In 1980 , the Temple Beth-El congregation had shrunk so dramatically that members had to abandon the building on 15th Street . Many chose to join Agudas Achim , whose long-serving Orthodox rabbi , Ernest Joseph , had been leading both congregations since 1968 because Beth-El didn ’ t have a full-time rabbi . After Rabbi Joseph passed in 1999 , the Agudas Achim congregation disbanded , their synagogue building sold . It ’ s now the Corsicana Senior Citizens Center on Park Ave . It was a poignant end for a community that had meant so much to Corsicana .
Or was it ? Fifteen years ago or so , Ernest Joseph ’ s son , Frank , himself a rabbi , approached the City of Corsicana , which has owned and maintained Temple Beth-El since the 1980s , about resuming services in the old building . At first , only five or six people attended the monthly Friday evening service . Slowly , though , that number rose .
“ People from Dallas who had an association with Corsicana started coming , then we started getting people from surrounding areas , like Rice , Mexia and Fairfield ,” Rabbi Frank says . “ Now on an average Friday night we might get close to 30 people . It just continues to grow .”
Today , Rabbi Frank can envision a not-too-distant future in which births and bar mitzvahs might once again outnumber burials among his congregation .
“ If you come to Corsicana today , it ’ s full of activity ,” he says . “ It ’ s vibrant , it ’ s full of life , and I think that same energy will manifest itself in the Jewish community .”
B ’ ezrat Hashem .
14 Explore Corsicana | Summer 2022