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