A Brief History of
Emmanuel Messianic Jewish Congregation
of Columbia, Maryland
Emmanuel Messianic Jewish Congregation was founded in 1915,
as the "Emmanuel Neighborhood Center" of East Baltimore. Originally,
our purpose was to serve the growing Baltimore Jewish community.
Over the years, we have moved several times, as the Jewish community
migrated north and west of the city, ending up now in Howard county.
Many of the activities, much of the thinking, and most of the
members have been Jewish, and thus we have a recognizably Jewish
form of worship. Through the successive leadership of:
- Dr. Aaron Kligerman (1921-1949)
- Dr. Ludwig Dewitz (1950-1959)
- Ted Kline (1958-1967)
- Dr. Ernest Cassuto (1968-1979)
- Barry Rubin (1981-present)
the goal of serving the needs of Jewish people and non-Jews
who join themselves to the Jews has never changed. But the character
of each leader has had its impact.
One of the earliest leaders of Emmanuel, Dr. Aaron Kligerman
was a Jew from a Presbyterian background. During his tenure, services
included singing, prayer, and Bible study. Although most of the
attendees were Jewish, the services were similar to Presbyterian
services in structure and content. According to one person who
attended these services, there were few Jewish elements to the
services other than Kligerman's quality exposition of the Old Testament.
In 1948 Dr. Kligerman met Dr. Ludwig Dewitz. Dr. Dewitz was
a Jew who had escaped from Germany in 1937, and then gone to London.
He went to Italy to serve the many Jews who had left Germany and
were waiting to go to Israel. It was there that Dr. Kligerman
invited Dr. Dewitz to take over the Emmanuel work.
It was during Dr. Dewitz's time that God really blessed Emmanuel.
Through various programs, geared towards meeting family needs,
he was able to help the local Jewish community. He was also a
prolific writer, with many articles to his credit. Through his
magazine, "The Hebrew Messenger", he made a significant impression
on both the Jewish and Christian communities.
Throughout his tenure, Dr. Dewitz maintained that Emmanuel
really was not an official congregation in any way. However, the
natural progression could not be stopped. The move towards becoming
a fully functional local congregation took place under the leadership
of Theodore Kline, the next leader of Emmanuel.
Kline led Emmanuel from 1958 to 1967, moving the meeting location
to the Villa Nova community in West Baltimore. During this time
he made the statement that,
"[Emmanuel] is in a suburban area and serves
Jewish, Gentile and mixed families, meeting in a very unique way
the spiritual needs of those who attend." We have maintained this
vision and focus to the present.
Although Kline, a Jew, conducted more Jewish-oriented services,
still the congregation sang Christian hymns—except for an
occasional solo that he would sing. There was a heavy emphasis
on "neither Jew nor Greek" teaching, since there were so many
mixed marriages. Emmanuel was seen in Baltimore as a congregation
that mixed Jewish and Christian traditions.
Dr. Ernest Cassuto was called to Emmanuel Congregation in 1968,
and was appointed leader on July 14, 1969. He served there until
his resignation on July 22, 1979. Dr. Cassuto's vision for Emmanuel
can be summed up by the following quotation:
"Emmanuel...is a congregation where Jew
and Gentile meet on common ground. Our sanctuary is built as a
replica of the synagogue of Nazareth, where Jesus preached his
sermon on Isaiah 61 (Luke 4:16-22). In the center, one sees the
Holy Ark with two scrolls... the Ark, the Candelabra, the Eternal
Light, the two tablets of the Law with the Ten Commandments, the
Magen David (Star of David)... Passover and Yom Kippur are
observed,... as is Chanukah."
William Harvey was appointed interim leader in October of 1979.
He remained until July 1981. In August of 1981, Barry Rubin was
invited to "fill the pulpit" for Harvey. Under rabbi Rubin's
leadership, Emmanuel continued in the direction of his forerunners,
to provide a congregation that serves the needs of Jewish people,
as well as Gentiles who want to join themselves to Israel.
Rubin led the congregation to Howard County and a more observant
worship, including a Torah service on Shabbat. The congregation
now supports a system of havurot (home groups) in Howard County
and several of the surrounding counties. Also, a formal Bar and
Bat Mitzvah training program has been launched.
Emmanuel Messianic Jewish Congregation is a member of the UMJC,
an association of nearly 100 similar synagogues throughout the
United States, and around the world. Our new home is Howard County,
where we believe we can:
- share with Jewish people the message that Messiah has come, and
- provide a congregational home for Jewish and non-Jewish believers
in Yeshua (the Hebrew word for "salvation," rendered in English
as "Jesus") who wish to worship God in a Jewish context, recognizing
and affirming Jewish holidays, traditions and customs.
The identity of Emmanuel has been solidified. It is no longer
a "compromise" congregation, combining Jewish and Christian symbols
and worship. It is a Messianic Jewish congregation that serves
the needs of both Jews and non-Jews who desire to serve God within
an authentic Jewish context.
Rabbi Baruch (Barry) Rubin
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