By Joel Moskowitz, M.D., and Arlene Moskowitz, JD
SAN DIEGO — The first of Congregation Beth Israel’s “Three Temple Tour” was conducted in its original home on Sunday Sunday, Oct. 23. The edifice has been relocated to Heritage Park but the original site was Second Avenue and Beech Street. Scholars JoEllyn Zollman, a History professor at SDSU, moderated. Don Harrison, editor of San Diego Jewish World, and author of a biography of Louis Rose, a early Jewish pioneer, led off with an entertaining and enlightening discourse on the first Jews in San Diego. Stan Schwartz, president of the Jewish Historical Society of San Diego, gave an authoritative and informative talk about the less than smooth growth of Congregation Beth Israel.
The audience had to reserve seats and it is estimated that 200 persons attended. That happens to be about the capacity of the Shul. Because of the decision to move the temple from its original site, it lost its place in the National Register of Historic Places. But the congregation’s second home on Third Avenue and Laurel Street, because of its cultural significance, was awarded that august designation in 2000, one year before CBI moved to its third home on a University City campus.
Congregation Beth Israel was established before there was a public school, library or a bank in San Diego. Jews came West drawn by the opportunity, for the most part, to thrive as merchants supplying ranchers, homesteaders and prospectors for gold. Louis Rose was one of these enterprising adventurers. Born in Germany, he came to New Orleans, then to Texas and ultimately to San Diego. Later one of the founders of the congregation, he performed the first wedding as a lay rabbi. Other names are associated with CBI’s birth:
Marcus Schiller (destined to become the first President of CBI) and Charles Wolfsheimer, Simon Levi (see his building in downtown which still stands today), Abraham Blochman. The first ‘permanent rabbi’ Samuel Freuder (1888) only remained one year and left to convert to Christianity and eventually returned to the Jewish fold. The building itself followed suit: because of economic downturn (1893-1904) the Congregation rented the temple to several Christian congregations. Membership dues in the early years were one to two dollars a month!
By 1923, the Congregation had outgrown the Beech Street temple and purchased the Laurel site. Subsequently, a small group of members fearing the old temple would be wrecked to make way for new buildings, purchased the old temple and donated it to the County of San Diego, which in association with the Save Our Heritage Organization created Heritage Park as a place to showcase the temple and other 19th century buildings. CBI is the oldest congregation in Southern California beating out the Wilshire Temple in Los Angeles by one year. It is the largest temple south of Los Angeles. The congregation’s original name Adat Yeshurun, (Assembly of Israel) was conferred in 1861 back when the congregation met in rented halls or members’ homes. Having made the move to Beech Street, it could rightly call itself a ‘house’ i.e. Beth Israel ..house of Israel.
The site in Heritage Park is also called “Heritage Hall” – available for weddings, Bar mitzvah and for use by civic groups and any religious denomination. Moving the structure which because it is wood was vulnerable to termites, other insects, and rot was a creative venture. The building was cut in half. The original chandelier is not present and there are two organs, not functional, which were not part of the original temple but the reorganizers thought they were attractive and suited the building. Stars of David windows proclaim the originators. The Aron Kodesh is carved similarly with Stars of David but is, sadly, empty of Torah. Not present in the original building are recessed sprinkler heads, a bow to the ever present threat that wood structures are vulnerable to.
This structure and the current viability of the 150 year ‘new’ CBI is a testimony to the role that Jews played (and are still playing) in the life of San Diego. Louis Rose was a Jewish pioneer Don Harrison’s scholarly research teaches that Rose was an example of good citizenship. He arrived just when California became a state, served on the first grand jury; President of the Board of Trustees for San Diego; served on the school board besides being a founding member of Adath Jeshurun. His name is memorialized in Rose Creek and Rose Canyon and his friend/associate Judge Robinson and he had the Robinson-Rose house which now serves as the Visitors Center for Old Town.
The present members of Congregation Beth Israel may well be proud of the history of CBI and their founding members. One Hundred and Fifty years young.
Readers may wish to consult the website: www.cbisd.org and click on the ‘150 celebration’.
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Joel and Arlene Moskowitz are freelance writers based in La Jolla, California.