History

A History of Sinai Temple

      Sinai Temple was started in 1931 by newlyweds Samuel and Helen Simons who decided that Springfield, Massachusetts needed an alternative to the Orthodox and Conservative synagogues in the area. While Sam had grown up in Springfield without a Reform presence, Helen had grown up in a large Reform congregation in West Hartford and they both wanted to bring that kind of religious opportunity to Springfield.

     Services began in individual homes before a house was purchased on Sumner Avenue and remodeled to serve as home for the growing congregation. During those early years Rabbis David Eichhorn, Judah Cohn, and Hershel Levin led the congregation. With the arrival of Rabbi Herman Eliot Snyder in 1947, a building drive made possible the purchase of land in what was then the outskirts of Springfield.  Ground was broken for our beloved building, 1100 Dickinson Street, on August 15, 1949 and it was completed in 1950.  Other Springfield Jewish institutions followed Sinai to the outskirts and are now the familiar landmarks of the Jewish Community Center campus, Jewish Geriatric Services, and Temple Beth El.   During Rabbi Snyder's years at Sinai, 1947 to 1970, the congregation grew from 100 families to 450 families. With that growth came a Religious School, Hebrew and Bar/Bat Mitzvah instruction, a Cantor and choir, a well-stocked library, and a commitment to community.

     When Rabbi Snyder retired and became Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Bernard Cohen guided the congregation through a year of transition.  He was followed by Rabbi Stanley Davids (1971-1977), Rabbi Howard Kaplansky (1977-1983), and Rabbi Bernard Bloomstone (1983-1988).

     In 1979, Emily Sleeper Mekler became our Cantor, bringing her musical talents, great warmth, and her devotion to the children and adults of the community.  She nurtured B'nai Mitzvah students, created an Adult Choir and a Junior Choir to enhance our worship, and created countless special musical services and concerts that engaged and involved congregants of all ages.

     In 1988, Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro became our Rabbi  bringing warmth, enthusiasm, and a heartfelt embrace of Judaism, tzedekah, Torah, and social action.  Under his leadership, the Religious School students created a quilt that still hangs in the auditorium.  In the late 1990's, the interior of the Temple building was renovated and a second endowment fund was created.  Rabbi Shapiro worked closely with our educators enriching our Religious School experience and was a leader in expanding our social action programming.  He developed and nurtured our weekly Shabbat morning Torah Study sessions into the core aspect of the Sinai life that it is today.

     Our congregation continues to rely on strong, thoughtful and very active lay leadership in the form of congregational officers, Board and committee members and volunteers who have always helped sustain the Temple and congregation.

     In 2006, we marked our 75th anniversary with the restoration of our Torah scrolls, a Scholar-in-Residence weekend, an adult Hebrew reading program involving more than 75 learners, congregational development of the Sinai Temple Mission Statement and two social action projects which raised funds to build a playground for a Springfield public school, and to provide swimming lessons for needy Springfield children.  Every child in our Religious School participated in creating a tile mosaic for the crossword installation piece entitled “The Alphabet of our Jewish Lives" that is on display in the Oneg Shabbat Room.

     In 2008, Cantor Mekler left us after 29 years of music, spiritual leadership, and connection and Cantor Martin Levson joined us.  He brought his guitar and a wealth of musical energy and engagement.  Under his direction and with his passion, the junior choir became "Shir Fun" and flourished.  He and his wife Sheri, who taught in our Religious School, brought musical theater to Sinai, staging Music Man, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof and Children of Eden. 

     In June 2016, the congregation honored Rabbi Shapiro upon his retirement and Rabbi Howard Kosovske became our interim Rabbi to guide us in a two-year transition from Rabbi Shapiro’s longtime leadership.  On July 1, 2018 we took the next step into our future as Rabbi Jeremy Master became our settled rabbi.  We joyously welcomed the Master family--Rabbi Master, his wife Rabbi Alana Wasserman and their daughters Peri and Dara.  

     Our Religious School has evolved over time and in September 2017 moved to a new model of an extended Sunday morning session which includes both religious and Hebrew instruction. This replaced the prior two day a week model of Sunday morning religious instruction and weekday Hebrew instruction.  Our religious school has continued to evolve and in 2022, we joined forces with Temple Beth El, creating B'Yachad, a joint religious school program. 

     Our congregation, like many religious congregations outside of large urban areas, experienced a significant drop in membership beginning in the early 2000’s.  After years of financial study and much congregational and Board soul searching, we made the painful decision that the financial health of Sinai required a return to a single clergy model.  As a result, Cantor Levson left us on June 30, 2018.  For a few years, we had a High Holiday Cantor with special musical programs throughout the year, supplementing the considerable talents of Rabbi Master.  

    Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have had smaller in-person participation, and much of our activity has been affected by smaller gatherings, often supplemented by online participation.  Nevertheless, we joyfully celebrated our 90th anniversary, albeit a couple of years late due to COVID.  As part of our 90th anniversary celebration, we dedicated our Mitzvah Garden and continued our support of the neighborhood elementary school. 

     While we are continuing to encourage congregational engagement, we are also engaged in strategic planning, studying various options for our future growth.

Revised 2024