Fifty years plus at Congregation Sinai and the future looks very bright. How we reach this moment, what came before, what is to come?

Beginnings

San Jose in the 1950's was still mainly an orchard town, says founding member Rita Pearl.

 

"There was open space between San Jose and Campbell." And, if you were Jewish, Temple Emanu-El (the former Bikur Cholim Society) was the only place to daven. As in many cases, life cycle events have a way of creating opportunities for change, and that is exactly what happened.

 

David Hellman's need to observe Kaddish for his father inspired the beginning of the first regular daily minyanim. Among the first group were Jacob Berman, Abe Cooper, Abe Giskin, Gerald Greenberg, David Hellman, Harry Katzen, Herman Lefkowitz, Marcus Liebster, Pincus Rudoy, Jack Salzber and Harry Stein. As the group met for minyanim on a regular basis in the Social Hall of Temple Emanu-El, it became committed to form a traditional synagogue. Pincus Rudoy, a man of distinguished and impeccable reputation as a Jewish scholar and author, suggested the name of Congregation Sinai. It reminded him of the similarity of our beginning with that of the Jews wandering in the desert before their arrival at Mount Sinai.

 

Establishing a new synagogue was challenging at times but invigorating at others. With the loving support of Temple Emanu-El's Rabbi Joseph Gitin, the idea began to take form. The very first objective of the group was to purchase a Torah. Donations were received from many members of the community and for $350 the Torah was purchased from the Max Vaxer Bookstore on Essex Street in New York. David Hellman flew out to New York and brought it back to San Jose. Later, honoring the memory of his father, Samuel Hellman, David donated a Torah cover to the congregation.

 

By 1954, while meeting at the home of Bill and Becky Shulman, the group decided to officially establish Congregation Sinai by signing the Articles of Incorporation in February. Founding members included William Shulman, Jacob Berman, Emanuel Pearl, David Hellman, Herman Lefkowitz, Melvin Cotton, Gerald Greenberg, Pincus Rudoy and Dr. William Fritz. Dues were set at $12 per year.