UNITED HEBREW CONGREGATION
Those words from Exodus 25:8 served as the inspiration for the new synagogue of the United Hebrew Congregation of St. Louis. The sanctuary, located in West County just a few blocks north of U.S. Highway 40, was dedicated on November 10, 1989.
This elegant sanctuary is far removed from the room over Max’s Grocery where a small group of men met to hold the first “minyan” in St. Louis back in 1837. Immigrants Abraham Weigel and Nathan Abeles wanted to observe the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah. They rented the room and found a few traveling Jewish peddlers to raise the number of men to 10, the minimum required for a minyan. These were the humble beginnings of the United Hebrew Congregation, the first Jewish congregation “west of the Mississippi.”
United Hebrew was formally founded in 1841 when the number of Jews in St. Louis had increased to around 50. Weigel became the Congregation’s first president. The “Sepher Torah” and prayer books were a gift of Louis Bomeisler, a Jew who had moved to St. Louis from Philadelphia. The members were not wealthy. Most made their living as clerks or merchants, but their desire to practice their faith was strong. And, as the number of Jews in the city grew, it was United Hebrew that provided them with the familiar Jewish rituals—from marriage to Matzohs.
Needing a home of their own, they converted the North Baptist Church into a synagogue. In 1859 they moved into their first “new” building, located on Sixth Street between Locust and St. Charles. As the years passed, the synagogues gradually moved farther west. The congregation also moved in another way—from traditional to reform. In 1913, it became optional for men to wear a hat or yarmulke. For a brief period, they were even forbidden.
In a modern westward movement, however, St. Louis’ Jewish population was moving away from the city’s core. United Hebrew purchased land at Woods Mill and Conway Roads in west county. The congregation moved into its new sanctuary in 1989. The synagogue on Skinker became the home for the Library and Archives of the Missouri Historical Society. The reading room there has been beautifully restored and is worth a visit.
The signature feature of the United Hebrew sanctuary, both from the exterior and interior, is the lantern skylight. It caps a unique structure of curves and angles that seems to rise out of itself as one approaches it. Inside the sanctuary the 12 clerestory windows of the skylight, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, open up the space.
Three magnificent stained glass windows add color to the sanctuary. Seven-paneled windows on the north and south sides form the shape of a menorah. The windows on the north celebrate the Pillar of Smoke used by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and the Glory of God. The windows to the south illustrate “the flow of Jewish history” centered around the Tree of Life. A circular window above the Ark subtly forms the Magen David or Star of David.
United Hebrew is located at 13788 Conway Road. Go north on Woods Mill Road/Highway 141 from U.S. Highway 40 to Conway Road and turn left. Guests are invited to attend Friday evening services. Tours of the sanctuary can be arranged for groups. There is a gift shop on the premises. For information on the times of services or to set up a tour, call 314-469-0700 or visit their website www.unitedhebrew.org.