Temple Beth Sholom (Miami Beach, Florida)

Temple Beth Sholom (a transliteration of the Hebrew words for "House of Peace") is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 4144 Chase Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida, United States.^[1]

The congregation was established in 1942 and has ca 1200 member households.^[2][3][4]Temple Beth Sholom is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism.^[3] Rabbi Leon Kronish (1917–1996) served as spiritual leader from 1944 to 1985, elevating Temple Beth Sholom into a prominent hub for Reform Judaism and cultural activities across the American South.^[5]

Temple Beth Sholom is listed among Jewish landmarks in Miami Beach, referred to as "Shtetl by the Sea" following the repeal of 1949 state laws restricting Jewish property ownership.^[6]

Abraham Zinnamon and Benjamin Appel arranged the first founders' meeting of Beth Sholom Center that took place on April 6, 1942.^[7] Later on June 3, 1942, they leased a building at 761 41st Street to congregate.^[8] It was Miami Beach's first Reform synagogue, serving Jewish military personnel stationed there during World War II alongside civilians.^[9] Through the late 1940s, it grew rapidly off 41st Street amid Miami Beach's post-WWII Jewish influx.^[10]

A charter of the State of Florida was granted shortly thereafter. Rabbi Samuel Machtai, the "Radio Rabbi," conducted the first High Holy Days Services in 1942. The service was held in a storefront, where 20 Miami Beach Jewish families gathered to provide a house of worship for themselves and for the Jewish servicemen that had served during WWII.^[11] Rabbi Leon Kronish was hired by Beth Sholom Jewish Center as its full-time rabbi in 1944.^[12]

The Temple Beth Sholom congregation moved in 1953 to a two-story house, the Chase Avenue Hotel, at 4141 Chase Avenue. It was re-modeled into a place of worship, with a capacity of 700.^[7] The membership grew from 40 households to more than 750 by 1955. By the late 1960s, the membership included more than 1200 families.^[13]

In 1956, the temple sanctuary and banquet hall were designed in the Modernist style by Jewish American architect Percival Goodma, modelled on the work of Erich Mendelsohn. In 1961, architects added the religious school and auditorium.^[7] The original lighting, designed by Goodman, evoked "the stars above Abraham’s tent" through a cloud of pale blue pendant fixtures.^[14] Parabolic arches pierce the dome, with some featuring screens of interlocked Stars of David. Multicolor glass fills triangular and hexagonal panes, creating interior light effects.^[15]

In 1967, Temple Beth Sholom developed into a cultural center for the Greater Miami Area, keeping with Kronish's vision of the Temple as a place for community as well as worship.^[16] Kronish was active in Jewish organizational life, including involvement with the Jewish Federation, Histadrut, American Jewish Congress, and the Israel Bonds National Leadership. A first-generation American Jew whose family emigrated from Poland, he initiated a bar mitzva school-trip to Israel that became a recurring program at the congregation.^[17]

Rabbi Gary A. Glickstein was Temple Beth Sholom's senior rabbi from 1985 to 2018. Ordained by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in 1974 (B.A., UCLA, 1971), he led Temple Sinai in Worcester, MA (1977–1985) and assisted at Congregation Bene Israel in Cincinnati (1974–1977)^[18][19] In Miami, he established the Woldenberg Center for Jewish Life, chaired the Greater Miami Jewish Federation's finance committee, and led the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami plus the American Friends of Hebrew University (Miami).^[20][21][19] Nationally, he headed the UJA Rabbinic Cabinet executive, Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet, and served as treasurer of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.^[19] In June 2018, Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz succeeded Glickstein as Senior Rabbi, becoming the first woman to lead the congregation.^[22]

• History of the Jews in South Florida
• List of the oldest synagogues in the United States

• Official website
• "The Innovative School of Temple Beth Sholom". Official website.
• "Leon Kronish Papers (P-990)". American Jewish Historical Society archives. New York, New York: Center for Jewish History.