Project

A Place for Making Memories

Vibrant and inclusive, the Jewish community of Omaha enjoys a dynamic new home

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In Progress
Adaptive Reuse
Civic
Cultural
Development
Higher Ed
K-12

Temple Israel Omaha

Omaha, Nebraska

Part of the Tri-Faith Initiative, Temple Israel – the home of Nebraska’s oldest Jewish community - is designed as a physical and metaphorical beacon. Congregants enter through a sacred garden into the community court, and then the sanctuary, creating transition from the secular to the sacred. At 60,000 SF the new synagogue is a third larger than the congregation’s previous building, and features stone from a Jerusalem quarry and artwork by an international group of artists. The design maximizes views to the surrounding natural site and utilizes abundant natural light within.

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(Photo credit: Tom Kessler Photography)

Size
60,000 SF
Scope
New Construction
Program
Central Gathering, Worship Spaces, Social Hall, Early Learning Center, Administration
Sustainability
Awards
2018 Faith and Form, Interfaith Design Award
2015 Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award for Interior Lighting
2015 Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, Award of Merit
In the news
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Project EUI
Exterior of view of Temple Israel in a golden fall light, with red trees to the left of the foreground.
View from the courtyard into the sanctuary at night, with trees in the foreground, and Hebrew lettering at the separation between frosted and clear glass.
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“This building was built to become a place for growth, peace, serenity, courage (and) action.''  
Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Israel

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Image of a hallway, with doors on the left open to the sanctuary, with liturgical art on the right.
View of the sanctuary from above, with wooden pews and window coverings, and a circular light illuminating the space from above.
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Temple Israel was the first house of worship completed on the 35-acre site. The American Muslim Institute, Countryside Community Church, Commons and Abraham’s Circle complete the campus. The first project of its kind in the United States, Finegold Alexander developed the original master plan demonstrating how the three religious groups in the Abrahamic tradition could share one campus, building bridges of respect, trust and acceptance.

View down a hallway, with colorful stained glass liturgical art to the right, and metal plaques, called the Sacred Garden, to the left.
Staircase in the foreground with community meeting rooms in the background, with a skylight above.
The congregation gathered at the Temple Israel sanctuary.
Temple Israel, glowing like a lantern in the night.
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"Let this be the story we tell our children, that once upon a time in a land called Omaha, the Jew, the Muslim and the Christian started a movement that changed the world."
Rev. John Dorhauer, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ

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In Progress
Adaptive Reuse
Civic
Cultural
Higher Ed
K-12
Development