The Cuban Hebrew Congregation, or Temple Beth Shmuel, is a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

used by

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

Jewish Cuban expatriates, located at 1700 North Michigan Avenue,

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, in the United States.

Overview

"Approximately 94 percent of Cuba’s Jewish population fled after the 959Revolution." The synagogue was founded in 1961 by Felix Reyler, Oscar White, and Bernardo Benes. Its current location at 1700 North Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States opened in 1975, with an expansion in 1982. The congregation is led by

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Stephen Texon and Baal Koreh Jacques Malka. It currently hosts 170 member households and has a

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

School. The temple was designed by Oscar Sklar and includes

stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

s of the

Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( , ) are described in the Hebrew Bible as being the descendants of Jacob, a Patriarchs (Bible), Hebrew patriarch who was a son of Isaac and thereby a grandson of Abraham. Jacob, later known as Israel (name), Israel, ...

designed by Inge Pape Trampler. Mexican artist Naomi Siegman designed the candelabras beside the bimah. The synagogue is named for Shmuel Schacter, father of Jack Chester.

References

External links

* * Synagogues in Miami Beach, Florida Conservative synagogues in Florida Ashkenazi synagogues in the United States American people of Cuban-Jewish descent Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Florida Cuban-American culture in Florida Hispanic and Latino-Jewish culture in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1961 1961 establishments in Florida Synagogues completed in 1975 20th-century synagogues in the United States Synagogues completed in 1982 {{US-synagogue-stub