Avodah

One of the first decisions of Temple Beth-El was to join the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and to use the ritual as set forth in the Ceremonies of the Minhag America, which included the wearing of no head coverings in the Sanctuary. At its opening ceremonies, the program was reported in the San Antonio paper to have consisted of the following:

1. On arriving at the portals of the Temple, Rev. Alex. Rosenspitz recited, ‘Mah tovu Ohole’ho Yaacob.’ ‘How good are Thy Tents oh Jacob, Thy Tabernacle oh Israel,
2. While the procession ascended the platform the choir [made up of both Jews and non-Jews, including members of various singing societies] sang,‘Lift Up Your Heads, Eternal Gates.’
3. Introductory prayer by Rev. Dr. J. K. Gutheim.
4. Psalm C, in Hebrew and English by Rev. Dr. Rosenspitz.
5. En comocho bo-elohim [sic] ‘There is none beside Thee, oh God,’ by the Choir.”
6. ‘Hear O Israel,’ (exhortation by Miss Johanna Koenigheim).
7. ‘Shema Yisrael and Echad Elohem’ ‘Hear Israel, our God is One’ by the choir. After which the Scroll of Law will be deposited in the Shrine.
8. ‘Lechah adonoi haggedullah’ [sic]- ‘To Thee, O God, belongs Greatness and Might.’
9. Prayer by Miss Minnie Frank.
10. Psalm XXIX in Hebrew, by the choir.
11. Oration by Rev. Dr. Gutheim.
12. Regular Friday evening service conducted by Rev. Alex. Rosenspitz, during which Psalm XCII, in the original, was sung by Rev. A. Rosenspitz. ‘Let Israel’s God be ever blessed’ by the choir–and the service concluded by the beautiful hymn, ‘God of Israel, we Adore Thee,’ by a quintet; after which the Congregation was dismissed with the Aaronite blessing.

Services in the early days of our Congregation generally followed the established Reform practice. Services were an hour in length and Hebrew was minimal. Rabbis wore business suits with neither head covering nor tallit. Bar Mitzvah were rare and there were no Bat Mitzvah and, in any event, following Ashkenazic pronunciation, the participant would have been called a Bas Mitzvah. Our services for Atzeret-Simchat Torah were known for a procession of banners, something to which our youth have always looked forward.

While change appears to some to have been greatest recently, innovation in worship has always been and important part of our Congregation. As Rabbi Block has mentioned in a sermon, we are a “Reform” Jewish Congregation and not a “Reformed” Congregation. Reforming requires conscientious study, as well as constant communication with members of the Congre- gation to know their needs, with the ever-present knowledge that not all innovations will be successful.

During the tenure of Rabbi Jacobson, several changes were initiated. Bar Mitzvah ceremonies were encouraged and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies were celebrated for the first time. Rabbi Jacobson introduced the wearing of robes by the rabbinate at Shabbat services. Later Rabbi Stahl added the Atarah to the robes. The study of Hebrew was increased and emphasized. A Junior Congregation program was led by Milton Bendiner.

In recent years, our worship has undergone even more changes. Some reflect the great change in worship style throughout the Reform movement, a trend that is continuing; others exhibit the spirit of innovation of our Rabbis; while still others demonstrate the unique mixture of our Congregation’s long heritage and the current composition of our members. Just a few of the innovations are:

• A solemn and moving Selichot service prior to the High Holy days, including the changing of the Torah covers to white.
• A Tashlich ceremony at the banks of the San Antonio River between the High Holy Days.
• An enlightening and entertaining Simchat Torah service, which includes unrolling the Torah down the center aisle and street dancing and music.
• Introduction of a Seventh Night Pesach Dessert Seder
• The introduction into our Shabbat services of a Hakafah
• The use of alternate services to accommodate the divergent worship needs of an ever-growing Congregation.

While our Rabbis have led us in worship, they were accompanied exclusively by a choir for many years. Then, in 1974, Cantor Scott Colbert joined Temple Beth-El, both as educator and as cantor, the first cantor at Temple Beth-El in modern history. After he left in 1977, Michael Brem was engaged as cantorial soloist and remained in that position until 1989. In recent years, his position has been increasingly filled by our own Temple member, Dr. David vanAbbema, who has ably served in a cantorial role.

In 1964, Jesse Wulfe was drafted by Rabbi Jacobson to usher at Friday night Shabbat services. He, in turn, recruited Larry Rosenberg four years later. During the last 35 years, they have had others assist them for some periods, yet, for most of the time, regular worshippers could rely on seeing Jesse or Larry. For many of those years, Milton Eichelbaum, by himself, served as usher on Saturday morning. Sid Lestz currently leads the Saturday morning usher corps. All four have been dependable and faithful in their attendance and service to Temple Beth-El. Thank you Jesse, Larry, Milton and Sid.

No discussion of music and worship at Temple Beth-El could possibly be complete without the mention of Jean White. Jean has served as music director of Temple Beth-El since 1970. In that capacity, she has been able to accommodate the varied and often changing musical tastes of our Congregation, ranging from traditional to classical to contemporary.

In a Congregation that prides itself on its past and its heritage, we have nevertheless witnessed services at our Congregation in which the greater portion of the music has been written since the beginning of Jean’s tenure. Every family who has celebrated B’nai Mitzvah can attest to the enthusiasm with which Jean works tirelessly with each of our future B’nai Mitzvah.

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