DECADE 6
Growth and Transition

In its 50th year, 1956, Herzl Congregation received a citation from the Jewish Theological Seminary in recognition of the establishment of the Louis Ginsberg Chair in Talmud and the Alexander Marx Chair in the History of Jewish Literature at the JTS. The "Club 70" was active from 1955 to 1965. It included couples whose combined ages totaled no more than 70. Past President Dr. Abby Franklin recalls many social activities and plays put on by "Club 70," creating fun for all. Member Marcia Mayo recalls clever song parodies at Mother-Daughter events sponsored by the Sisterhood.

The Herzl Religious School Building, added to the shul at 20th and E. Spruce in Seattle, was completed in 1956. It featured eight classrooms and a large covered area to accommodate 300 children three days a week. Architect Edward L. Cushman chose a glue-laminated beam and post system for the construction. Ruth Frankel recalls the largest number of students attending was about 450. A PTA was established to help out (bake sales, cake walks, succah decorations, Simchat Torah treats, model Seder set-up, etc.) Herzl had the first Jewish nursery school in the city.

Meanwhile, Eastside residents wanted a Jewish school in their area. So in 1957, the Overlake Religion School was formed by Jewish residents of Mercer Island and Bellevue to serve young children (Kindergarten-Grade 2). It was open to all Jewish children and housed at Enatai School in Bellevue. Among those involved was member John Friedmann. He recalls that tuition was $4 per month and that the school met the needs of Conservative and Reform households with very young children. However, when offered the opportunity to take over and expand the school to accommodate older children, the Herzl Board declined to participate, believing their school should restrict enrollment to Herzl member families only. This decision eventually helped lead to the establishment of several separate congregations and schools in the Seattle area.

Ina Willner recalls that in 1958, she and her husband Richard, along with Ed and Sylvia Glazer, saw a need for a Sunday School for Herzl children on the Eastside, since there was only one bridge at that time to Seattle. Ina recalls that she, Dick and Ed found a church property at 9824 First Street in Bellevue (the Meydenbauer property) which was purchased for $73,500 in 1959. Said Ina, "It was a lovely little white church. We gave our piano… because we had kids going to the Sunday School. It was absolutely non-denominational. And we had play sets." Herzl bought the Meydenbauer property in 1959 and later sold it to buy property on Bellevue Way. Herzl Synagogue was reincorporated for legal reasons in 1959.

In 1963, Herzl purchased property at NE 20th and Bellevue Way and also rented space in the First Congregation Church on 108th Ave. NE in Bellevue for school classes and Sabbath services. For a time Herzl had two religious schools, one in Bellevue and one in Seattle. By the mid-60s, this was too costly and the Bellevue branch was closed. Bus service was initiated to transport students from Bellevue and Mercer Island to Seattle. For some, bus service was not an adequate solution, so new congregations began to be discussed. (See next HaKol for details on the establishment of Congregation Ner Tamid and other facilities.)

The gradual introduction of Israeli Hebrew pronunciation in all services and classes in 1959 was a challenge for many as we re-learned Hebrew letter sounds, but practice made it easier. In 1961, the government of Israel presented a citation to Herzl for valuable efforts towards the birth, growth and development of Israel. The Herzl Men's Club activities included Father-Child dinners and New Year’s Eve Dances. They helped fund Camp Scholarships for children of Herzl members and sponsored basketball teams for youth. In 1962, the team won the Community Center Championship. Among the high scoring players was member Larry Finegold. Also in 1962, the first Men's Club National Scholarship was awarded to Michael Bienn. Michael later taught at Herzl-Ner Tamid for many years.

Other activities during this time: the Herzl Drama Group presentation of "The Fifth Season" with members Ann Lee Rogel, Marian Aronson and others, the Herzlite dinner dance installations (for 8th and 9th graders) and the young married group socials. The congregation had many Rabbis in this decade: Joseph Wagner, Raymond Krimsky, Abba Abrams and Maurice Corson. In an earlier interview, Cantor Joseph Frankel said, "It fell on me to provide the continuity in the interim between rabbis. The only functionary who was sort of steady was myself...sometimes the intervals were as long as a year. I was the Cantor, conducted the services, headed the school, buried the dead, and visited the sick."

During this decade, Congregation Presidents included Perry Levinson, Boris Merport, Harry Schwartz, Harry J. Cohn, Jack Pinchev and Dalbert Richter, and Herzl Cantors Joseph Frankel, Norman Migdal, Israel Reich and William Golden. Property was bought and sold and major transition was in the air as more and more Jewish families moved to the suburbs of Seattle.