Southwest Jewish History

 

Volume 3, Number 1, p. 3

The Stone Avenue Temple Project

by Toby Anne Sydney

Early synagogues are currently the focus of many important research and restoration projects across the United States and in Europe. The Jewish Heritage Council of the World Monuments Fund; the Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage (MA); the Eldridge Street Project (NY); and the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MS) have been successful in saving historic sites. Some of these buildings still serve congregations, however, most are finding new life as historic cultural centers.

We are fortunate to have in Tucson the first building erected in the Arizona Territory solely for the purpose of Jewish worship; built in 1910, the former Temple Emanu-El on South Stone Avenue, attests to the vital presence of pioneer Jews. The Stone Avenue Temple Project, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is the preservation and the reuse of this site as a heritage center. We will honor Jewish history and foster contemporary cultural exchanges.

Everyone is invited to our celebratory events for the preservation of Jewish monuments:

November 6,1994 "Celebrations of Two Cultures" procession from the Stone Avenue Temple to the Santa Cruz Catholic Church. Sponsored by the Hispanic-Jewish Dialogue Committee.

January 8, 1994 Opening of "The Future of Jewish Monuments," an exhibit organized by the Jewish Heritage Council. Co- sponsored in Tucson by the Arizona Historical Society and the Stone Avenue Temple Project.

As part of our research, we continue to search for photographs and/or documents pertaining to the building during 1910-1949. If you have any information on the original site of Temple Emanu-El and/or questions about the project then please contact: Toby Anne Sydney, c/o Jewish Historical Society of Southern Arizona, P. O. Box. 57482, Tucson, AZ 85732-7482.