SWFS 1907–2007 — Our First 100 Years

"The chief office of the minister, I take it, is not to represent the view of the congregation, but to proclaim the truth as he sees it."

With these words written in 1905, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise stated his reason for rejecting the position of senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of the City of New York. The young rabbi from Portland, Oregon had turned down the prestigious pulpit when he learned that the board of trustees would control the content of his sermons. The strength of his conviction and his bold vision soon became the guiding principle of a new synagogue.

On his return to New York City Rabbi Wise began holding Services at the Hudson Theater on 47th Street and on the Lower East Side, then a community of Jewish immigrants. Uptown, he held discussions on social justice issues. By 1907, Rabbi Wise had attracted a notable following and on April 15, 1907, a group led by Henry Morgenthau, Sr., founded the Free Synagogue — "duesless and pewless," according to Morgenthau, its first president.

By 1910 membership had grown dramatically and Rabbi Wise moved his pulpit to Carnegie Hall, where he preached his message of "life and light" on Sunday mornings.

Rabbi Wise founded more than a congregation. Other Free Synagogues opened in the Bronx, Washington Heights, Flushing, Westchester, and Newark, sharing Wise's four founding principles — freedom of the pulpit, freedom of the pew with no reserved seating, direct and full participation in all social services required by the community, and commitment to the Jewish faith and the faith and future of Israel as a people.

In 1949 Rabbi Wise died, missing the opportunity to speak from the pulpit designed for him in the synagogue that would be completed just one year later. The Free Synagogue was then renamed Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and has remained at its location in the heart of the upper west side.

As we prepare for a year-long centennial celebration we recall the remarkable, groundbreaking history that has dramatically impacted American liberal Judaism and its connection to global issues, social justice, and the modern state of Israel. We are embarking on a journey of remembrance, learning, and commitment to the future. To begin, here are three examples that speak to the founding principles of the Free Synagogue that helped shape the SWFS of today:

Social Service — In its founding year, 1907, the congregation established it own Social Service Department, the first of its kind in any synagogue. Housed at Bellevue Hospital, the Department headed by a full-time rabbi and staff, soon moved into the original synagogue building, adjacent to our current location.

Social Justice — Rabbi Wise was one of three founders of the NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the first organization of its kind, dedicated to the premise that people of all races, nationalities, and faiths are created equal and should be treated as equals.

Zionism — Rabbi Wise was an outspoken champion of Zionism, a highly controversial position, especially in American Reform Judaism. In 1916 Morgenthau, then president of the synagogue, resigned from the congregation in opposition to Rabbi Wise. But this devotion to Zionism is not only an integral part of our Jewish identity today, it is literally built into the structure of our synagogue — the cornerstone of the building is from the Great Temple in Jerusalem, presented to Rabbi Wise by a British general.

Dr. Stephan Lynn and Rhonda Steeg