Des Moines' oldest synagogue celebrates 150 years serving Jewish community

One of Iowa's few synagogues is celebrating its 150th year in service to Des Moines' Jewish community.

Temple B'nai Jeshurun, 5101 Grand Ave. in Des Moines, has been serving central Iowa since 1873 as the first established Jewish congregation in Des Moines and Iowa's first reform congregation, a more progressive branch of the Jewish faith. It stands as a historic pillar of Des Moines and Iowa's Jewish community.

The temple's anniversary comes amid heightened security measures as the Israel-Hamas war rages on. Temple leaders were forced to push back their original celebration because of the Oct. 7 brutal Hamas attack on Israeli towns that killed at least 1,200 people. Today, the temple keeps its doors locked for safety as calls for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza grow and Jewish people across the country report a rise in anti-Semitic attacks.

But that hasn't stopped its members from marking the significant milestone and the temple's impact on its members.

"We have had 150 years of baby namings, b'nai mitzvah, confirmations, weddings, meals of consolation, programs, and celebrations shared as a community that remains vibrant today," the temple's 150th-anniversary committee said in a statement to the Des Moines Register.

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How Temple B'nai Jeshurun got started

Even though it has served as a hub for Jewish Iowans for 150 years, the temple only settled into its current synagogue in 1932.

Before, the temple was ran out of a rented hall until 1878 when its members bought and converted a building off of Seventh and Mulberry streets. It stayed there for nine years before erecting there first temple at the southwest corner of Eighth and Pleasant streets in 1883. Jewish Iowans worshipped there until the temple moved into its current space to accommodate a larger congregation.

"The temple will be a handsome white stone edifice, facing eastward down Grand Avenue. Tentative plans call for a building suitable for religious services and community gatherings," a Register report from Oct. 23, 1930, said.

Today, Temple B'nai Jeshurun holds Shabbat services on Friday nights and Saturday mornings that bring the Jewish community together. Every first Friday of the month, Rabbi Neal Schuster, who has been the rabbi at Temple B'nai Jeshurun since 2022, leads family Shabbat services that include a prayer book oriented toward children.

They even hold special Shabbat services throughout the year designed for families with young children, such as zoo Shabbat at Blank Park Zoo and a pet Shabbat service.

Additionally, they hold service for other Jewish holidays including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah and Purim.

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Delayed anniversary held three months later

On Feb. 24, Temple B'nai Jeshurun officially celebrated 150 years with a night of connecting with old and new friends and being together for Shabbat. The event brought more than 150 people together for a silent auction, music, food and camaraderie.

"The number of people who turned up from all across the community and just had a wonderful evening of being together and everything, it was really nice. It was a lot of fun," Schuster said. "It was very, very meaningful."

Originally scheduled for Nov. 4, the temple rescheduled the 150th celebration after the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war "because it was not the appropriate time for that type of celebration," said Emily Kruse, board president of Temple B'nai Jeshurun.

For Rabbi Schuster, the celebration could not be had without the recognition of the strength of the Jewish people and what they have been through.

"We have this expression in Hebrew, 'Gam zeh ya'avor,' meaning, 'This too shall pass.' But this shall not pass by being passive and waiting, but by working hard to return to times of joy and strength and celebration," Schuster said.

After rescheduling the event, according to Kruse, it was a success.

"It was really a great success and a chance to recognize the history and the fact that we've been here for so long and are still here and plan to continue to be here," she said.

The Feb. 24 event isn't the only event planned for the 150th anniversary. The temple plans to hold monthly food drives and tailor its regular services to the 150th anniversary. It also held a community pancake breakfast in August and celebrated Hanukkah last year by bringing in 150 dreidels to spin all at once.

"All funds raised at special events throughout the year will go to the Temple's endowment to ensure our next 150 years," Kruse said. "As a result, we will remain a strong, vital hub of Jewish life in central Iowa."

More events celebrating Temple B'nai Jeshurun's 150th anniversary will be announced on the temple's Facebook page.

"Really our main goal when talking about events for the year was we want people to come together," Kruse said. "We, as a community, like to be together. We like being with each other."

Temple a pillar of Des Moines Jewish community

According to the temple's website, the temple still holds to the goals of its founders: "to maintain a synagogue as a center of worship, religious education and communal gathering; to foster a 'living Judaism' not only in the Temple, but also in the homes and lives of its members and their families; and to adjust the teachings and practices of old to the needs of each new generation of American Jews."

One of the oldest Jewish temples in the state, Temple B'nai Jeshurun has been a pillar of Des Moines' community. In 2016, the temple made space for the Orthodox Beth El Jacob congregation when it made the difficult decision to close due to declining membership. Now just four synagogues are active in central Iowa, including one in Ames, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines.

"There's this invigorating sense of 'It's only our first 150 years, and we've been here since the earliest days,'" Schuster said. "We're here now in this exciting time for the city of Des Moines, the community."

"I think there are some people in Des Moines that would be surprised to know that there is a Jewish community here in town," Kruse said. "We're all your friends and neighbors. That sounds so cheesy, but like, you know, we're here, we have kids that go to school with your kids we are involved in the community."

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Des Moines is celebrating 150 years