Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1991-10-17

              Ohio 'Hist.Society Libr
1982 Velma Ave.    .-«■
Columbus, Ohio
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VOLUME 69
#JAIBER43
OCTOBER 17y 1991
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COMMUNITY FEATURE
Tifereth Israel — 90 years of growth
By Renee Resnik
In 1901, at the bris of the late
J. Nathan Polster, seven men
of Hungarian descent decided
that they wanted a synagogue
that would provide a more
modern service to meet their
spiritual and social needs.
Thus, Morris Polster, I.H.
Schlezinger, Jacob Stern,
Samuel J. Wasserstrom, Max
L. Bayer and Emil Kohn, who
served - as the synagogue's
laid in 1926 and the building
was completed in July of 1927.
Prior to the completion of
the new building, several rabbis from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
served the religious and educational needs of the congregation on a limited time basis.
Once the new building was
completed, however, Rabbi
Solomon Rivlin, from Des
Moines, Iowa, was called to
serve as the permanent spirit-
Today, Tifereth Israel, with its 950 families, occupies a 90,000-square-foot facility.
first  president,  established
Congregation Tifereth Israel.
All seven men signed the official charter establishing the .
synagogue on Feb. 6,1902.
The group first met for services in the McAllister Avenue
home of S.J. Wasserstrom.
Over the next several years,
the congregation, which grew
to 20 families, would hold services in various homes and
halls throughout the city.
Eventually, a home was purchased on Parsons Avenue
and remodeled to accommodate about 100 people for services. A short time later, after
a successful fundraising drive
headed by Emil Kohn, a synagogue was built on Parsons
Avenue. The congregation remained in this facility until
1923.
By then, Tifereth Israel had
grown to about 100 families.
There was now a need for a facility that would not only accommodate services, but
would also provide space for
educational training for the
children and for youth and social group activities. Land on
East Broad Street was purchased for a new facility.
The East Broad Street location, which is still being used
today, was purchased for
$20,000. Fifty thousand dollars
was raised to begin the construction of a new synagogue
building which, when completed, would cost a total of
$165,000. The cornerstone was
ual leader of Tifereth Israel.
Rabbi Rivlin served the congregation until 1930, at which
time critical financial conditions caused by the depression
forced his dismissal.
In December of 1930; the
synagogue once again was
able to employ a full-time rabbi. RabbiNathan Zelizer, a recent graduate of the Jewish
Theological Seminary, took
his post as rabbi at a time
when the congregation had a
membership of less than 100
families and a debtof $100,000.
As the nation's economy improved, so did the finances of
Tifereth Israel. The membership steadily increased to 400
families. Money was raised to
decorate the synagogue ahd
enlarge the Hebrew SchooJ facility. The synagogue staff
•was expanded to include a
full-time secretary. Eventually, in 1942, enough money
was raised through donations
to "burn the mortgage."
In later years, through a gift
from H.J. Gutter, a lot adjacent to the synagogue was
purchased to build an educational center. The funds for
the building of the educational
wing would be raised under
the leadership of Samuel M.
Melton. The drive began in
1946, the cornerstone was set
in 1947 and the complex was
completed Dec. 19,1948.
The East Broad Street facility served the ever-growing
congregation well. Periodic
remodeling and building additions took place in 1962, 1981
and 1982 to meet the changing
needs of the congregation, but
these improvements were not
enough.
The speed at which the
membership was growing, as
well as the multitude of services and programming being
offered, dictated that a larger .*
synagogue facility-would be
needed. After much delibera-
Rabbi Nathan Zelizer
tion, it was decided to remain
at the East Broad Street location. Plans were drawn to enlace and totally refurbish the
existing facility. Once again,
Tifereth Israel embarked on a
fundraising drive that would
ultimately raise $3.5 million.
see TIFERETH pg. 7
At the cornerstone setting of the new Educational Building in 1947 were (1. to r.) Sol Roth, Pearl
Schlezinger, Joe Gutter, Nathan Wasserstrom and Morris Polster. Bernie Feitlinger is seated in
the background.