When Temple Emanuel was formed in 1956, it was the first new Reform congregation in St. Louis in 70 years. The basics of our classical Reform philosophy have remained unchanged:

• to be a welcoming, open sanctuary of worship, accepting of individualism and diversity
• to cultivate a love of God and an understanding of our Reform Jewish heritage
• to inspire a commitment to learning, compassion, and volunteerism

Today, we dedicate ourselves to keeping Judaism meaningful and relevant in modern times, individually interpreting it to serve our spiritual needs in the modern world.

We have a relatively small and intimate congregation of 275 families, so that each member can have a personal relationship with our Rabbis and be an active participant in the life of the congregation.

If we appear different, it's because we are different; after more than 50 years, we continue to be an experiment in modern American Judaism.