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URJ President Rick Jacobs on The Temple’s 175-year Legacy

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URJ President Rick Jacobs shares his thoughts with current Temple President Matt Schwartz about The Temple’s 175-year legacy. They spoke from inside the Temple Archives about the Temple’s founding role within the Reform movement, the state of the movement as part of the world Jewish community and The Temple’s wonderful legacy and opportunity. Rabbi Jacobs was visiting The Temple to celebrate the 175 year anniversary, as we welcomed a large crowd to Friday night Shabbat service. Listen to his perspective on The Temple.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the most powerful force in North American Jewish life. The URJ leads the largest and most diverse Jewish movement in North America, with almost 900 congregations reaching nearly 1.5 million people. Immediately after his nomination as URJ president, Newsweek placed him at number seven on their 2011 list of “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis,” describing him as “magnetic” and “known for prioritizing social justice … and rethinking worship to engage the disaffected.”

Under the dedicated and creative leadership of Rabbi Jacobs, the URJ is engaged in the ongoing implementation of the URJ’s strategic 2020 Vision, a bold and ambitious action plan for the future of Reform Judaism structured around three core priorities: Strengthening Congregations, Audacious Hospitality and Tikkun Olam (social justice). Deeply committed to the State of Israel, Rabbi Jacobs has studied for two decades at Jerusalem’s Shalom Hartman Institute, where he is now a senior rabbinic fellow.

The Temple celebrate 175!

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The Temple Celebrates 175!  Thanks to all who attended this past Saturday’s celebration of The Temple’s 175th Anniversary – if you missed, we missed you – what a party!

A festive crowd of 250+ witnessed as Mayor Greg Fischer proclaimed May 12, 2018 “The Temple … Day” and Congressman John Yarmuth congratulated “us” on such a significant milestone.

Thanks to all who attended! Thanks to all who gave time to make the party shine! Thanks to YOU who make The Temple community special! Our 175 year legacy is unique and special – this was a wonderful and worthy celebration – Mazel Tov!

The Temple in Louisville is Kentucky’s oldest and largest Jewish congregation. Established in 1843 as K.K. Adas Israel, The Temple was a founding member of Reform Judaism’s Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now Union for Reform Judaism) and an early proponent of Reform in American Jewish life. When Reform Judaism began in 1873, The Temple in Louisville was the second largest congregation in the movement.

By the 1880’s Congregation Brith Sholom was formed for the next generation of Jews to settle here in Louisville who separated from Adath Israel, where services were held in English instead of their native German. Brith Sholom joined the Reform movement in 1920 and the two congregations enjoyed cordial relations for nearly a century before reuniting in 1977 to become The Temple of today.