The old Temple Israel building has been demolished. But not the congregation’s rich history.
Construction crews tear down the former Temple Israel in Midtown Oct. 30, 2026. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Recently, Rabbi Micah Greenstein has often thought of the Hebrew phrase, L’dor vador, which is in daily Jewish prayers and means “from one generation to the next.”
As Greenstein’s congregation, Temple Israel, prepares to incorporate a piece of its past into a new project on its East Massey Road campus, the phrase seems apropos.
From 1916 to 1976, Temple Israel was housed in the grand domed sanctuary at Poplar Avenue and Montgomery Street, where thousands of services, bar mitzvahs and weddings were held.
After the group left, the building gradually fell into disrepair, and now Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church is demolishing it to make way for a new worship space that will complement its $310 million mixed-use development.
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John Klyce
John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.
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