Temple Emanu-El, the first Jewish congregation in North Texas, has played a historic role in the growth of Dallas. Founded in 1875, the temple evolved from the Hebrew Benevolent Association, organized in 1872 by eleven men who established a cemetery and held the first Jewish services. This initial gathering of pioneer Jews occurred just two weeks before the arrival of the first train--the indispensable catalyst for Dallas' development into a bustling commercial center.
Arguably, Temple Emanu-El owes its ascendancy to the auspicious designation of Dallas as a railroad crossroads. Jews,...