Now established in a permanent site, the congregation began its move away from Jewish orthodoxy. German remained the language not only of worship, but also of the religious school and of the congregation’s records. In time, the congregation began to experiment with a new style of Judaism, one that seemed more consistent with life in America. A formal religious school began in 1866; family pews were sold at auction in 1867; and men and women sat together. In that same year organ music and a choir began to accompany services. Congregation members rarely wore talittot and English began supplanting German and Hebrew in services and in sermons. As the end of the nineteenth century neared, Shaarai Shomayim had made a significant break with traditional Jewish practice.
Morris Ungerleider: Our First Professional Rabbi
It was not until 1884 that Shaarai Shomayim hired its first professional rabbi, 20-year-old, European-trained Morris Ungerleider. It was he who nudged the congregation closer to Reform Judaism. One of the most hotly debated topics of Ungerleider’s early tenure was the issue of head coverings. In 1887, after considerable discussion and debate, the temple president announced that congregants would be permitted to remove their hats at services if they wished. In a formal resolution on November 4, 1888, the congregation adopted Reform Judaism.
The Transition to a Reform Jewish Congregation
When Ungerleider left in 1888, he was succeeded by several short-term rabbis, the most notable of whom was 24-year-old Clifton H. Levy. Levy, a New Orleans native, was Shaarai Shomayim’s first American-born-and-trained rabbi, having graduated from Isaac Mayer Wise’s Hebrew Union College in 1890.
Levy, who served Shaarai Shomayim from 1892 to 1894, was responsible for initiating the Union Thanksgiving Service, stimulating the drive for a new temple building, and completing the transition to Reform Judaism. The new rabbi’s strong opinions were clearly ahead of their time. Among them were his advocacy of proselytization among non-Jews and their conversion to Judaism and of the admittance of women to full membership in the congregation and shared power with the lay leadership. In 1892, with the adoption of Isaac Mayer Wise’s Union Prayerbook and membership in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), Shaarai Shomayim had become a fully Reform Jewish congregation.
Rabbi Isidore Rosenthal Served Shaarai Shomayim for 25 Years
Isidore Rosenthal, who came to Shaarai Shomayim in 1894, allegedly became a rabbi to please his parents. A forceful and eloquent speaker, he delivered passionate sermons usually on political, not religious topics. He studied law in the offices of Chief Justice William Keller of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and in 1901, went into law practice with Lionel Geisenberger, a congregation member. His moonlighting as a lawyer augmented his Shaarai Shomayim salary of $125 a month. After 22 years of service, Rosenthal finally received his first raise to $166 a month.
By the 1890s Shaarai Shomayim had grown to the point where the small Orange Street Synagogue was straining to hold all the members and to contain all the activity of the congregation. In 1892, the decision was made to construct a new building. On February 8, 1894, the Congregation purchased a site for the new house of worship at the northwest corner of Duke and James Streets. On January 24, 1895, the Orange Street Synagogue was sold for $5500, and on July 1, 1895, the cornerstone for the new temple was laid.
The imposing new house of worship, which cost $24,596.84, was a far cry from the small, simple Orange Street Synagogue. Typical of turn-of-the-century synagogue architecture, the building is eclectic with elements of many architectural styles, particularly Romanesque Revival. The dedication celebration was scheduled for Friday, April 26, 1896. Isaac Mayer Wise and former Rabbi Clifton Levy had arrived in Lancaster Friday morning for the evening’s festivities. But the ceremonies never took place.
Around 11 o’clock on Friday morning, a plumber was searching for the source of a gas leak. When he lit a match to try to find the source of the leak, there was a terrific explosion. Smoke and flames shot through the floor; the heavy pews were ripped from their fastenings and blown apart; panes in the stained glass windows shattered, and the interior of the brand new synagogue was wrecked. The official synagogue dedication had to wait until September 8, 1896. Congregation Shaarai Shomayim was finally in its stately new house of worship.
In 1919 the Congregation Pays Off the Temple’s Mortgage and Rosenthal Resigns as Rabbi
By the time Rabbi Rosenthal celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination in 1919, the congregation was able to burn the building’s mortgage. Rosenthal resigned as rabbi in 1919 to pursue his interests in law and in business, but continued to lead services through 1921. After his final departure from the pulpit, he remained in Lancaster and served as a lay member of the board. He usually occupied the front pew when he attended services and sometimes officiated at weddings and funerals without permission from the incumbent rabbi, a serious breach of rabbinic etiquette.
His meddling in congregation business is probably one reason why he was followed by three rabbis who stayed no more than a couple of years. Stability returned when Rabbi Daniel Davis, who was to serve Shaarai Shomayim for 20 years, assumed the pulpit in 1927. The rabbi who served Shaarai Shomayim the longest, and who presided over the building of Shaarai’s Shomayim’s current home, Rosenthal lived in Lancaster until about 1940. He died in 1954 and is buried in the Shaarai Shomayim Cemetery.
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