Jewish
Community

Congregation
Statistics

Rabbis

Jewish Community 

     The Duluth area Jewish community is a mix of families that have been here for five generations, persons who have come to work in the three universities or the medical services industry, and folks who followed other types of jobs or their hearts to this beautiful area. It is a diverse community. There is a strong contingent of 65-85 year olds and also a large group of families with young children. Our community also includes families across the state line in Superior, Wisconsin and other Jewish families within a hundred mile radius of Duluth in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin.

     The Jewish Community is comprised of two synagogues. Adas Israel Congregation is an Orthodox congregation with a membership of 75. Services are lay-led with daily minyans, Saturday morning and holiday services. Temple Israel is a Reform / Conservative congregation housed at 1602 E. 2nd Street. This building is the hub of the Jewish community, with religious, educational and cultural events taking place in the facility.

    The Temple Israel Religious School offers classes for two hours on Sunday mornings from September through May. Primary goals of the religious school include enhancing students’ positive feelings about being Jewish, familiarizing them with Jewish holidays, services and practices, and learning about Jewish history as well as staying abreast of current issues affecting Jews. The enrollment of the Religious School as been as large as 107 students, a figure which has grown in recent years.

     Temple Israel's Ida Cook Hebrew school provides four years of Hebrew education prior to Bar/Bat Mitzvah. An average of twenty five Hebrew School students attend afternoon classes twice a week on Monday and Wednesday. These classes help equip the youngsters for full participation in Jewish services, enabling them to read Hebrew and providing them with a basic Hebraic vocabulary.

     The community has an active havurah movement. There are currently six groups of 10-25 persons each that meet regularly. The first groups began 15 years ago to provide extended families for congregants who came from other areas. Now the havurot help meet the social and intellectual needs of a wide range of Jewish residents.

Duluth Community

Duluth is situated on the southwest tip of Lake Superior, the largest fresh-water lake in the world. The city now claims about 85,500 inhabitants and is surrounded by several small towns. The quality of life here is one of the highest in the United States.

This is a medical, retail, and educational hub for a wide geographical area. There are good public schools, several private schools, two public universities and one private college. Minnesota has long been an example of exemplary schools, good social services, and its citizens have been dubbed " Minnesota Nice." Crime is low and congestion almost non-existent.

Duluth’s setting is one of high hills overlooking sparkling water, lots of green pine trees and white birch. It is a bird watcher’s paradise and is the site of a high point where hawks traverse twice a year in their migrations.

Sailing, hiking on the new Superior Trail, kayaking, canoeing, camping, fishing or playing golf on any of the two public or two private golf courses are some of the summer, spring, or fall activities available. A new three-mile Lakewalk attracts walkers, joggers, roller bladers, bikers, picnickers, young and old. Winter brings skiers to a good hill, cross-country skiers to well-groomed trails, dog-sledders, snowmobilers, ice fishermen, and those who just like to cheer the athletes on.

Minnesota is one of the healthiest states with excellent access to good health care. All this and a cultural life that is ever-expanding. The oldest continuous community theater is housed in the Depot Complex, along with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Association, a ballet company and school, a museum, and art association. There are concerts, lectures, plays, or sports contests available almost every weekend, including a professional baseball team. The Convention Center hosts hockey, basketball and many other events. An Omnimax theater is a recent addition. The Public Library is excellent for a city of this size, and the University library is available to the community.

This is a city where one can find a truly positive way of life.

Congregational Statistics

There are 250 member units of which 161 are family units (with a total of 137 children) and 88 are individual members. Congregational membership has remained stable for the last 30 years.

Our Roots

Temple Israel roots go back to the late 1800’s. Jewish settlers arrived in the Duluth area as early as 1850. In 1885, the first Reform congregation was incorporated and by 1915 there was one Reform congregation, four Orthodox congregations, and the forerunner of what was to become the Conservative congregation. Religious education was a priority and there were Hebrew schools and Religious schools. In 1951, a Jewish Community Center was built to serve the social, cultural, and educational needs of the area.

At its peak the Jewish population of the area numbered 3,000-3,500 people. However, the population currently numbers about 800-900 people. With the decreases in population, the Reform and Conservative congregations merged in 1971 and created Temple Israel. In 1975, the Jewish Educational Center and Temple Israel merged physical resources. A sanctuary addition was constructed. The enhanced building housed Temple Israel and the Northland Jewish Fund until 2002 when NJF was disbanded. Temple Israel has expanded its activities to handle those needs formerly addressed by NJF as well as other needs that arise in the community.

The Jewish members of the Duluth community play an active and participatory role in the community at large and the rabbi serves as a link between the Jewish community and Duluth / Northeastern Minnesota.

Rabbis

Five rabbis have served Temple Israel in the last 28 years. They are:

Our Building

Temple Israel is a three-story building located on a corner site. The adjacent playground, basketball, and tennis courts are owned by the City of Duluth. Temple Israel has an agreement with the City which permits use of the space as a parking lot.  The Jewish Center building, built in 1950, and the synagogue addition, built in 1975, can be entered through the first or second (main) floor. The building is located in a pleasant residential area, overlooking Lake Superior, 5 1/2 blocks below.

The sanctuary is located on the main floor. Constructed in 1975, it was designed to provide a warm, intimate setting for study and worship. The sanctuary has 162 seats. A broad and open bima graces the front of the room. An organ and area for vocalists is to one side of the seating area. Soft lighting and the glow of treasured artwork add to the sanctuary’s welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

Adjoining the sanctuary is the Overman Communal Hall with a stage at one end. The hall can be joined to the sanctuary for High Holy Day services and large Bar or Bat Mitzvahs by pushing back a folding wall, allowing additional seating for 550 people. Beautiful silk banners hang in the hall, depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel. This room is used weekly for Onegs and kiddush lunches after Sabbath services, as well as for luncheons, dinners, congregational meetings, and other special events. Partitions can be used to make the room as intimate as desired. A large kosher kitchen with commercial appliances is located next to the communal hall.

The third floor has one large space, the Litman Room. It is used for children’s services during the High Holy Days, board meetings, study nights, and religious school classes. Other smaller spaces on the third floor provide storage.

The first floor houses the rabbi’s study, administrative office, religious school / Hebrew school office and classrooms, library, gift shop, rest rooms, boiler room, and storage rooms. During the week, the office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 – noon, Monday to Thurday, 1 – 4:30, Fridays, 1 – 4. The Hebrew school uses the classrooms from 4:00 - 6:00, Monday and Wednesday. The religious school uses the same classrooms on Sunday mornings. The classrooms were renovated in 1989 and are quite pleasant. The library holds 3,000 volumes and is a quiet place for study and small meetings.