eSefarad Noticias del Mundo Sefaradi
Part I >>
The Later Santa Barbara Avenue years 1946-1959
Following World War II there were some new innovations to the community. A choir was started under the direction of the late Norma Carmona of blessed memory and Friday night services were becoming more frequent. Rabbi Tovi had died and was replaced by Rabbi Axelrod for a short period of time. He was replaced by Rabbi Friedman who had been a rabbi in Florence, Italy. Reverend Isaac M. Varon who was the temple secretary also acted as the Hazzan or Cantor. Aron Cohen a past president of the community took over the job of Gabbai of the community upon the passing of Moise H. Hattem in 1951. He held that position for over 50 years until he passed away.
During this period the small children of the 1920s and early 1930s were growing up and there were many Bar Mitzvahs and weddings. Now that the war was over and times were better the membership began to increase and soon the Santa Barbara Temple wasn’t large enough to hold the membership as it once did.
About this time some parochial arguments ensued as to the rabbi’s tenure and finally it came to a point where Rabbi Friedman resigned his position of rabbi. This had to be done in order to placate the two factions that were forming -a pro Rabbi Friedman and an anti Rabbi Friedman. It was about this time that discussions with the Sephardic Brotherhood Community, Haim VaHessed and the Sephardic Community of Los Angeles were held with reference to a forthcoming merger of the two communities.
Presidents during this period were:
Jack Kiok 1944
Salvo Lavis 1945 – 1946
Aron Cohen 1947
Isaac L. Caraco 1948
Ralph Caraco 1949
Morris Passy 1950
J. J. Nahama 1951 – 1952
Milton Amado 1953 – 1955
J. J. Nahama 1956
Aron Cohen 1957 – 1958
Merger with Sephardic Brotherhood`1959
Rabbi Ott And A Search For A New Home 1959 – 1975
1959 was quite an eventful year for the community. This was the year they merged with the Sephardic Brotherhood known as Haim VaHessed. This was the group that split with the Sephardic Community in 1926 and formed their own community. Now they have merged together again. The community’s name was changed to The Sephardic Community and Brotherhood of Los Angeles. This was also the year that Rabbi Jacob M. Ott was invited to be the spiritual leader of the community on a trial basis. The”trial” lasted for 33 years until he retired in 1992.
As the community grew through the years, the Santa Barbara Avenue Temple became too small, and as most of the members of the congregation had moved west, there was a strong urge to move to West Los Angeles. The leaders of the Santa Barbara Avenue Temple saw the need to preserve the unique culture, heritage and religious rites(minhag) of the Sephardim in an overwhelmingly large Ashkenazic community, as well as to help new families in the area and educate the children in the Sephardic culture. A large plot of land was purchased on Wilshire Boulevard, one of the most magnificent avenues of Los Angeles, at the corner of Warner Avenue. Plans for the architecture were carefully considered, and finally it was agreed that the temple should be made of stones, to look like the stones of Jerusalem. It was to be built in the style of the Old City of Jerusalem. The resulting building, the only one of its style, stands impressively on the city’s major boulevard. It is a fitting tribute to the vision of the late Maurice Amado of blessed memory.
An historic ground-breaking took place in 1970. His excellency Itzhak Navon, Israel’s first president of Sephardic origin, in a message to Rabbi Jacob Ott, expressed the hope that “along with physical development there will be corresponding growth in the temple’s spiritual and cultural influence among young and old in the community.”
By this time there were over 600 members in the temple family and growing!
The presidents of the community during this period were:
Richard J. Amado 1960
Sam Dana 1961 – 1962
Joseph Levy 1963 – 1964
Max Candiotty 1965
Aron Cohen 1966 – 1967
Max Candiotty 1968 – 1969
Milton S. Amado 1970 – 1975.
Wilshire & Warner 1975 – 1993
In 1975 the move to the Wilshire & Warner site was made albeit the temple sanctuary hadn’t been built as yet. Services were held in the social hall known as Amado Hall in memory of Maurice Amado one of the temple’s benefactors.
In 1979 a two day festival, Sephardic ‘79 was held in the sanctuary site as a fund raiser for the new temple sanctuary. In September, 1981 the temple sanctuary was dedicated. It was a dream come true. In the words of the B’nai B’rith Messenger, which described the ceremony as follows. In a tradition as old as the Exodus itself, they marched with their Youth and their elders together in a procession with canopy and song taking the Sifrei Torah to the new main sanctuary of Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel which was dedicated on Sunday, September 15.
The impressive ceremony was the culmination of two decades of effort to bring about the complete relocation of Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel from its Santa Barbara Avenue location dedicated some 50 years ago, to the new Wilshire Boulevard location, at Warner Avenue. Witness to this full cycle of development was Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin, of Wilshire Boulevard Temple who spoke at the dedication of the old temple on Santa Barbara Avenue, and also delivered the inspirational message for the new sanctuary’s dedication.
There was hardly a dry eye among the more than 1000 guests when the blasts of the Shofar (rams horn) greeted the procession of Torahs being brought into the new sanctuary. It was with joy and gladness that the congregates reached out to kiss the torahs as they were paraded seven times around the temple. It was the same emotional spirit that Aron Cohen, the temple’s Gabbai for half a century pronounced the prayer of thanksgiving before the torahs placed in the new ark with song and prayer led by Cantor Isaac Behar.
