Temple Merger Becomes ‘Battle of the Mailbox’

The contras are taking to the barricades.

That’s not in Nicaragua but in Beverly Hills, where some longtime members of Temple Emanuel are fighting what they see as a takeover by a Downtown rival, the larger and richer--but geographically challenged--Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

At stake are not just Temple Emanuel’s sanctuary and day school, occupying three prime acres along Burton Way and Clark Drive, but also the soul of the troubled congregation, opponents said. Emanuel has lost a rabbi and hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.

In the weeks leading up to today’s vote, supporters and opponents of the proposed merger have been bombarding the electorate with letters on issues ranging from the size of Emanuel’s debt to the right to buy seats for relatives during High Holiday services.

Members of Wilshire Boulevard Temple will also be voting today, but there has been little controversy there. The merger, if it goes through, would create one of the largest Reform congregations in the country.

At Emanuel, “This is turning into the battle of the mailbox,” said Andrea Grossman, an opponent whose family has been involved in the temple for 35 years. “We’re the contras.”

Founded in 1862, Wilshire Boulevard enjoys an endowment of about $7 million and a membership of over 2,000 families, compared to Emanuel’s $1.2-million endowment and membership of 900 families, a third of whom cannot pay the full yearly dues of $1,500.

But the older congregation is also stuck with the location at Wilshire Boulevard east of Vermont Avenue that puts its sanctuary out of easy reach of its members, most of whom have moved to the Westside since the Byzantine-style sanctuary was built 64 years ago.

The new entity would be called Wilshire Boulevard Temple Emanuel.

After months of negotiation, Emanuel’s board of directors voted 22 to 5 earlier this month to support the merger, saying that it will allow for the expansion of its nursery school, development of a gym for the congregation’s children and the establishment of a high school and an academy for adult study.

Other benefits would include the services of Wilshire Boulevard’s widely respected chief rabbi, Harvey J. Fields, access to the older temple’s two summer camps and adult conference center, and a relaxation of financial worries.

With a $350,000 annual budget shortfall and debts that may reach $2.35 million this year, “WE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH ANY OF OUR GOALS,” the letter said in bold-face capital letters. “WE WILL SPEND OUR ENERGY MEETING OUR BILLS AND NOT IMPROVING OUR SERVICES.”

But the dissidents are worried about Emanuel’s losing its identity under a new board of directors that will be dominated by representatives of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, not to mention the pressure for seats at Emanuel’s sanctuary during the crowded holiday season.

They also argue that Emanuel’s standing endowment, balanced against its outstanding loans, leaves obligations of less than $1 million, not a daunting figure to a congregation whose membership includes Bruce Corwin, owner of the Metropolitan Theaters chain, and Nancy Davis, daughter of financier Marvin Davis. Both of them have pledged to support an independent Temple Emanuel, the dissidents said in a counter-letter.

“Dues will not decrease after the merger,” the opponents said. “Fund-raising will not stop. But if there is to be fund-raising, let it be for our Temple Emanuel. In effect, we are handing over $10 million of property and valuable schools for less than 5% of its value.”