A Short History of Sinai Synagogue of South Bend 1932-Present
By Michael Brown
Sinai Synagogue was established in June 1932 by 20 congregants who left existing Orthodox synagogues in South Bend to create a place of worship dedicated to modern yet traditional Orthodox Jewish practice. The synagogue was named after a well-known early 20th-century Jewish arts and music club in South Bend called Sinai. The congregation’s first home was on the second floor of 120 East Wayne Street. As membership increased, Sinai moved to a second-floor facility at Monroe and Michigan Streets.
In 1935, continued growth led to the purchase of property at 410 West Jefferson Boulevard, marking the first time Sinai occupied its own building. The congregation thrived at this location for nine years. By 1944, however, it became evident that the facility no longer met the needs of the growing congregation. Maurice Tucker, Julius Tucker, Ben Medow, Sam Berman, and Rabbi Maurice M. Parzen led the effort to build new facilities and launched a successful fundraising campaign. During this time, the West Jefferson building’s basement classrooms were declared unsafe, and the Y.W.C.A. provided space for Sunday School classes for about a year. Despite wartime financial challenges and many members serving in World War II, the congregation persevered. Leadership secured the necessary funds, and construction began on August 19, 1949. The cornerstone was dedicated on June 11,1950, and construction was finished in April 1951. Sadly, charter members Ben Brumer, Morris S. Fisher, and David Smith did not live to see the new synagogue completed.
The Synagogue became a center for the local emerging Zionist movement. In 1937, the Sinai Synagogue in South Bend hosted Itamar Ben- Avi, the son of the world-famous linguist and scholar Ben-Zion Ben-Yehuda, as a speaker to raise funds for Jewish communities in the new Yishuv. Eliezer, his father, is credited with reviving the Hebrew language; Itamar was brought up to be the first native speaker of Hebrew in the modern era.
Throughout its history, Sinai Synagogue benefited from devoted Rabbinical leadership. The congregation was served by Rabbi Phillip Greenstein, who was awarded a contract with Synagogue for Life in his first year on the pulpit; Rabbi Greenstein was followed by Rabbi Hyman Cohen, who was later succeeded by Rabbi Maurice M. Parzen in the late 1930’s, and by Rabbi Harry Z. Schectman. In the fall of 1949, Rabbi William A. Orentlicher became the Synagogue's rabbi at the time of its building dedication. After a prolonged illness, Rabbi Parzen returned and was elected to the pulpit, subsequently serving as the synagogue's spiritual leader. Rabbi Parzen was followed by Rabbi Philip Rabinowitz, and in 1973, Rabbi Allen R. Kuperman was installed as Rabbi of Sinai. The last Orthodox Rabbi of Sinai was Rabbi Eli Rosenzweig. Sinai Synagogue later switched from Orthodoxy to Conservative Judaism and, in the 1980s, and later voted to become egalitarian. In 1988, Rabbi Howard Shub became the Synagogue’s first Conservative Rabbi.
The chief lay leader was originally called Chairman of the Board of Directors, later renamed President. Nine individuals served in this role: Jack Mooren, David New, Maurice Tucker, Sol Sandock, Julius Tishcoff, Sam Berman, Paul D. Gilbert, Harold Medow, and Ben Medow, who served as President from 1948. The Sisterhood worked closely with the congregation and was vital to Sinai’s success. Past Sisterhood presidents included Mrs. M. S. Fisher, Mrs. Meyer Paskin, Mrs. Isadore Richman, Mrs. Sol Sandock, Mrs. Max Ein, Mrs. Nathan Sutlin, Mrs. Jerome Vogel, Mrs. Sam Goldstein, Mrs. Harold Medow, and Mrs. Sam Berman.
Sinai Synagogue has a long history of connections to Notre Dame, with many of its members employed by the University. In 1965, Sinai Synagogue President Julius Tucker, a confidant and close friend of legendary Notre Dame Coaches Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian, was honored at a banquet celebrating his decade as president of Sinai Synagogue. It was quite a spectacle when the Notre Dame practice squad and Coach Parseghian turned up at the Sinai testimonial wearing yarmulkes.
Since 1949, the Sisterhood has been ably led and helped Sinai's programs grow and funding increase. Under the collective guidance of its religious and lay leadership, Sinai grew from a small group of worshippers into a congregation of 226 families, with a Sunday School enrollment of 158 children. In just 18 years, the synagogue's post-war growth during the baby boom was remarkable. Its calendar was filled with activities sponsored by the Sisterhood, Men’s Club, Sunday School P.T.A., adult education programs, and youth classes, reflecting a well-rounded commitment to religious, educational, social, and cultural life. The large social Hall at Sinai Synagogue, over its decades of existence, has been used for everything from BBYO dances to The Farband’s Yiddish Labor Zionist Meetings in the early 1950’s to indoor recreation for Camp Ideal, the local Jewish Day Camp, to fundraising appeals from the Jewish Federation to the once-famous South Bend Kosher spaghetti diner fundraiser.
For many years, Rose Zar, a Holocaust survivor from Poland, taught and directed at the Sinai Synagogue Hebrew School, educating generations. Zar published the award-winning In the Mouth of the Wolf and traveled throughout the US and Israel, teaching young people about the Holocaust and sharing her story. South Bend experienced mass deindustrialization beginning in the early 1960s, contributing to a slow population exodus, including its Jewish community, which had peaked at around 3,000 in the early 1960s. Despite dwindling congregational numbers and an aging membership in the 1990s, the congregation reaffirmed its commitment to Jewish life in the South Bend area by substantially renovating the mid-20th-century building.
In 1995, Sinai Synagogue underwent a significant remodel and renovation. As part of this project, Steven New, the son of long-time congregant Martha New, and his team of stained-glass artists were commissioned to create five beautiful windows representing the five books of the Torah, which illuminate the main sanctuary with an array of colors. Another aspect of the 1995 renovation involved replacing the original flexible partition wall that separated the sanctuary from the social hall with a permanent wall. Today Sinai is the oldest remaining and first built Mid-Century designed Synagogue in the State of Indiana and one of the oldest Synagogue buildings still in continued use in Indiana adding to the buildings historical importance.
The synagogue has maintained a strong spirit of volunteerism. Since the 1990s, Sinai volunteers, especially Betty Brook and Mary Ann Katz, have organized regular communal Shabbat lunches. The congregation has also benefited from long-term commitments by members such as Mel Brooks, who served as house chair for more than 40 years, and Nate Cossman, who led the annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser for more than 30 years.
Drawing on a rare dedication and passion for serving smaller midwestern synagogues, Rabbi Michael Friedland created the innovative F.E.A.S.T. Program. This education program boosted Shabbat attendance by holding religious school on Shabbat. A program that has launched numerous Jewish journeys for our children. For almost a decade, Sinai hosted rabbinical students from Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) who spent a summer under Rabbi Friedland’s tutelage, learning the specific skills needed to serve smaller Jewish congregations in small communities. Sinai hosted nine interns over the years, some of whom went on to serve in significant pulpits and leadership positions. The vision of Sinai’s founders, the leadership of its rabbis, and the dedication of its members are reflected in the synagogue’s physical structure. Built of stone and steel, its mid central modern design points to the future and its Neo-Moorish Dome. Sinai Synagogue stands as a reminder of our Jewish past, our collective Jewish beliefs and perseverance, dedicated to serving Conservative Judaism in Michiana and inspiring future generations to uphold their traditions.