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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois are pleased to recognize milestone events in
4 the history of congregations in the State; and
 
5     WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that Temple B'nai
6 Israel of Aurora will be celebrating its centennial during the
7 year 2004; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In the late 19th and early 20th century, a number
9 of Eastern European Jews arrived in the Aurora area as part of
10 the second great European emigration; by 1904, about 20 Jewish
11 families had settled in Aurora; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The beginnings of organized worship were
13 relatively informal; a local business man, Barnett Yellin, led
14 the services and taught the children in religious school; the
15 early congregants informally took on the name "Sons of Abraham"
16 and prayed in various rented halls that were above the
17 businesses in downtown Aurora; by 1916, the group was more
18 formally organized and charged minimal dues; from time to time,
19 rabbis came from Chicago to lead services, especially for the
20 High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The first full-time rabbi, Nathan Rubenstein, was
22 engaged in the early 1920s; around that time, the congregants
23 chose a new name, Young Men's Hebrew Association of Aurora
24 (YMHA); this unusual name was said to reflect the congregants'
25 feelings that they were more than a congregation; they were a
26 community representing one of the most unusual Jewish
27 communities in the United States because they represented every
28 aspect, both religious and cultural; and
 
29     WHEREAS, In 1923, a State charter was granted to the YMHA;
30 officers and a board of directors were selected and immediately

 

 

HR0954 - 2 - LRB093 22134 HSS 50884 r

1 began to plan for a permanent house of worship; the
2 congregation's building, the YMHA Temple, was completed in
3 1927; it still stands on North Lincoln Avenue on the edge of
4 downtown Aurora; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In 1961, the congregation moved to its present
6 site, located at 400 North Edgelawn in Aurora; the building
7 provides a sanctuary seating 200, a small chapel that
8 accommodates 50, a full set of classrooms for religious
9 education, and a large social hall that can be converted to an
10 addition to the sanctuary to accommodate additional
11 congregants, especially during High Holy Days; and
 
12     WHEREAS, During the previous year, coincident with the move
13 to the present location, the group changed its name to Temple
14 B'nai Israel; at that time, membership comprised about 130 to
15 140 families, with almost all living in Aurora; and
 
16     WHEREAS, A number of rabbis have served the congregation
17 over the 100 year period and some went on to distinguished
18 national careers; notably, Rabbi Hyman Agress served for 35
19 years, from 1963 to 1998; since 2001, Rabbi Shmuel Mann has led
20 the congregation; the group is governed by a board of directors
21 and a board of trustees; the current president is Esther
22 Pollock; therefore, be it
 
23     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
24 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
25 congratulate Temple B'nai Israel on the occasion of its
26 centennial; and be it further
 
27     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
28 presented to Temple B'nai Israel as an expression of our
29 respect and esteem and with best wishes for the congregation's
30 continued success.