congregation swelled to over 300 families and a “new” sanctuary was built in 1914 at 2100 Highland Avenue, which is still used today.

Arriving the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Rabbi Milton Grafman took the reins of Temple Emanu-El and led the congregation for the next 34 years — through World War II, the establishment of Israel, and the struggle for civil rights in Birmingham.

Temple Emanu-El Today

Today, the congregation is led by Rabbi Jonathan Miller, who joined Temple Emanu-El in 1991. Under his leadership, the congregation continues to grow and flourish in both numbers and activity. He embraces the congregation's philosophy of community and is innovative in his programming.

Rabbi Miller is joined on the pulpit and in pastoral functions by Cantor Jessica Roskin and Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss, Director of Adult Jewish Educational Outreach.

In 2002, with leadership and participation from both the congregation and the clergy, Temple Emanu-El completed a $17 million campaign for renovation of its spiritual home on Highland Avenue and to further build its endowment.