Temple Emanuel, an affiliate of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, holds a unique place in Lakeland’s community. It gives its members the opportunity to share in creating a rich legacy of spirituality, Jewish learning and fellowship. In fact, many of our founding families are generational members.

Temple Emanuel erected its first building in 1932 in Lakeland, at that time the location was West Patterson St. and South New York Ave. and cost $1,000. The building which houses the congregation today, stands at 600 Lake Hollingsworth Drive and had its groundbreaking in 1962. However, this is not the first building on the property and there was the loss of a house, converted into a synagogue, due to fire.

The main structure which contains the sanctuary received unanimous zoning approval back in November of 1959. This approval came only after a struggle and overturning of a decision to not allow its existence due to a local petition signed by 400 citizens which claimed that a synagogue in their neighborhood would decrease surrounding property values. A local hero for Temple Emanuel is one Dr. John Newton of First Presbyterian Church, a lone voice stating that we all must work to eradicate anti-Semitism.

Temple Emanuel is a vessel for joyous holiday celebrations, beautiful simcha events and a connection to interfaith organizations. It is the point of contact for B’nai Brith, the Polk County Chapter of Hadassah, for youth group activities, Sunday and Hebrew schooling. It has been enriched by the rabbis that officiated, the families that donated torahs, and those that have given of their time and professional skills. We welcome all to visit, to partake in religious services, to try a social event and to join Temple Emanuel. It is an exciting and critical time for us as we look toward future growth, the current refurbishment of the school building is well underway and the project of raising funds for the addition of a community center has commenced. Become a part of the center for Jewish life in Lakeland by helping to write a new chapter in Temple Emanuel’s history, remember everyone counts!

Temple Emanuel Archive Project

The Archives of Temple Emanuel seeks to preserve the historical heritage of Temple Emanuel and the Jewish community of Lakeland and Polk County, FL more generally. To do this, the Archives solicits, collects, arranges, and describes the personal papers of Temple members, past members, professional staff, and volunteers; Polk County Jewish community members; and the official records of the Temple and related organizations.

The Archives will also serve as a local, regional, national, and international resource for information on Polk County Jewish life, with a particular emphasis on students and genealogical researchers.

The High Stakes Club, a group comprised of officers and members of the Temple, began meeting informally sometime in the 1950s and continued their evening meetings until the late 1970s.

For more information about this picture or to offer pictures of your own, please contact the Archivist, Cat Eskin.