Temple Emanuel — Attraction in Denver

Like any group of people, Jewish or not, there is diversity of all sorts at Temple Emanuel, Denver. Religious, programmatic, economic, social, attendance, even architectural. One plus is that dues are flexible in amount. However, the cost of attendance at various special events may be prohibitive to some.

I think that I would not be unfair in saying that the Temple organization is hierarchical, which could be a necessary result of the numeric size of Congregation Emanuel membership. This would be the Jewish equivalent of an evangelical Christian mega-church. It is unreasonable to expect the religious staff to be able to personally relate to each congregant.

There are lots of names of donors to be seen around the building, on specific things, from large to small. That is understandable, because the Temple, after all, is a business. Some people especially are the more supportive pillars of the Temple, whether in volunteered time, or donated money, or both, and those people tend to be in the "in crowd". While the Temple invites people to come and "Celebrate Being Jewish"", it really is up to the individual members to decide in what ways, and to what extent, they can carry over their congregational experiences to their...

Temple Emanuel is my spiritual home! This beautiful Kehila Kedosha, holy community, is led by phenomenally talented and devoted clergy. Services are always inspiring. Torah Study is valuable and insightfully applied to our daily lives. They have adapted to the ever-changing times because of the pandemic with greater creativity and access to services through a strong online platform with abundant offerings. The entire team is responsive and cares about its members and serving the congregation and community. I have been drawn here since my first visit in 2010 and am so pleased to convert and join this beautiful community which contributes so much to my spiritual growth. It has never been easier to “visit” and attend services available online. Highly recommend this beautiful congregation and its remarkably talented clergy, the most amazing spiritual teachers! Everyone is welcome here, valued here, respected here. Blessings to you on your...

I was treated poorly by staff including the executive director. During Yom Kippur service, they sent a pair of armed officers to intimidate and have me removed from temple in the middle of service. Too long of a story to share on here but suffice it to say, it was a gross over reaction and completely unnecessary. Also, I witnessed a similar occurrence while attending this synagogue during Yom Kippur service in 2022. Little did I know at the time that this would happen to me 3 years later. The rush to extreme action and lack of compassion during the day of atonement is shocking to say the least. The executive director was more interested in returning to service to watch the Kyle Clark interview rather than deal with a very serious accusation and escalation by Temple Emanuel. I returned the stone pictured below to a former friend at Yom Kippur and was punished by being humiliated and thrown out of temple. It was really a bizzare and...