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| - The synagogue was originally Orthodox when it was founded in 1869. The original name was Anshe Emeth Synagogue, and it was located in downtown Cleveland. By 1888, however, arguments between congregants over the direction of the temple had grown too divisive, and so some members left to form a Reform congregation. In 1986, to meet the needs of a Jewish population that had expanded into a variety of Cleveland suburbs, Park Synagogue East was opened in Pepper Pike, a suburb of Cleveland. A new facility for the East Campus was completed in 2005.
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| abstract
| - The synagogue was originally Orthodox when it was founded in 1869. The original name was Anshe Emeth Synagogue, and it was located in downtown Cleveland. By 1888, however, arguments between congregants over the direction of the temple had grown too divisive, and so some members left to form a Reform congregation. The remaining members built a new temple in 1903. In 1917, two congregations, Anshe Emeth and Beth Tefilo, merged to form a larger congregation, since many Jews were moving east by this time. This combined congregation bought land on East 105th Street. This property would eventually be the Cleveland Jewish Center, and construction began in 1920. Construction was completed by 1922, and the CJC became the major focal point of Jewish life in Cleveland. In addition to a synagogue, the Center had a ballroom, a recreation center, and an indoor swimming pool. It was also at this time that the congregation became a Conservative one under the direction of Rabbi Solomon Goldman. With this new direction came changes that were highly controversial for the formerly-Orthodox attendees. Women and men were allowed to sit together, and the selling of Aliyot was forbidden. These changes resulted in violence against the Rabbi, and eventually an "Anti-Goldman" faction attempted to file legal action, which was appealed all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, who refused to hear the case. Rabbi Goldman left for Palestine in 1929. Rabbi Goldman later became a leading rabbi in Chicago. Anshe Emeth Beth Tefilo went through a number of rabbis until the arrival of Armond Cohen, a 26-year-old rabbi. Burdened with heavy debt, Cohen and lay leaders raised funds to relieve the congregation. A second problem was that, since 1917, the majority of Jews in the area had moved to the east side of Cleveland, specifically Cleveland Heights. To provide for the Jewish population there, Cohen and the congregation purchased the defunct Park School and its property. This became the eastern Cleveland Jewish Center. The following summer, in 1943, a day care and nursery school was added to the Center, and an adjacent lot of acres ( m2) was purchased from John D. Rockefeller. In 1945, a fire broke out, destroying most of the old Park School buildings, as well as the synagogue's library and Torah scrolls. Erich Mendelsohn was hired to design the new synagogue. Completed in 1950, Park Synagogue is considered a significant example of modern synagogue design; one writer comments that its "adventurous use of space is masterly; there are surprises round every corner and unexpected vistas at every turn." In 1986, to meet the needs of a Jewish population that had expanded into a variety of Cleveland suburbs, Park Synagogue East was opened in Pepper Pike, a suburb of Cleveland. A new facility for the East Campus was completed in 2005. In 1990, Rabbi Skoff was called to serve The Park Synagogue, first as Associate Rabbi and then as Senior Rabbi. Skoff quickly emerged as a leading orator and statesman, succeeding in unifying and re-energizing the congregation. For the first time, in 1993-1995, Park Synagogue was successful in establishing an Endowment Fund, to support and enhance the synagogue's mission and programs. In 1996, at the age of 36, Skoff was given life tenure with the congregation. Under Rabbi Skoff's leadership, Park Synagogue is one of the largest Conservative congregations in the country and has been awarded seven Solomon Schechter Synagogue of Excellence Awards. In 2008, Rabbi Skoff was honored with the newly-endowed Leighton Rosenthal Chair in Rabbinics, the first rabbi in Cleveland to be so honored by a congregation.
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