One who enters the vibrant kehila Shearith Israel, the Glen Avenue Shul, today and sees the panoply of shiurim and activities, the level of Torah learning, and the meticulous observance of the growing membership owes it to him or herself to know that the its mere existence is a rarity; it is an Orthodox Shul founded before the Civil War that is still Orthodox! It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen without a lot of Divine help. Let us now continue the journey:
The Era of Rabbi Mendel Feldman
In 1958, Rabbi Schwab accepted a rabbinical post in New York’s famed Khal Adath Yeshurun. President Henry P. Cohn appointed a selection committee, headed by H. Milton Lasson, which recommended Rabbi Mendel Feldman, zt”l, the first American-born rabbi of the Shul. He was also the first non-German rabbi, being a Lubavitcher chasid. In fact, Rabbi Feldman’s brilliance was recognized at a very young age. The young Rav was being groomed to be the Lubavitcher morah hora’ah, principal posek for all Lubavitcher chasidim, after the Rebbe. However, when the position of Rav of Shearith Israel became known, the Rebbe encouraged Rabbi Feldman to accept the honored position. Rabbi Feldman kept intact the German minhag hallowed by previous generations. The population of the neighborhood and the shomer Shabbos nature of the Shul led many non-German Jews to join, but the atmosphere was definitely one of “Torah im derech eretz” (the philosophy of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, zt”l).
Memories of the 1950s and 1960s
I asked Eli Schlossberg, who grew up in the Shul in the 1950s and 60s, and whose family has been among the most devoted members, to recount his recollections of that period.
“In 1957, we still lived on Linden Avenue, off of North Avenue, and we davened at Shearith Israel on McCulloh Street. I was seven years old and remember the copper spittoons on the floor of the Shul in between the wooden pews. I remember the Shul mikvah and Chazan Derdyk, who was the Shul’s chazan. I remember being told that Rabbi Schwab, in earlier years, would walk from his Narcissus home all the way down Park Heights, past Rabbi Drazin’s shul, the Park Shul across from Druid Hill Park, and continue further down to the McCulloh Street Shearith Israel, once a month on Shabbos. Rabbi Schwab was the Rav of the Glen Avenue branch of Shearith Israel, having come in 1936 from Ichenhaussen, Germany, the town where my Grandmother Schlossberg was born and raised.
“I remember, in 1957, my dad driving me out to ‘the country’ to the Glen Avenue Shul for a Sunday morning Shul breakfast. The breakfast was prepared by the shamash, Mr. Moshe Herman, and Rabbi Shimon Schwab and Chazan David Baum attended. Rabbi Schwab addressed the Shul men, who attended the breakfast of scrambled eggs, bakery rolls, whole whitefish, chocolate and fruit Danish, and fresh fruit served on glass and china plates.
“One had to be a shomer Shabbos to be a member of the Shul, but there were a few non-shomer Shabbos people who came to daven and were seat holders. It was not uncommon for a delegation to visit new potential members’ homes to make sure the family qualified as a bona fide shomer Shabbos mishpacha. Mr. Reuben Friedman headed up this task.
“We moved to Jonquil Avenue in 1958. Simchas Torah was three hakafos and the dancing was very orchestrated, led by the Rabbi, Chazan Baum, and the Shul president. Kaddish was said out loud by only one person each time. We said lots of piyutim, and Yom Kippur was an all-day davening – no breaks. Erev Yom Kippur Selichos took three hours, while every other Shul took just 15 minutes.
“On Shabbos, when there was a simcha, after the Torah was returned to the aron, the men would line up and shake the hand of the baal simcha who stood with the president by the aron and wish a mazal tov and contribute one dollar in honor of the simcha. At the kiddushes, Pikesville Rye and Old Setter were the liquor brands consumed, provided by Mr. Zelig Cohen. Everybody purchased men’s Hanes underwear from Shul member Harry Wolpert. All purchased their meat from Wasserman and Lemberger, which carried Shearith Israel’s hashgacha. Mr. Louis Bodenheimer delivered chickens from M&M Poultry, Milton Schuster’s and Moishe Margareten’s chicken business, and Meir Steinharter sold wine from his garage. Mt. Zion, a local winery, and Kedem wines – Malaga, Concord, Sauterne, and Tokay – made up the wine offerings. In the 50s, Ernie Bravman and Fritz Neuberger would deliver eggs. Mr. Lichtenstein was the kosher administrator and inspector hired and paid by Baltimore City to inspect all businesses that claimed to be kosher.
“Eugene Kaufman and his daughter Elinor, as well as Julia Bamberger led the coed Shabbos youth group. I still have cuff links I received as a prize or gift from that oneg Shabbos youth group. This was years before Pirchei, Bnos, Bnai Akiva, or NCSY existed. In the 60s, many of the Shearith Israel teenage boys would attend the Pirchei minyan at the Adas on Rogers Avenue. Shearith Israel hosted many a Yavneh Shabbaton for collegiate age groups, as well as Pirchei and Bnos weekends and conventions for teenage boys and girls. I remember the famous magid, Rav Shvadron, coming to speak at the Shul.
