The new year will bring significant change for the assembly at Haverhill’s Temple Emanu-El with members approving the sale of the longtime Main Street temple and the expected mid-year departure of its rabbi.
In the most recent bulletin, Temple Emanu-El President Jenn Lampron reported members approved ballot questions regarding the sale of the property at 514 Main St. for $780,000. The closing is expected to take place in February, but Temple Emanu-El plans to rent space from the new owner, Christian Family Center of Methuen (see previous story), through June.
Lampron also acknowledged Rabbi Ashira Stevens will leave when her contract ends next June 30.
“Due to our financial constraints, we regretfully cannot extend or renew her contract. We deeply appreciate the warm spiritual guidance and leadership Rabbi Stevens has provided (and continues to provide) to Temple Emanu-El and the community,” Lampron wrote.
In her own message, Stevens said, in part, “In 2025, Temple Emanu-El will end a chapter of the community’s life and prepare to enter a new one. The congregation’s path forward remains somewhat unclear, even as some plans are moving forward. Over the past several months, many people have shared their feelings of sadness and anxiety about the congregation’s current state and its future. And I also have witnessed how much comfort and even joy people feel when they choose to come to the temple.” She went on to say, “Endings are indeed inevitable and often difficult, and choosing to accompany one another through them infuses them with the holiness of connection.”
Last August, Lampron told WHAV the situation is driven by changing demographics.
“Over the last roughly 30 years, we have noticed our congregation aging and losing members, mainly due to attrition,” she explained in an email to WHAV. “Younger members have joined, but in far fewer numbers than in previous years. There appears either to be less interest locally in being a member of a Jewish community or fewer Jews in Haverhill or a combination of the both. We see similar patterns in some other religious groupings,” she explained.
A Precious Artifacts Committee is cataloging materials in preparation for their removal from the building, expected by July. The Temple is also making arrangements to receive requests from families who may have a connection to particular items.
Lampron noted meetings with Temple Emanuel Andover have taken place. “Temple Emanuel Andover has been very welcoming, including inviting us to recent events,” she wrote.
Question and answer sessions are planned. An in-person meeting takes place this Sunday, Jan. 5, from 10 to 11 a.m., in the Starensier Assembly. Online meetings are planned Tuesday, Jan. 7, and Thursday, Feb. 6, both from 7 to 8 p.m.
According to the Haverhill Public Library, Temple Emanu-El has been located in the former Union Congregational Church building since 1937. The building was substantially altered in 1950 with the addition of classrooms and a gymnasium.