Finding aid for the Anshe Chesed Congregation Records

History of Anshe Chesed Congregation

Anshe Chesed Congregation, the oldest existing Jewish congregation in Cleveland, Ohio, was established in 1841 when thirty members of the Israelitic Society of Cleveland, the city's first congregation, seceded because of differences in ritual practices. Anshe Chesed, which was chartered on February 28, 1842, merged three years later with the older congregation under the incorporated name, Israelitic Anshe Chesed Society of Cleveland. The present popular name, Fairmount Temple, derives from its location on Fairmount Boulevard in Beachwood, Ohio.

On August 6, 1846, Anshe Chesed dedicated the city's first synagogue, a 35 by 50 feet brick building on Eagle Street. Four years later, the congregation hired Rabbi Isidor Kalisch, the first rabbi to serve in Cleveland. However, Kalisch left Anshe Chesed after only a few months and with twenty of the congregation's members formed a new congregation, Tifereth Israel, now known as The Temple. Anshe Chesed then hired Rabbi Bernard L. Fould who remained in the pulpit until 1858.

Anshe Chesed was established as a German Orthodox congregation, following the religious custom known as Minhag Ashkenass. However, during the 1860s, the congregation began to institute minor reforms in ritual and decorum common to most American Jewish congregations during the mid nineteenth century. Chazan Gustavus M. Cohen, a religious liberal who had served several years at the Reform Temple Emanu El in New York City, became Anshe Chesed's preacher, school teacher, and spiritual leader in 1861. He introduced choir and organ music to the religious service and established, with the consent of the board of trustees, family pews, thus ending the tradition of separate seating for men and women.

Rabbi Michaelis Machol was hired to lead the congregation in 1876. During his thirty year incumbency, Anshe Chesed adopted a moderate Reform prayer book and voted to worship with uncovered heads. Machol began delivering sermons in English leading to the ultimate disappearance of the German language from the business of the congregation.

By the mid 1880s, Anshe Chesed had outgrown its Eagle Street Synagogue. In 1887, the congregation dedicated a new building at 25th and Scovill and sold its old synagogue to the Hungarian congregation B'nai Jeshurun. Despite the slight growth in membership that required the building of a new synagogue and the introduction of reforms that were intended to make the congregation more attractive to the quickly Americanizing Jewish community, Anshe Chesed's membership did not grow substantially between 1880 and 1907 when Rabbi Louis Wolsey was called to the pulpit.

Wolsey, the first American born rabbi to serve the congregation, expanded synagogue activities, supporting the creation of a Sisterhood (1909), Alumni Association (1911), and Men's Club (1924). Wolsey placed great emphasis upon education and youth programs as well as opening the synagogue facilities for social and cultural events. Under Wolsey's leadership, Anshe Chesed's membership grew from 186 in 1907 to 1,200 by 1925.

To accommodate present and future growth, the congregation built a new synagogue at 86th and Euclid Avenue. Dedicated in 1912, the Euclid Avenue Temple cost over a quarter of a million dollars. Continued rapid growth in membership led to the construction of the Temple House in 1923. The Temple House was an addition to the existing synagogue and included a 1,400 seat auditorium, classrooms, and a library.

Rabbi Barnett Brickner replaced Wolsey in 1925 after the latter assumed a position in Philadelphia. Brickner served Anshe Chesed until his death in 1958. Under Wolsey, Anshe Chesed had moved toward Classical Reform Judaism, discarding many of the prayers and forms of worship included in traditional Judaism. Brickner represented the new Reform rabbi of the 1920s and 1930s who wished to restore those traditions within the framework of Reform Judaism. Brickner reinstituted the Kiddush at Friday night services, Kol Nidre on Yom Kippur, the yizkor service, blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and the celebration of Simhat Torah.

One of Brickner's primary concerns was Jewish education. He created the position of Director of Education in 1927 to administer the 1,100 pupil religious school at Anshe Chesed. Nathan Brilliant was hired and held the position until 1946 when he became director of the Bureau of Jewish Education. In 1952 Rabbi Philip Horowitz was hired as assistant rabbi and minister of education. He later became rabbi of Cleveland's Reform congregation B'rith Emeth.

As Anshe Chesed's members moved further into the eastern suburbs following World War II, it became apparent that a new synagogue location must be found. In 1948, a 32 acre site on Fairmount Boulevard was purchased. An attempt by the Village of Beachwood to halt construction of the congregation led to a lengthy court battle in which the Ohio Supreme Court finally granted approval for construction. Fairmount Temple was dedicated on May 31, 1957.

Following Brickner's death, Anshe Chesed hired Rabbi Arthur J. Lelyveld as his successor. Lelyveld had been the national director of the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation and was a leader in the American Jewish Congress. He led the congregation into social action struggles including the civil rights movement and has been active in promoting positive inter faith relations. In 1982, Anshe Chesed hired Sarah Sager, the first woman to serve as cantor of a Cleveland congregation.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Anshe Chesed Congregation

Scope and Content

The Anshe Chesed Congregation Records, 1851-1983 and undated, consist of minutes, correspondence, dues books, dues cards, building fund materials, curriculum and other educational materials, rabbis' papers, legal and financial documents, publicity files, publications, clippings, scrapbooks, architects drawings and specifications, membership lists and applications and directories, correspondence of the United Jewish Cemeteries, records of the United Jewish Religious Schools, correspondence, addresses and sermons of Rabbi Wolsey, sermons of Julius J. Nodel and Rabbi Lelyveld, and records of various constituent groups in the congregation.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the Jewish community in Cleveland, Ohio, in the last half of the nineteenth century and the twentieth century. Of particular interest are the Board of Trustee minutes which illustrate the policy and decision making by the leaders of the congregation, and also reflect the organizational structure of the congregation. Coupled with the records from the other series, the minutes illuminate activities and events such as the construction of Fairmount Temple, celebration of the 100th anniversary of the congregation, and the evolution of temple organi­zations. The membership records provide a wealth of genealogical material, as well as demographic and quantitative data for social research. Of spe­cial significance is the Rabbi Louis Wolsey Papers which illustrate the early career of this nationally prominent Reform rabbi. His correspondence with leading lay and religious leaders touches on all areas of concern to Reform Judaism during the first two decades of the twentieth century in­cluding Reform theology, religious education, social welfare, and Zionism.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 4709 Anshe Chesed Congregation Records, Series II; MS 4202 Anshe Chesed Congregation Sisterhood Records; MS 4995 Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, Young People's Congregation Records; and PG 280 Anshe Chesed Congregation Photographs.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3941 Anshe Chesed Congregation Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Anshe Chesed Congregation in 1980, 1983, and 1984.

Processing Information

Processed by Scott Cline in 1984.

Detailed Description of The Collection