“Board meetings were very memorable, with City Councilman Leon Rubenstein and attorney and Professor Dr. Nelson Lasson hushing the sometimes excited crowd and teaching the members Robert’s Rules of Order. Merrill Lehman or Milton Lasson did the printing, and H.P. Cohn was the Shul’s graphic artist. The Shul had a busy Ladies Auxiliary, and they provided the Shul with many wonderful functions and activities. Hannah Bamberger, Miriam Meyer, Charlotte Cohn, Hilda and Peri Steinharter, Sophie Gutman, and Greta Schlossberg were just some who were active leaders in the Ladies Auxiliary.
“Mr. Kurt Flamm led a mishnayos shiur for young boys right before Mincha every Shabbos. The Shul’s mikvah was used by women until the new women’s mikvah was built on Rogers Avenue in 1962. The Sfas Emes siddur, called the Roedelheim siddur, was used, and boys before marriage wore taleisim. Every Torah was bound with a wimple, a long decorated cloth used by German Jews. Repetition of words a baal tefila was not tolerated, and those who davened from the amud or were called to the Torah had to wear a hat or cap. A talis over one’s head was not often seen. There was a stage downstairs with a red curtain, and Shul functions, like the early Shaare Zedek concerts and many festive kiddushes were held in the social hall.
“There were well-attended seudos shlishis held weekly with whole whitefish, herring salad, Suburban Almond Smash soda, and Suburban Club ginger ale served as the favorite delicacies. For very special events Mrs. Nussbaum’s fancy cakes, petit fours, and truffles were served, and Berlin Caterers did the majority of the bar mitzva affairs. These are my fond memories and those were the days!
“Today, in Baltimore, there are quite a few alumni of Shearith Israel who grew up in the Shul during the 28 years that Rabbi Mendel Feldman led the congregation. However, only a few of them still live in the neighborhood. I can tell you that when they talk about what they all call ‘Shearith Israel,’ they have the fondest memories of growing up in that period of the Shul. Not one of them would call it ‘Shearis Yisroel’ or ‘Glen Avenue.’ That is one way to tell who is a ‘newcomer.’”
The Great Change
I can now write based on my own memories and my own personal involvement with the dynamic metamorphosis that overtook Shearith Israel and led to the era of Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer.
In 1977, Feigi and I moved back to Baltimore, and a year later bought a house at 5905 Park Heights Avenue, a half-block from the Shul. We found a neighborhood in transition. Shearith Israel still had a cadre of stalwart members, but it was not growing. Young people preferred the Greenspring area, and there were no young Germans to replace the old Germans. Young people who did move into the area were not used to the German minhag, and the founding of the Agudah up the street led to a decline in the number of mispalelim at Shearith Israel. There was a sizable financial deficit, and only some endowments kept the Shul afloat. Many members felt that something had to be done to save the Shul. It was only a matter of time before the situation would become unviable. The main minyan on the Yamim Nora’im upstairs had a paltry attendance, maybe 30 men. The downstairs hashkama (early) minyan was full and did not follow the Minhag Ashkenaz.
In 1986, a delegation consulted with Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l, whose Kol Torah Yeshiva had faced a similar nusach question. His psak allowed a switch to Nusach Ashkenaz, but Rabbi Auerbach urged the retention of some of the features of Minhag Ashkenaz, which was done. A five-member ritual committee, of which I was a member, was chaired by Rabbi Herbert Birnbaum, z”l, and, over the course of 10 meetings, conducted a point by point review of Shul minhagim. After an examination of the report by the Novominsker Rebbe, the majority of the membership voted to accept the committee’s report, and the change in nusach began on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, 5747.
Rabbi Mendel Feldman served Shearith Israel with distinction and retired after 28 years of selfless dedication for his kehila. A search committee, of which I was also a member, set about the task of recommending a worthy successor to Rabbis Rice, Shaffer, Schwab, and Feldman. Chaired by Dr. Josh Greenspon and Bernie Steinharter (Menlo), the committee interviewed a number of candidates and brought several in for “probehs.”
The Era of Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer
On May 12, 1987, the membership ratified the selection of Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer. It is hard for me to fathom that it has been 25 years since Rabbi Hopfer became the Morah D’Asrah of Shearith Israel. So much has changed over those two-and-a-half decades. Attendees at this year’s banquet will hear personal testimonies of the Rav’s impact on them. In conversations with current members, it becomes apparent that Rabbi Hopfer brought a lot of energy to the Shul, and his personality and leadership motivated many young families to join Shearith Israel. The demographics of the Shul membership changed, and many new programs were instituted to serve the varied needs of the growing membership and their families.
