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Rabbi Barry Marks - People of Faith

Rabbi Barry Marks served as the rabbi for Temple Israel in Springfield, Illinois from 1973 to 2017. He graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City in 1969 and began his rabbinical career in Danville, Illinois. He then attended the University of Illinois law school for two years, but in 1973 he became the rabbi at Temple Israel in Springfield, a Conservative synagogue. Rabbi Marks became very active in the greater Springfield community, and because of his lifetime of service to his temple and the community, was honored with Springfield's First Citizen Award in 2011.

Interview Links

Abstract

Interview Session 01 (Audio)

Barry Marks’ ancestors and their story

Interview Session 02 (Audio)

Barry’s early life in Baltimore, schooling and years at Johns Hopkins U.

Interview Session 03 (Audio)

Theological Seminary, ordination, first Temple in Danville and law school

Interview Session 04 (Audio)

Experiences at Temple Israel in Springfield from 1973 through 2018


Photos

Caption
Barry as an infant in 1944. Where: Baltimore, Maryland.

Where:
Baltimore, Maryland

When:
1944

Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption
Barry Marks, as a four-years old, when growing up in Baltimore in 1947.

Where:
Baltimore, Maryland

When:
1947

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry was five years old when this photo was taken in 1948. The Marks family was living in Baltimore at the time.

Where:
Baltimore, Maryland

When:
1948

Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption
Barry was twelve in 1955 when this photo was taken for his grade school graduation in Baltimore.

Where:
Baltimore, Maryland

When:
1955

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry’s parents, Philip and Rachael Marks, celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary outside their home in Baltimore in 1959.

Where:
Baltimore, Maryland

When:
1959

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Rabbi Marks at his first Bar Mitzvah, this for Ron Azoff in 1969, while Marks was living in Danville, Illinois.

Where:
Danville, Illinois

When:
1969

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry and Evelyne Marks in Springfield, circa 1975.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
Circa 1975

Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption
Rabbi Barry Marks, circa 1975, early in his time as rabbi at Temple Israel in Springfield, Illinois.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
Circa 1975

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Rabbi Barry Marks, wearing a tallit, early in his time at Temple Israel in Springfield, Illinois in 1975.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
1975

Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption
Rabbi Marks with Josh Kitterman during his Bar Mitzvah in 1987. Where: Springfield, Illinois.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
1987

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry with his sister Jodean Marks during his visit to her cousin's home in Silver Spring, Maryland, circa 1995.

Where:
Silver Spring, Maryland

When:
Circa 1995

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry with his fiancée, Carol Mittleman, in Champaign in 1996.

Where:
Champaign, Illinois

When:
1996

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry’s son Philip at his graduation from the University of Illinois in Urbana in 1997.

Where:
Urbana, Illinois

When:
1997

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry with Steven and Stephanie Victor for their baby’s naming ceremony, circa 2000.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
Circa 2000

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Rabbi Marks helped conduct the Holocaust Memorial Service at Springfield’s Old State Capitol, circa 2001.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
Circa 2001

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry Marks with Jacob Seidman at Jacob’s Bar Mitzvah in Springfield in 2002.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
2002

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry and Carol with their grandchildren, Bridger and Bella Mittleman, during a visit to Decatur for the Montessori School’s Grandparent’s Day in 2005.

Where:
Decatur, Illinois

When:
2005

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Rabbi Marks with Rebecca Matlins and Aaron Gordon at their 2007 wedding in Springfield. Their wedding included the traditional chuppah (canopy) and was held inside Temple Israel in Springfield.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
2007

Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption
Barry’s grandchildren, Eva and Karter, in Springfield in 2008.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
2008

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Rabbi Marks with Genie Melamed on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah in Springfield on August 15, 2009.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
August 15, 2009

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry with fiancée Nancy Sage in Springfield in 2011. Rabbi Marks was named Springfield’s First Citizen at a breakfast that year.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
2011

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
This photo of Barry Marks was used when he received Springfield’s First Citizen Award in 2011.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
2011

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo

Caption
Barry Marks at the Wyndham Hotel in Springfield during the Martin Luther King birthday celebration in January 2016.

Where:
Springfield, Illinois

When:
January 2016

Ownership:
Narrator’s photo



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