A Jewish Presence in the City of St. Louis
“I haven’t really slept in three days!” is the first thing Rabbi Susan Talve says just as a rush of high school-age kids pour out of her synagogue office. She’s been teaching the confirmation class since she founded the Central Reform Congregation in the Central West End 36 years ago. As Talve welcomes me into …
The evening of Sept. 15 was a quiet Friday night for Rabbi Randy Fleisher, a leader of the Central Reform Congregation, the only synagogue within St. Louis city limits. Shabbat services were winding down, and two congregants were celebrating the one-year anniversary of their religious conversion with cake, hummus, cheese and crackers. But Central Reform …
How St. Louis’ Only City Synagogue Became A Safe Haven For Protesters Read More »
When Central Reform Congregation posted a letter on Facebook Friday announcing that it would act as a “safe space” for people protesting the not-guilty verdict in the Jason Stockley case, leaders of the synagogue thought that most of the protest would happen elsewhere. “I assumed that everything was going to be downtown and that maybe …
Protesters find safety at Central Reform Congregation Read More »
NEW YORK – When protests over the acquittal of a white police officer in the fatal shooting of a black man turned violent in St. Louis over the weekend, a local synagogue opened its doors for demonstrators fleeing police tear gas and rubber bullets.But shortly after the Central Reform Congregation synagogue emerged as a shelter …
Antisemitic Twitter storm erupts after St. Louis synagogue shelters protesters Read More »
As Ferguson braces for the grand jury’s decision in the case of police officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot Mike Brown last August, clergy are preparing for what is likely to be a non-indictment — and for the civil unrest that could follow. Take Rabbi Susan Talve, who founded Central Reform Congregation 30 years ago, and has …
With Grand Jury Decision Imminent, Clergy In Ferguson Step Up As Peacekeepers Read More »
The year 1984, immortalized by the title of George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, was also, on a much happier note, the year in which Central Reform Congregation was officially founded by a small but determined group of St. Louis Jews. They wanted to change the standard model for synagogues to meet the needs of the …
Present at the creation: Origins of Central Reform Congregation Read More »
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …