Synagogue

Tifereth Israel Synagogue isTifereth Building flanked by the Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center, the Boulevard Children’s Center, and the Waveland Tennis Courts and Golf Course. The synagogue campus includes the administrative offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines and the Board of Jewish Education and Culture.

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 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 synagogue’s majestic sanctuary was built in the Byzantine style and seats 750 people. Weekday services are held in the 120-seat Bookey Chapel. The synagogue building also houses the Pidgeon Gift Shop, Brody Youth Lounge, and Caspe Library. The social hall includes a partitioned dining hall for music, dinner, theatrical productions and a variety of other activities. Art by Juan Miro, Mauricio Lasansky, Andy Warhol, and Marc Chagal grace the sky-lit atrium providing a delightful melange of colors and provoking portraits. Administrative offices and the Rabbi’s study overlook a landscaped outdoor atrium used for the Sukkah and informal receptions.