The seeds of Temple Emanuel were planted in the late 1940's when a group of parents met to discuss the religious needs of their children. They were anxious to offer them an opportunity to absorb the dignity and beauty of Reform Judaism, to understand its traditions and its ideals. The St. Louis School for Judaism was established. With the growth of this school and its first confirmation class, the parents realized the need for rabbinic leadership, which led to the organizing of a congregation. This was formalized at the meeting on December 16, 1956. The name, Temple Emanuel, was selected and became the first new Reform Congregation in St. Louis in seventy years.

Limiting the size of the new congregation had been a most important objective of the founders of Temple Emanuel. They hoped that with a smaller membership, each and every member could have a more intimate relationship with their Rabbi. The wisdom of our founders has been especially evident with the ever-growing intimacy of so many congregants with Rabbi Joseph R. Rosenbloom.

If we appear different, it's because we are different - but for a purpose. Temple Emanuel means, to us, a search for the values we desire and those society needs. It must also mean the quest for a meaningful Judaism. It is not the smug, the conventional, the certain. Temple Emanuel is for the seeking, the committed, and the dedicated. We believe that the "idea" of Temple Emanuel is more important than our congregation itself. We are an experiment in American Judaism. Emanuel means "God is with us" -- to us this is not an assertion of actuality, but rather indicates our aspiration that we may join ourselves with the way of God.

There are many other hallmarks of our congregation which makes us special: our spirit of volunteerism, particularly in our Religious School, our inclusiveness in welcoming and appreciating members as individuals, our devotion to learning as evidenced by our services and study groups, our commitment to community service through our Social Action Committee, our welcoming of the intermarried on every level of congregational activity, the welcoming of members and non-members to all our our worship and educational events, and our commitment to our Jewish heritage.