Temple Emanuel of South Hills

About

Temple Emanuel is a Reform Jewish congregation in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.

Story

Our congregation was established in May 1951 by a group of Jewish families seeking to bring the beauty and spirit of Reform Judaism to Pittsburgh's South Hills. In the ensuing years, Temple Emanuel has grown to about 600 member families. As our membership has grown, so too has our building.

After several years of meeting in homes, schools and churches, the group of families purchased land along Bower Hill Road in Mt. Lebanon and built a facility in two phases, in 1954 and in 1960. The two stages of our building were designed by renowned synagogue architect Percival Goodman. The original first floor was constructed from 1953 to 1954. A second floor including our lovely Sanctuary and Social Hall was completed in 1960. With a 1990 renovation, our building became fully accessible to persons with physical challenges.

In 2002, Temple expanded its religious, educational and social spaces, guided by architect Dan Rothschild, a Temple member whose exquisite works dot the Pittsburgh landscape. The $3.6 million expansion was organized around two projecting wings: one wing contains classrooms and learning spaces; the other a chapel, library and community room. A courtyard is formed between the two wings.

As part of the expansion, we completed a new library, Community Room, Youth Lounge, Women of Reform Judaism Room and eight additional classrooms for our Torah Center, and we renovated and updated our nursery school classrooms. The focal point of this project was a second inspirational prayer space, the Beit HaT'fila. The addition, which is filled with Judaic symbols, was dedicated in 2003.

Our 40,000-square-foot building bustles with activity. Our Torah Center is one of greater Pittsburgh's largest synagogue religious schools. Our Early Childhood Development Center enjoys a supurb reputation both in the Jewish community and the general community. We have three youth groups. Our calendar is filled with dynamic adult education, social action, cultural and social programs.

Most importantly, Temple Emanuel is our spiritual home where we celebrate Shabbat, the holidays and the sacred moments of our lives. The focal point of both the Sanctuary and the Beit HaT'fila is the Holy Ark, the Aron HaKodesh. The Ark is the repository of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, handwritten in the orignal Hebrew on parchment according to ancient Jewish scribal art. Each Shabbat and holiday, we read and study a portion from the Torah following the annual reading cycle. Judaism teaches that the world stands on three things: on Torah, on worship and on acts of loving kindness. Temple Emanuel exists precisely to sustain these three pillars of Jewish life.

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