Synagogue
History
Tifereth Israel Synagogue was founded 
in 1901 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. R. Marks. During its first years, congregants gathered in a rented hall at 7th and Grand where services and educational programs were conducted. In 1906 a cornerstone was laid at 3rd and Crocker, then the center of Des Moines Jewish life.
In its early years, Tifereth Israel assisted in establishing the Coordinated Des Moines Talmud Torah, the Jewish Community Center, and local Zionist organizations. By 1928, the synagogue had outgrown its center-city quarters. The cornerstone at the present Polk Boulevard location was laid on December 1, 1929. The synagogue’s former majestic sanctuary was built in the Byzantine style and seated 750 people. The facilities at Tifereth Israel were dramatically expanded in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Additions included the Bookey Chapel, the Youth Center, a Religious School building, and the Clubhouse Auditorium. In 1979, construction of the social hall was completed.
The Tifereth Transformation
The Tifereth Transformation has provided our congregation with an updated, modern facility that meets the needs of all our congregants. Our refreshed building, designed by architect Brad Hartman, represents the future of Tifereth Israel. We are a young, modern building anchored by our past. As you look around, you will see how the design of our new building incorporates both the new and the old into the mix.
Our new sanctuary was designed to be bright, open, and welcoming. The centerpiece of the space is our modern ark, which was built with horizontal planks of cedar wood. The Eternal Light hanging over the ark is an heirloom piece, saved from our former sanctuary. The large, open windows flanking each side of the ark overlook one of the front courtyards, surrounded by modern glass panels with an etched design borrowed from a pattern passed on from our old sanctuary.
The sanctuary is a multi-functional space; a retractable wall normally divides the space into both a sanctuary and, in the back, a social hall, but for busy occasions (High Holidays, weddings, B’nai Mitzvot), the wall can be removed to create a larger seating area for the sanctuary. Attached to the social hall is a fully kosher kitchen, which can be used for kosher catered events. 
For simchas requiring a reception, guests will be ushered out of the sanctuary after the event to enjoy a reception in the sky-lit atrium, graced by the art of Juan Miro, Mauricio Lasansky, Andy Warhol, and Marc Chagall, while the sanctuary is transformed into a full social hall.
