HNT HISTORY ARCHIVES
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DECADE 5
From War to Peace – From Financial Crisis To Mortgage Burning

During the 1940s, international Jewry both mourned the destruction of its European brethren, and rejoiced in May, 1948 as the State of Israel declared itself an independent nation. America was home to the most influential Jewish community in the world, and President Truman gave immediate recognition to Israel’s statehood.

Locally, Rabbi Samuel Penner served Herzl pulpit in 1948, during the administrations of congregation presidents Max Tobias (1946-47) and Abe Silver (1948-49), following the departure of Rabbi Franklin Cohn. Rabbi Penner founded the Seattle Institute for Adult Jewish Studies, a systematic course of Jewish studies that drew praise and strong enrollment, encouraging Rabbi Penner to declare that a chair in Jewish Studies at the University of Washington was “a possibility.” Incredibly, he was decades ahead of his time (currently, two UW Jewish Studies professorships are funded: Dr. Noam Pianko, husband of HNT’s Assistant Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, and Dr. Paul Burstein). As an 11-year old girl when Rabbi Penner left in 1952, Herzl member Lana Lederman Finegold recalls him as a “dynamic speaker who drew large turnouts to all of the services.” When Herzl founder, two-term synagogue president, and president of Herzl Memorial Park, Peter Thomas died in 1948, Rabbi Penner said that the entire synagogue building and cemetery park bear testament to his bitachon (faith and confidence). His son, Sam Thomas, presided over the Memorial Park from 1948-1958.

Pesach 1949 was a pivotal time for the Congregation at 20th and East Spruce due to the hiring of Cantor Joseph Frankel, the longest employed person in Herzl history. Cantor Frankel became the first principal of the new three-day a week Herzl Religious School, which he and Rabbi Penner started in the fall of 1949, with an additional grade being added each year. Enrollment reached nearly 450 students in the mid-1950s. Cantor Frankel later started the Herzl Hebrew High School. In addition to being a Herzl classroom teacher and Director of Education, Cantor Frankel also served as Herzl’s cantor (1949-56 and 1969-81), and as the school’s bar/bat mitzvah preparation teacher. What many Herzl members may not know is that throughout his first three-plus decades at Herzl, Cantor Frankel taught full time in the Seattle School District and retired in 1981 as Assistant to the School District Personnel Director. Cantor Frankel continued to serve, and still remains, as Cantor Emeritus. He is now in his 56th year as a Herzl living legend.

Ruth Frankel was also a longtime teacher in the Religious School, and her Hebrew Hangman and other games were well known to several generations of elementary school students. Member Bob Maslan remembers Cantor Frankel as the first Chazan he knew. Bob’s grandchildren are now fifth generation members of HNT. Bob’s grandfather, Abe Silver, was president of the congregation when Cantor Frankel was hired, and Bob’s father, Ben Maslan, was congregation president from 1951-52. In 1999, in honor of Cantor Frankel’s 50th anniversary with the synagogue, the Herzl-Ner Tamid Religious School was named the Cantor Joseph and Ruth Frankel Religious School, and the synagogue’s library is named for Cantor Frankel as well. Cantor Frankel and Ruth Frankel stand out as two of the most respected and beloved people in Herzl history.

In 1950 Herzl Congregation received the inaugural Solomon Schechter Award, the highest synagogue honor conferred by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The award was presented to the congregation having the most outstanding record of growth and achievement in the United States and Canada over the preceding two years. This plaque can be seen in the upstairs hallway. Rabbi Penner traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the award. Harry Lewis was congregation president in 1949-50, and was succeeded by Dr. H.O. Stein in 1950-51. Other notable events in 1950-52 included the formation of the Jordanaires teenage civic club (organized by Aaron Maslan) and the Herzl Jewish Cultural Foundation, created by Rabbi Penner. Rabbi Martin Douglas was hired following the departure of Rabbi Penner in 1952. The November 14, 1952 Herzlgram (predecessor to the HaKol) paid tribute to Israel’s first President, Chaim Weizman, who died on November 9th. Nathan Feinberg, son of founder Abraham Feinberg and benefactor of the synagogue’s Feinberg Social Hall, was president of the congregation at the time. Nate’s daughter, member Elaine Weinstein, says that one of her strongest childhood recollections was her parents’ daily discussion of Herzl affairs.

A January 1953 Herzlgram announced Elinor Kosokoff (now Sadis) to be the first Bas Mitzvah at the synagogue, followed closely by Irene Jaffe and Lana Lederman (Finegold). Initiated by Cantor Frankel, the ceremonies were conducted Friday evenings, and the girls chanted the Haftorah, summarized the Sedrah (Torah portion) of the week, and led prayers in Hebrew and English. Member Wendy Shultz (now Spector) was the first girl to read from the Torah in 1968. As for the boys, Sol Esfeld was the first Herzl Bar Mitzvah in 1911, and Sam Berch was the first Herzl Bar Mitzvah at the 20th and East Spruce location in 1925.

Rabbi Joseph Wagner became Rabbi in 1954, and past president Dr. Abby Franklin recalls his surprise when he and his wife Myra moved to Seattle from their hometown in Wheeling, West Virginia, to learn that his Wheeling rabbi was now rabbi at his new congregation in Seattle. He then realized why Rabbi Wagner had been so inquisitive about Seattle when he was home on leave from the military. Abby became active in synagogue affairs immediately and was very close to Rabbi Wagner. One of the rabbi’s major contributions was his joint effort, with Spokane Rabbi Wilfred Solomon and Portland Rabbi Joshua Stampfer, in the 1956 creation of Camp Solomon Schecter at Echo Lake. The camp subsequently moved to Camp Casey on Whidbey Island and for the past 37 years has been located at Black Lake, Tumwater, south of Olympia, Washington.

At the close of the decade in 1956, the Herzl Men’s Basketball Team won the City Church League Championship, following several close finishes in previous years. The team was organized in about 1951, and boys 14-17 were invited to turn out. Herbert Karpel was the coach and Jack Berch carried the team’s management responsibilities. The 1953-55 and 1955-56 congregation presidential terms were served by Harry Ash and Bernard Gladstein, respectively.