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Temple Beth El
7400Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills - Oakland County
| Other Names |
Congregation Beth El
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| Property Type |
synagogue
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| Historic Use |
RELIGION/religious facility
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| Current Use |
RELIGION/religious facility
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| Style |
Other
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| Architect/Builder |
Minoru Yamasaki
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| Narrative Description |
Temple Beth El is a stunning, "tent-like" structure built of poured concrete and aluminum. The property consists of the sanctuary, a school wing, social halls and an office wing. The plan symbolizes the meeting tents of the ancient Israelites. The soaring, vaulted ceiling provides a dramatic sanctuary for over 1,800 worshippers.
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| Statement of Significance |
Temple Bethel is one of two synagogues designed by internationally renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki of Troy, Michigan. Although built in 1973, the structure meets the criteria for a marker and listing in the State Register of Historic Sites on the basis of its architecture and the history of its congregation. Minoru Yamasaki is one of Michigan's most acclaimed architects, his most well-known work being the World Trade Center in New York City.
Temple Beth El's dramatic design makes the synagogue an eye-catcher on busy Telegraph Road in the densely developed Bloomfield Hills. The temple is the third building constructed for Congregation Beth El. The two previous houses of worship were designed by congregant Albert Kahn, himself one of Michigan's most prolific and significant architects. The previous synagogues were located in Detroit. As the Detroit Metro area's Jewish population left the city for the suburbs, the congregation found it necessary to relocate.
Founded in 1850, Temple Beth El is Michigan's oldest Jewish organization. Organized as an orthodox congregation, Beth El underwent a major shift during the 1850s and moved away from strict Orthodox doctrine, becoming a reform congregation in 1856.
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| Marker Name |
Congregation Beth El/Temple Beth El
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| Marker Text |
CONGREGATION BETH EL
In 1850 twelve German immigrant families founded Michigan's oldest Jewish organization, the Beth El Society, at the Detroit home of Isaac and Sarah Cozens. Beth El was first led by Orthodox Rabbi Samuel Marcus. During the 1850s, as social and political turmoil gripped the nation, Judaism faced change. In 1856 Beth El members moved away from strict Orthodox doctrine by adopting new bylaws and embracing Reform Judaism. The changes permitted men and women to sit together during services and sing together in choirs. Rabbis taught services in English rather than in German. In 1873, Beth El helped charter the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which brought together Reform synagogues across the nation.
TEMPLE BETH EL
Built in 1973, Temple Beth El is one of two synagogues designed by internationally acclaimed architect Minoru Yamasaki, who designed New York City's World Trade Center. Yamasaki designed the soaring temple to represent the meeting tents of the ancient Israelites. The two hundred panels, created by steel cables dissecting the concrete walls, symbolize the number of times per day Jews are to thank God. Organized in Detroit in 1850, the Beth El Society met in homes and storefronts before purchasing its first house of worship in 1861. Beth El member Albert Kahn designed two of the congregation's former synagogues, built in Detroit in 1903 and 1922. Beth El erected this building in Bloomfield Hills to accommodate its members, many of whom had moved to the suburbs.
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| Significant Date(s) |
1850, 1973
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| Registry Type(s) |
2001 Marker erected
04/12/2001 State Register listed
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| Site ID# |
P40002
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