KAM Isaiah Israel

KAM Isaiah Israel

KAM Isaiah Israel, September 2008
Basic information
Location 1100 E Hyde Park Blvd,
Chicago, Illinois,
 United States
Geographic coordinates 41°48′9.5″N 87°35′55″W / 41.802639°N 87.59861°W / 41.802639; -87.59861
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Status Active
Leadership Rabbi Frederick Reeves
Cantor David Berger
Amy Gelman, President of the Board
Website kamii.org
Architectural description
Architect(s) Alfred S. Alschuler,
John Alschuler, Ron Dirsmith
Architectural type Synagogue
Architectural style Neo-Byzantine
Completed 1924
Specifications
Direction of façade West
Capacity 1,300 in the sanctuary,
400 in the chapel[1]
Dome(s) 3 (1 large and 2 small)
Spire(s) 1 (reminiscent of a minaret)
Designated April 16, 1966

KAM Isaiah Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago,[2] with its oldest core founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe Ma'arav ("Congregation of the Men of the West").

KAM's synagogue building burned down in the Chicago Fire of 1874. In 1890, KAM moved into its Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler designed temple in Bronzeville, and in 1924 moved again to a private residence in Hyde Park. The former synagogue became the Pilgrim Baptist Church, the birthplace of Gospel music. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, designated a Chicago Landmark in 1981, and partially destroyed by fire in 2006. In 1971, KAM merged with another Reform congregation, Isaiah Israel (builders of the present synagogue), to become KAM Isaiah Israel.

The synagogue is at 1100 E. Hyde Park Boulevard in the Kenwood neighborhood. Kenwood is an area known for its large homes and well-to-do residents, such as Barack Obama (who lives across from the synagogue on Greenwood Avenue) and Muhammad Ali. The temple's architecture was inspired by those constructed during the Byzantine Period of Judaism. The minaret is not on top of the dome as it appears in this photo, but rather it is atop a tower that functions as a chimney, behind the building. Built for the Isaiah Israel congregation in 1924, the structure was designed by Alfred S. Alschuler, who drew his influence from photographs of the second-century Severus synagogue unearthed at Tiberias, in Galilee.[3] The extensions were designed by architects John Alschuler (the son of Alfred) and Ron Dirsmith. The building was designated an official Chicago Landmark on June 9, 1997.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.kamii.org/aboutus/events/
  2. 1 2 "K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple". City of Chicago Commission of Chicago Landmarks. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  3. ↑ John H. Alschuler. "A History of Our Building". KAM Isaiah Israel. Retrieved 2012-08-17.

Coordinates: 41°48′9.5″N 87°35′55″W / 41.802639°N 87.59861°W / 41.802639; -87.59861


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