When Rabbi Matthew Eisenberg takes a moment to survey the landscape of Cleveland synagogues and then looks inward at Temple Israel Ner Tamid in Mayfield Heights, it doesn’t take long for him to realize that the synagogue he leads is a unique one.

“The congregation started as one that was a little bit different from others,” Eisenberg told the Cleveland Jewish News. “That was because of my father’s (Rabbi Fred Eisenberg, who founded TINT) personality, and I think that also continues because of my personality. My sister, Rachel (Eisenberg) is our cantorial soloist, so that also makes it quite different because it’s a family affair in a lot of ways. To serve a congregation is a holy endeavor, and also one fraught with many challenges when people are emotionally invested and excited to do something new, different, small and intimate.”

But TINT was able to overcome the obstacles in its own way as it grew, and the congregation is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a milestone celebration weekend to be held Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 that also honors Rabbi Matthew Eisenberg’s 30th anniversary with the synagogue, Rachel Eisenberg’s 40th anniversary as cantorial soloist and the 25th anniversary of Ok-Sim Kim as choir director.

“For 40 years, our ancestors wandered through the wilderness, and then they finally got to the promised land,” Eisenberg said. “But we’re not wandering, and we hope to continue to go in the direction of the promised land. We want good things for the Jewish people in our country and the state of Israel, which is the promised land.”

Rabbi Matthew Eisenberg’s father, the late Rabbi Fred Eisenberg, who had been with the former Congregation Brith Emeth in Pepper Pike, started Temple Israel of Greater Cleveland, placing a special emphasis on family worship, with Friday night services held early enough to include children. Rabbi Fred Eisenberg died Aug. 17, 2022 at the age of 91.

Eisenberg said that like most congregations, TINT started small. People gathered in the backyard of friends, and then, in 1985, they started meeting in the basement of the Cleveland Hebrew Schools building on Lander Road in Mayfield Heights, which had a stage and acted as an auditorium for the school.

In 1986, the congregation bought the building that housed Mayfield Hillcrest Synagogue, which had moved to Beachwood and was renamed Congregation Shaarey Tikvah. TINT has been at its current location at 1732 Lander Road since.

“We have taken that holy space and continued to keep it holy and improved it, and made it even more warm and more heimish,” Eisenberg said. “Some people come and are in it for the long haul. Others come and after a little while say, ‘I love you rabbi, however I want a bigger building.’ It’s a challenge for every congregation, but it’s more acute when it’s a very small one. We started with 50 families, and we’re still very family oriented.”

Eisenberg, who had previously served as a rabbi in Houston, succeeded his father as rabbi of Temple Israel of Greater Cleveland in 1996, a crucial time as talks soon of a merger were underway with Temple Ner Tamid of Euclid, which had a religious school, which Temple Israel Greater Cleveland lacked with its children attending Cleveland Hebrew Schools program, and lay leadership, but didn’t have a permanent rabbi.

In 1997, a successful merger brought together the two Reform Jewish temples to form Temple Israel Ner Tamid in its present Mayfield Heights location.

“Sometimes, when congregations merge or get together, one of the names is erased from history,” Eisenberg said. “It’s never used again. You erase a profound history for those people. We didn’t want to do that.”

In summer 2021, TINT unveiled its new, 6,130-square-foot religious school expansion and renovated sanctuary.

While four decades of involvement in the community means so many memories and experiences, Eisenberg said one of the aspects of TINT that he is most proud of is the tzedakah, or righteous giving, it takes part in.

“When Hurricane Katrina hit at the end of August 2005, for the next two weeks we had semi-tractor trailers on our front lawn and we were filling it up, sorting the goodies and sending down all sorts of things,” he said. “We were sending down clothing, utensils, a little bit of furniture – it was a big community effort. There were people from other congregations who came and volunteered, donated and helped pay for the semi tractor trailer. The school next door, Lander Elementary School, brought over students to volunteer to sort and pack items. And the Mayfield Heights football team came.”

Every Friday night after Shabbat services, TINT makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and delivers them to the homeless in the city of Cleveland in a van.

“We look for people on the street and go to homeless shelters,” he said. “We’re doing the mitzvah of tzedakah every week. Part of our mission is to always help people in need of help.”

The milestone celebration weekend, which will be held at TINT at 1732 Lander Road in Mayfield Heights, will begin at 6:45 p.m. Aug. 28. There will be a pre-service meet and greet featuring hours’ d’oeuvres and wine and following a special honorary Shabbat service, there will be an enhanced oneg. On Aug. 29, a gala dinner celebration will be from 6:30 to 11 p.m. with a live auction featuring exclusive experiences and a fund-a-need silent auction. Cost of the dinner is $180. On Aug. 30, there will be a barbecue and sweet treats for a family-centered afternoon. From noon to 3 p.m. there will be child-friendly activities and games along with a magician.