About CRC

There’s a rich and lengthy history of synagogues in the City of St. Louis, dating well back into the 19th century.  With the growth and development of the Gateway City came dozens of congregations; with very few exceptions, synagogues here found their origins either in the City or the adjacent suburb of University City.

By the mid 1980s, following a chunk of the St. Louis area Jewish population, several of the larger synagogues had relocated to newer, suburban areas along the Highway 40 (now Interstate 64) corridor.  Yet a new generation of young couples, seeking to provide a Jewish experience for their budding families, desired a way to honor the longtime connection between Jewish life and the City.

The congregation they sought to create, however, was not centered solely around religious practice.  They wanted a group of families that not only embraced Judaism but would also create and engage an inclusive, gender-neutral and non-patriarchal community committed to social justice and all aspects of Tikkun Olam, Healing the World.

Wedding their social consciousness to their burgeoning Jewish awareness, the founders decided, after much soul-searching, to create a new Jewish place of worship within the City of St. Louis.  Out of that effort grew Central Reform Congregation. The name derived from the twin goals of having a central geographical location and a synagogue that would provide a central focus in congregants’ lives.

Rabbi Susan Talve, who had been serving Congregation Shaare Emeth, consulted with the founding families in 1984, as they determined what kind of community they wanted to create. The initial group held services in a park during the summer of 1984 to build interest about the new community.  CRC was formally founded that year, with 30 families attending the first High Holiday services.

A year later, Rabbi Susan was hired part time for the congregation, and has been with CRC ever since. That same year, CRC formally joined the Reform movement by affiliating with what is now known as the Union for Reform Judaism.

The concept of CRC was of a spiritual community with shared values, rather than of a synagogue defined by a building and grounds.  But a congregation needs a place and, at peak times like the Jewish High Holidays, a rather large one.

CRC began its synagogue operations with an office above the Straubs grocery store across the street from the historic Chase Park Plaza and just up the street from Forest Park, one of the nation’s preeminent urban parks.

Having no place of its own for services, CRC entered into an agreement to have weekly Shabbat services at the First Unitarian Church, just down Kingshighway Boulevard from the park and across the street from where CRC now stands.

The church, while a wonderful partner for most services and events, was not of sufficient size to house services for the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  The growth of the congregation, coupled with the High Holiday services being open to the public, meant that a larger facility would be needed for these days.

The answer was to rent space in an existing community facility, and this has been accomplished in a number of locales around St. Louis, even up to the present day. Several different venues have served as home to the High Holiday services: The Center of Contemporary Arts in University City; the Westport Theatre in northwest St. Louis County; the Chase Park Plaza, just down the street from CRC’s current home; and most recently, the Jewish Community Center campus, also in St. Louis County.

In 1999, CRC broke ground for its own synagogue building, right across the street from the First Unitarian Church. Our Sukkat Shalom, or Shelter of Peace, houses Shabbat services, secondary High Holiday services, religious and Hebrew schools, a wide variety of CRC and community events, and our administrative offices. And our recent addition, the Oneg Floor mosaic, designed by Indian Jewish artist Siona Benjamin, provides a unique setting in our front foyer for all visitors.

As the congregation grew, the staff also expanded to serve the greater number and diversity of families and individuals.

Rabbi Randy Fleisher came to CRC in 2000. Rabbi Ed Harris, a founding CRC member and a psychologist who later received his ordination, served as a part-time rabbi from 2008-2014.

Rabbi Deanna Sussman, who had been a rabbinic intern for CRC, served full-time as the Rabbi Educator from 2014-2016.

The large stones you see are a sculpture called “Tikkun”, created by local artist Ilene Berman. Its form is based on the Jewish mystical story of creation about the shattering of vessels, the gathering of hidden sparks, and the repair of the world. The “Shema”—the holiest Jewish prayer–is written inside. The largest opening is facing the First Unitarian Church. A path, comprised from clay pieces decorated by the community, leads from the sanctuary to the vessel. The clay pieces represent shards from the shattered vessel. CRC and community members took part in creating the art by decorating, etching or hand printing the clay pieces. The sculpture is a reminder for the CRC members to do the work of Tikkun Olam.

The Central Reform Congregation building on Waterman Blvd was built in 2000. In May 2004, the Tikkun sculpture was officially dedicated and installed on the corner of Kingshighway and Waterman.

Learn more at the Regional Arts Commission page.

Rabbi Karen Kriger Bogard and Rabbi Daniel Bogard (who grew up at CRC) joined the Rabbinic team including Rabbi Susan and Rabbi Randy in July, 2018.

More than thirty years later, we’ve grown from just a couple dozen households to over 700 today. We remain a bastion of Judaism in the City of St. Louis, and have been partners in so many interfaith initiatives to make the City and our region a more just and equitable place to live.

Our CRC family joins in service to our members, to the broader community, and to the universal need to make our world a better place for all.