Temple Israel of London, Ontario, CD

Temple Israel helps to ‘repair the world’

25 YEARS: The synagogue sprang from humble beginnings into a place where the spiritual confronts worldly realities

The garden behind London's Temple Israel was filled with the rollicking sounds of klezmer music Sunday as members celebrated the synagogue's 25th anniversary.

The temple grew from humble origins in the early 1970s, when a half-dozen like-minded families gathered in basements to share faith and social action.

At the time, the only two synagogues in town were the conservative Congregation Or Shalom and the orthodox Beth Tefilah, leaving no place of worship for liberal, reform-minded Jews.

When the gatherings outgrew the basements, members rented space at the Hebrew School and then the Jewish Community Centre. Later, the temple moved into the building at 651 Windermere Rd., (now the Tetherwood Spa) before finding a permanent home in the old Spencer House at 605 Windermere in 2002.

The temple, which now comprises 150 families and more than 300 members, was formally welcomed into the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism in 1985.

Many at the celebration were long-time and founding members, including past and current presidents, but there were more recent adherents on hand as well.

Jerry Ugar, 73, had never been a regular part of a synagogue in his former home of Toronto, where he found the huge scale of the services made it hard to connect with people. He said when he moved to London five years ago, he felt warmly welcomed by the Temple Israel community.

"I felt instantly at home," he said. "I felt this is where I belonged."

The anniversary comes with the Temple Israel still feeling the loss of its first and long-time rabbi, Joel Wittstein, who died in January after a long battle with cancer. His lasting influence was apparent at Sunday's celebration, where members reflected on the contributions Wittstein and his wife Ailene have made to the community.

Rael Wienburg, the temple's first president, said members often referred to the place as "the house that Joel built."

But incoming president Len Silverstein said the community is also taking the occasion to look ahead. He said the temple begins each year with a theme and this year it's "new beginnings," in honour of the new rabbi, new board and new president.

Rabbi Debra Dressler, who performed her first service June 12, said she looks forward to carrying on Wittstein's tradition of Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for "repairing the world"), through social action and community engagement.

The temple is a long-time supporter of the London Food Bank as well as providing its own monthly soup kitchen for the needy.

Temple member Wally Zimmerman said each year for Yom Kippur there's a food drive to honour the high holidays. The most recent drive set a record by gathering more than a tonne of non-perishable food items. In recent months the temple has done fundraising for earthquake relief in Haiti and Chile.

"We're not just a spiritual place," said Wienburg. "We're a spiritual place with all those other aspects to make this a better world."

E-mail geoff.turner@sunmedia.ca or follow GeoffatLFPress on Twitter.