The main sanctuary is a gift of the Maurice Amado Foundation to the temple. The foundation was established before his death by the late Maurice Amado, a leading Sephardic philanthropist. Richard Amado, the foundation president made the presentation which was accepted by Hyman Jebb Levy, the temple’s president. Ralph A. Amado, Chairman of the Building Committee is the grandson of Raphael Amado, along with Isadore M. Hattem and Morris Passy were leaders in the building of the first temple on Santa Barbara Avenue.
Max Candiotty, Chairman of the Temple Religion Committee was Master of Ceremonies. A highlight of the event was the appearance and an address by California Governor Jerry Brown. In his dedicatory address Rabbi Ott highlighted the concept of the spirit of the new temple, saying that it was,”new in substance but old in spirit and tradition.” The colorful ceremonies concluded on a note of solemnity and inspiration when Aron Cohen led the congregation in a memorial prayer for the repose of the souls of the builders who departed, and when Cantor Behar led the congregation in the afternoon service.
In 1980 member Bob Hattem suggested to then president Lou Alcalay that there should be a monthly temple newsletter instead of the infrequent bulletins that were published usually during the High Holidays. He appointed Bob as Chairman of the Publications committee and the newsletter, El Shofar, the name at Lou’s suggestion was born. Bob was appointed as the first editor and the first issue was published in January of 1981. Bob retired in 1987 to become the temple’s first archivist/historian. The second editor was Sue Halfon of blessed memory and currently the editor is Jack Israel.
On the morning of October 1, 1987, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia were greeted on the steps of the temple by Rabbi Ott , Dr. Seymour Eiseman, president of the congregation, Mrs. Raquel Bensimon, Senior Vice President and Mrs. Arlette Cohen, president of the Temple Sisterhood. When the royal couple entered the sanctuary they were honored by the blasts of six shofroth (rams horns) sounded by Cantor Isaac Behar, Jean Claude Beretet, Daniel Bouskila, Richard Morhaime, Thomas Arbitboul O’Neil and Eric Ben Samochan and a jubilant congregation singing Havenu Shalom Alehem. It was for all a new page of history in the making; the Sephardim had waited, sometimes with hope, sometimes with dispair for five hundred years to witness such an event.
For forty-five wonderful minutes it was Camelot Sephardic style. Speeches were made, presentations were made and even the 5.5 earthquake that shook Los Angeles that morning didn’t make any difference. It was the first time in over five hundred years that a Spanish monarch had visited a Jewish synagogue and all in attendance enjoyed every moment. In 1993 Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel and Sephardic Beth Shalom, the former Sephardic Hebrew Center merged and after 80 years the congregation of Avat Shalom of 1912 was once more one spiritual family.
In 1992 Rabbi Ott retired and was replaced by Daniel Bouskila who was practically brought up in the temple family since his childhood days. Rabbi Bouskila is a vibrant rabbi and has great rapport with the children and is very active in the community in general. Cantor Behar has also retired and the new Cantor is Haim Mizrahi who originally came from Istanbul, Turkey. When Aron Cohen died he was replaced by the present Gabbai, Saul Mathalon.
The presidents during this period were:
Milton Amado 1975 – 1977
Hyman Jebb Levy 1978
Joseph Arditty 1979 – 1980
Jerome Varon 1980 – 1981
Lou Alcalay 1981 – 1982
Max Candiotty 1982 – 1983
Nat Barocas 1983 – 1985
Hyman Jebb Levy 1985 – 1987
Dr. Seymour Eiseman 1987 – 1989
Sam Tobey 1990 – 1992
Ralph Amado 1993 – 1994.
One Family 1993 – Present
As of 2002 the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, as it is now known has a congregation of well over 1000 families, second only to New York’s Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, Shearith Israel. A far cry from the original 39 founders in 1920 and 125 members in 1931 and 600 members in 1975.
The temple’s Talmud Torah student enrollment under the direction of the principal, Mrs. Funk boasts over 100 students.
Rabbi Bouskila initiated a variety of programs to keep the interest of the temple family in tact. There is the Lunch and Learn light lunch after the Shabbat Service that features a speaker(usually the rabbi), the once a month Friday Night Service that features a choir and a guest speaker, the senior citizens lunches with guest speakers, the Thursday morning bible class, and many other inovations that is bringing a new and vibrant spirit to the temple family.
It should be noted that the temple gives two awards to deserving members who have worked unselfishly and dedicated themselves to their temple’s success. The highest award is The Sephardic Heritage Award given to those who have given of themselves in the service of the temple. The second highest award is the Morrie Angel Los Merecidos Award given to those who also have given of themselves in the service of the temple.
Since 1993 the Sisterhood has a beautiful updated Matilda Seror gift shop and a new Sisterhood kitchen. In addition the temple has a new air-condition system, a high tech telephone system, a remodeled social hall and remodeled office facility.
Presidents during this period from the merger with Sephardic Beth Shalom were:
Ralph Amado 1993 – 1994
Larry Clumeck 1995 – 1996
Clement Cohen 1997 -1998
Leon Hasson 1999 -2000
Albert Cohen 2001 – 2002
Ray Mallel 2003 – 2004
Jack Gordon 2005 –
Epilogue
From a few souls migrating from Turkey in 1920, Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel’s temple family includes members from Turkey, Rhodes, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Cuba and The United States of America.
By M. I. Bob Hattem Archivist / Historian
Fuente: http://www.sephardictemple.org
