Emanuel Congregation, Modern Jewish Orthodox synagogue, is founded in Seattle on March 9, 1968.

  • By Lee Micklin
  • Posted 1/15/1999
  • HistoryLink.org Essay 705
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On March 9, 1968, Emmanuel Congregation, Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue, is founded. Emmanuel means "God is with us" in Hebrew. Emmanuel is founded by three men whose religious roots had been at Bikur Cholim: Irwin P. Lawson, Leon Schlossberg, and Jack Steinberg.

The first organizational meeting for Emanuel was held at Hillel, a B'nai B'rith student organization located near the University of Washington campus. The first service was held a month later, also at Hillel. Thirteen families attended. In 1970, the Congregation moved to its present location at 3412 NE 65th Street. Currently (1999) the Congregation is made up of 145 families.

"Modern" Orthodox refers to the seating policy and the minimal use of English in the prayers. The congregation's seating policy offers a large section for mixed seating for men and women, as well as separate sections for men and women. The congregation operates a gift shop. At High Holiday services there is no charge for seating though often it is "standing room only."


Sources:

Rosalie Sidell Steinbrecher, "The History of Emmanuel Congregation" February 16, 1998, typescript, updated, in author's possession; Washington State Jewish Historical Society, The Jewish Experience in Washington State: A Chronology 1853-1995 (Seattle: Washington State Jewish Historical Society, 1998); "The Guide to Jewish Washington, 2005-2006)" supplement to The Jewish Transcript.
Note: This essay was expanded on March 18, 2006.


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