Impacting The Ozarks Every Day.
Here at Temple Israel we take pride in impacting the Ozarks in a positive manner by community outreach, involvement and donations. Throughout the 125 years we have been in the local community we have made it our mission to continue to impact the Springfield and surrounding communities. Want to get involved in some manner? Click the button below and go to our volunteer page for more.
Our Impact.
10+
COMMUNITIES IMPACTED
From Strafford to Nixa and beyond our congregations serves the greater Springfield metro area.
125+
YEARS SERVING THE OZARKS
Our history goes back over 100 years living in the Ozarks. Many things have changed since the start, but our dedicated faith remains the same.
400+
FAMILIES IMPACTED
Since the 1800s Temple Israel has mad an impact in the local community. Families, people, and places have came and gone…but our congregation remains.
Community Engagement At Its Best.
The temple garden
What began as an individual experiment in tzedakah, has turned into a quarter acre of vegetables, flowers, and fruit grown in both raised beds and on the ground. 99.5% of the produce is donated to the Ozarks Food Harvest and Crosslines, two community organizations that supply food banks and charitable organizations throughout southern Missouri. This small but intrepid band of organic gardeners work whenever they have free time from early Spring to late Fall preparing the soil, planting and tending the crops, harvesting and protecting the soil for winter. In 2018 the garden of the synagogue produced over 3,900 pounds of fresh vegetables for hungry families in the Ozarks. No special training or experience is needed to work in the garden, just a desire to work the land and help the community.
Jewish Culture Fest
Since ___ Temple Israel has held a Fall festival featuring homemade Jewish deli, pastries, and vendors from around Missouri. Beginning in November, 2019, Temple Israel changed the original format to a Jewish Culture Festival which still offers great Jewish food and pastries, but now focused on Jewish music, works by local Jewish artists, photographers and artisans and even a little touch of Yiddish theatre. The festival has been a popular event in the Springfield area and draws hundreds of people to the Temple each year. For many area residents it is the first contact with a Jewish synagogue and the Rabbi’s sanctuary tour and Q&A session are very popular with our non-Jewish neighbors.
Quilting & Blanket Donation
On a yearly basis the Temple gathers to collect and make blankets for the underprivileged and in need residents of Springfield. Around the fall when it begins to get cold, we donate blankets to community organizations to keep its residents warm.