Shiurim were instituted or revitalized for a wide variety of areas. The Rav’s Shulchan Aruch shiur each morning attracts a loyal following. Several times a week, he gives a Gemara shiur and a Medrash shiur on Shabbos afternoon. Throughout the year, the Rav arranges for question-and-answer programs, where questions are submitted in advance and then answered in a public forum. Because of his keen understanding of the needs of the community, he also speaks about bain adam lehaveiro (social) issues on a regular basis, aiming to instill sensitivity to areas that need improvement in the lives of individuals, families, and the community.
Twice a year, there are lectures by well-known speakers, such as Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Yechiel Spero, and, more recently, Rabbi Zachariah Wallerstein and Rabbi Moshe Bamberger on the occasion of the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Abraham Rice. These activities are open to the entire community and serve not only as fundraisers but as a vehicle to let the entire community know that Shearith Israel is a major player in the life of Baltimore Jewry.
Rabbi Hopfer has developed a warm relationship with the youth of the kehila. In addition to father-and-son bais medrash on Shabbos or motza’ei Shabbos, there have been Shabbos luncheons, in which the Rav and Rebbetzin ate with either the young men or the young women of Shearith Israel and dealt with issues relevant to their lives. The sisterhood is active and provides social and educational opportunities for the women, such as brunches, question-and-answer sessions with the Rav, and other activities that contribute greatly to the viability of the Shul.
Programs for the entire family, such as mesibos (parties) for Chanukah and Purim and the Shul picnic, enable members and their families to enjoy the convivial atmosphere of a friendly Shul community.
Perhaps the most concrete example of the renaissance of Shearith Israel in the current period is the success of the capital campaign to refurbish the social hall. Over a lengthy period, the entire lower level of the building was gutted and rebuilt. The social hall was expanded and the room enlarged to include a new office for Rabbi Hopfer as well as a new location for the library. A handicap ramp was constructed to make access to the lower level possible, just as a ramp had been constructed years before to enable easier access to the main level. Both ramps were built to the highest standards and were a product of the Rav’s sensitivity to assuring access to the Shul for everyone.
The renovation, like all such projects, ended up costing much more than originally thought. In fact, the cost exceeded a million dollars! The fact that it succeeded and that contributions were made by current members as well as those with historic ties to the Shul is positive proof of the depth of feeling that so many have for the Rav. It demonstrated the unity of purpose and common goals of the kehila.
Anyone who has not been in the lower level of Shearith Israel since the renovations will be “blown away” by the beauty and class of the new facility. It has enhanced the social hall for simchas and made it a warm and welcoming venue for other activities. More recently, new windows were installed in the sanctuary to replace the ones that were old and less than ideal. Other improvements are being planned to enhance the sanctity of the synagogue. The reconstruction of the facility is indicative of the rejuvenation of the kehila under the Rav’s leadership.
Aside from the laudable unity and loyalty among the membership, one is sometimes surprised at how many former members and those who grew up in the Shul but no longer live in the area retain fond feelings for Shearith Israel. It takes great sensitivity to connect with the new as well as the old, with those who have recently joined the community as well as those whose allegiance goes back decades. Each person is dealt with as an individual and with great understanding and respect by the Rav.
Rabbi Hopfer has transformed the Shul in many ways. The heightened level of Torah learning that he has inspired, including an evening kollel and bais medrash, and the decorum and kavana that is obvious during tefilos is a source of pride to the Shul. A hallmark of Rabbi Hopfer’s approach is his great sensitivity for everyone. There are simply not enough hours in the day for each and every person who turns to him for guidance and understanding. My wife and I consider it our zechus to have such a moreh derech and Rav. Members of the Shul consider themselves fortunate to have a Rav who is understanding, wise, and sensitive – a posek as well as a moral exemplar, who represents the essence of the Torah personality.
In addition to his leadership of the Shul, Rabbi Hopfer is the leader of the Orthodox rabbinate of Baltimore, as president of the Vaad Harabbonim. Under his leadership, the achdus (unity) of the community is preserved and enhanced. Sensitive issues are dealt with in accordance with bain adam lamakom and bain adam lechaveiro. Baltimore is truly fortunate to have Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer in its midst. Shearith Israel, under his wise and discerning guidance, is on an upward path. I am sure that Rabbi Abraham Rice is looking down from Shamayim and rejoicing that the Shul he founded so long ago has followed a Torah-true path, through thick and thin. The essence of Shearith Israel has always been strict adherence to the Torah. The souls of those many generations who davened in Shearith Israel must rejoice that the Shul they fought to keep Orthodox is today full of those who daven with kavana and learn Torah.
Feigi and I have the practice of davening on the Yamim Nora’im and for Yizkor at Shearith Israel, the shul she grew up in and which her parents were members for so many years. When we sit in the exact same seats that Feigi sat in when she was growing up, and I sit next to the seat her father occupied, I feel a sense of reverence for those who have preserved this edifice. I believe that when we recite the Shehechiyanu bracha for keeping us alive, sustaining us and enabling us to reach this day, it applies to this holy sanctuary, too.
This article was prepared in recognition of 25 years of spiritual leadership by Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, shlita.
