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COLUMBUS, GA.
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COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
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of a house at Tenth and Fourth
Avenue.
The house was furnished as
a synagogue and the congre
gation settled down in the
pride of having a permanent
House of Worship.
What peace the members ex
pected was scattered within
the next few years as the
sombre subject of slavery and
abolition exploded into the
War Between the States.
Raphael J. Moses, Columbus
patriot, enlisted with his three
sons in the Confederate Army,
becoming a major on the staff
of General James Longstreet.
His son Israel served in the
Confederate line throughout
the w r ar. A second son, Albert,
earned a commission in the
23rd North Carolina Regiment
and was killed May 31. 1862
in the Battle of Seven Pines.
The last of the three sons and
his father’s namesake joined
the Confederate Navy.
To perpetuate the Sephardic
tradition of his family, Moses,
being a descendant of the
Nunez and Luria families,
changed the name of his eld
est son to Israel M. Nunez,
and his second son to Albert
M. Luria.
Returning to Columbus, the
family lived somewhat in a
state of isolation and separa
tion from the community,
though in 1866 Raphael J.
Moses distinguished himself
in the Georgia legislature.
He authored a letter in re
sponse to his Jewish fealty
which won him wide and
lasting acclaim.
Though Moses became the
symbol of Columbus Jewry
and the hero of the struggle
which devastated the South,
the Jewish community itself
went forward industriously
and devotedly. The house
which had been serving as a
Synagogue was proving too
small and in 1886, members de
cided to build a new' Temple.
J. H. Gabriel was appointed
as building chairman. Earnest
Abshagen of New' York pre
pared plans and specifications
and in October of that year,
the construction commenced.
By Friday, September 2, 1887
the building was ready for
completion, under the spiritual
guidance of Rabbi L. Weiss.
Participating in the dedica
tion rites were L. Hecht of
Montgomery and Rabbi Jacob
son of Macon.
Officers at the time includ
ed Leo Loew'enherz, president,
and J. H. Gabriel, vice presi
dent.
A banquet and dance was
held at Rankin Hotel follow
ing the dedication services.
Among the special guests were
Major C. B. Grimes and rep
resentatives of the Enquirer-
Sun and The Ledger. Several
hundred other guests were in
vited and most of them were
14
on hand.
In the fall of 1893, Rabbi
E. B. M. Brown came from
Toledo, Ohio, to become spirit
ual leader. Then Joseph Blatt
and Rabbi Rosenthal.
In 1907, fire gutted the
Temple and remodeling was
instituted by President Her
man Sternberg. President Her
man appointed Leo Loewen-
herz to head a committee to
remodel the Temple.
Nearly all of the congrega
tional records w'ere lost in
the fire and only fragmentary
reports remain to indicate
the group’s early history.
Recapitulated records from
various sources—by no means
complete, have furnished a
somewhat complete list of the
rabbis and presidents of Con
gregation Temple Israel.
The spiritual leaders include:
1859, Rev. L. Z. Sternheimer;
1887, Rabbi L. Weiss; 1893,
Rabbi E. B. M. Brown; Rabbi
Joseph Blatt; 1907-1940, Rabbi
Frank L. Rosenthal; 1939-
1947, Rabbi Herbert S. Wallt-
er; 1947-1949, Rabbi Joseph I.
Weiss; 1950, Rabbi Alfred L.
Goodman, incumbent.
The list of distinguished
citizens who have headed the
congregation includes:
1859 S. Rothschild; 1887-
1923, Leo Loewenherz; Mr. Sol
Loeb, Herman Sternberg; 1923-
1927, Morris Loeb; 1927-1939,
Maurice D. Rothschild; 1930-
1939, Herman Julius; 1939-
1945, Maurice Rothschild; 1946-
47, Simon Schwob; 1948, Chas.
K. Hecht Sr.; 1949-1951, Maur
ice Rosenberg; 1945-55, Edwin
Rothschild; 1956, Albert M.
Wise, encumbent.
It was natural that as
Columbus grew' and the con
gregation flourished that the
women should find time to
devote some of their energies
in the direction of helping
others, which was not always
confined to needy of their own
faith.
In 1874. a “Daughters of
Israel" organization was found
ed, with Miss Minnie Dessau as
president. Mrs. L. Meyer and
Mrs. L. Kern also served as
presidents.
Around 1900, the associated
women’s charity organization
w r as know as the “Hebrew
Benevolent Society, later be
coming the Jew'ish Ladies Aid
Society. Presidents have in
cluded: Mrs. J. H. Gabriel,
Mrs. Sternberg. Mrs. Leo Loe-
w’enherz, Mrs. B. Rothschild,
Mrs. Morris Gerson, Mrs. Ben
Gerson, Mrs. Herman Roths
child. Mrs. Morris Stein and
Mrs. Sam Schiffman, Mrs.
Herman Julius, Mrs. Bert
Tillery, Mrs. I. B. Rothschild,
Sr., Mrs. Irw’in Rosenberg,
Mrs. Victor Kiralfy, Mrs. Carl
Greentree, Mrs. Maurice
Rosenberg, Mrs. Donald Broda
and Mrs. Richard Hecht.
The Southern Israelite