Temple Israel, originally called Shaarai Tov ("Gates of Goodness"), was founded in 1878 by German-speaking Jewish merchants.

[2] In 1914, the congregation moved to its current location, this time to the corner of West Twenty-Fourth Street and Emerson Avenue South.

[3] In 1928, a new synagogue was built on the same site, this time by the firm of Jack Liebenberg and Seeman Kaplan;[4] this Neoclassical-style building remains a landmark overlooking Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis.

[2][5] Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA) designed a $21 million expansion including a lobby and an education center that was completed in fall 2016.

He acted as mediator between his Americanized congregants and the Eastern European Jewish immigrants who lived in North Minneapolis.