Tomorrow begins the most holy time for Jewish citizens of Chattanooga, with the blowing of the shofar to call them to the celebration of the High Holy Days, Rosh Hashana, and a little later the very moving Yom Kippur. When I was very young, I had the great privilege of singing at Ochs Memorial Temple as soprano soloist in a fine quartet and learned so much about the moving services and the history of Reform Judaism. It just so happened that not long after I came to Chattanooga, the soprano soloist resigned and I was given the post, as had also happened at the First Presbyterian Church, but the soprano soloists were not the same. At the Temple, the soloist was Bobby Crox whom I never met but heard rave remarks about her great singing. She had also, at one time, been soloist for First Presbyterian.

At that time, in 1945, the Temple organist was Bobby Higgins, who played anything and everything to make you feel the music was melting in your mouth. Jo Clift was the tenor and capable tenor he was. Alto was the inimitable Almeda Schwartzmann, with a voice of milk and honey. Bass-baritone was James E. Mahoney. And I got to sing with these wonderful artists! At that time, Rabbi Abraham Feinstein held sway and what a great man! We all just loved him. We sang the service responses in Yiddish and I didn't have a hard time with it because I had studied German at Tennessee Wesleyan and the sounds for Yiddish and German were similar.

I had one problem, though, because services were on Friday night and so were the football games at the University. I just had to accept that and miss the games.

I was very impressed with the outstanding building. The choir loft was very high above the congregation and later a screen was installed to conceal the choir, which I am sure was done to remove any semblance of worldliness and to make the music more ethereal. The Temple was completely redecorated during my time there and was utterly beautiful following that effort. In the foyer was a very large and fabulous painting of the parents of Adolph Ochs who had built it to honor his parents. It is awe-inspiring. Julius Ochs and Bertha Ochs, parents of Adolph Ochs, had been born in Bavaria but he died in Chattanooga on October 26, 1888 and she died in New York City in 1908. These parents lost three babies in the 1880s while living in Chattanooga and they are buried here in a cemetery. The story goes that they were on separate sides in the Civil War, he southern and she northern. It is even told that she carried spy notes across lines in her baby carriage.

Lloyd Goldman, Rabbi following Dr. Feinstein, came to the Temple with his beautiful wife and two young sons. His wife died of breast cancer not too long after they came and he was distraught. Our hearts went out to him, but he continued to raise his boys and do the best that he could. He had a great sense of humor and was lots of fun. Once he kidded me when he saw that I was wearing a cross necklace, and another time, when the congregation was very small, he said that what they needed was another pogrom, because in Poland and other places where the Nazis persecuted the people (called pogroms), Jewish people would turn out at the Temples and Synagogues in large numbers.

One of my great remembrances of my time at Ochs Temple was each year during the High Holy Days the singing of the sad, tender, and moving "Kol Nidre." Jim Sasse, as cantor, did a wonderful job even though the tessitura of this piece is very high and taxing. And I always loved hearing Rabbi Feinstein sing "Enkelohenu." Another really moving treat was to hear Mr. Lester Cohn play Jewish pieces on his violin, but nothing could supercede the thrill of the blowing of the shofar, which was always done by a member of the Congregation. It was a true joy to listen to the great playing of the organists, too. Isa McIlwraith played with finesse and sureness, Jim Wilson was handsome, kind, and a great musician, and Carl Scheibe was probably the best organist this town has ever known. And while all were good, Bobby Higgins never faltered and as I said, played music that seemed to melt in your mouth.

Some of the great people I met during those days at the Temple were Ray Cohn and his family, Dr. Weismann and his beautiful wife Rosalynde, who tragically died of breast cancer and Dr. Reismann later remarried and had babies with his lovely blonde wife. We sang at one Reismann christening that I remember. Other members remembered are the Soloffs, Abe Koblentz and family, The Solomons, and sometimes the Siskin brothers visited and came to the choir loft and complimented us.

It has been a long time and I am sorry not to mention more of the great Mizpah Congregation that has contributed so much to this town, but I do want to wish all Jewish people, and especially Mizpah Congregation, a happy and wonderful Rosh Hashana and thank them for allowing me to be a part of their lives and times and learn about Judaism and the Ochs Family as a very young woman. My memories of it all are overwhelming. I remember that even when I was at Tennessee Wesleyan College before coming here, Dr. Feinstein would come up there and teach us great Bible truths and guide us through a wonderful relationship. I do want to mention Jim and Bobby Martin who came to the Temple to replace the Bass and Alto, and Jim, being a wonderful organist, at times played for us. Marea Ransom replaced Almed Schwartzmann when she retired and Marea was a beautiful person and singer. So I have nothing but fond memories of good times at Ochs Temple and I am very humbled and honored by that. Have a great Rosh Hashana!

Mildred Perry Miller
Millermaj@aol.com