Congregation Beth Israel records

The history of Congregation Beth Israel has been covered extensively in Hartford Jews, 1659-1970, Making a Life, Building a Community and The Way We Were by Beth Israel, written by archivist Marge Rafel. The Temple maintains its own archives. Therefore this portion of the inventory will not go into great detail and researchers are urged to consult those references.

Congregation Beth Israel is the oldest congregation in Hartford and one of the two oldest congregations in Connecticut. The precise date of founding is unknown and has been celebrated as both 1843, the year that Jews were first allowed to form congregations in this state, and as 1847, the date of the first written evidence of the congregation's existence.

Beth Israel was founded by German Jews, and although formed as an orthodox congregation, it soon adopted Reform movement practices. The congregation used a converted church as its synagogue for many years, but in 1876 erected the first synagogue building in Connecticut built especially for that purpose, designed by architect Arthur Keller. The building is known today as the Charter Oak Cultural Center.

Anticipating the westward movement of the Jewish population in Hartford, the current temple on Farmington Avenue was built in West Hartford and dedicated in 1936.

Special mention should be made of Beth Israel's most distinguished Rabbi, Abraham J. Feldman, who served from his arrival from Cincinnati in 1925 until retirement in 1968. Rabbi Feldman occupied a position of national prominence in the Reform movement and helped to lead changes in the branch, most notably the Reform view of Zionism. See the Rabbi Abraham J. Feldman Collection for more information.

Because Beth Israel was the only substantial congregation in Hartford for several decades, its members are closely tied to early Jewish communal and fraternal activities. Members of the Deborah Society, for example, enjoyed social activities while carrying out a variety of charitable duties for the poor in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities.

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After the ceremony, "the Masons were escorted back to their hall, and afterwards Congregation Beth Israel escorted the Adas Yisroule to their temple." The new synagogue on Charter Oak Avenue was dedicated May 26, 1876 ( Fig. 10 ) . The newspapers carried in detail the ceremonies of the dedication. In referring to Rabbi Deutsch's sermon, it was re¬ported, "The Doctor's argument for the use of the vernacular in the services of the sanctuary was also an exceedingly able and convincing one. We venture to say that seldom has so appropriate and powerful a dedication sermon been preached in Hartford in a church of any denomination." 1' The cost of the building was $35,567.05, and it had a seating capacity of over 500. Among its 78 members were Jacob Mandelbaum, president; Ger¬son Fox, founder of G. Fox & Co., treasurer; and Louis B. Haas, founder of L. B. Haas & Co., chair¬man of the building committee. In 1876, a group of Beth Israel members under the leadership of Dr. Solomon Deutsch, dissatisfied with the traditional service, withdrew and formed a new congregation, Ohaba Shalom. The first president was Tobias Kohn and the first vice president was Gerson Fox. Herman Goldschmidt was secretary; A. Hollander was treasurer; Joseph Schwab and Marks Fishel were trustees."' In 1878 Ohaba Shalom disbanded, the members returned to Beth Israel, and Dr. Deutsch left Hartford. The new rabbi of Beth Israel was Edwin S. Chapman.ls For some unknown reason, Congregation Adas Yisroule disbanded in 1877 ( Fig I1. ) From the minutes of Congregation Beth Israel of that year, we learn that it accepted 17 members of Adas Yisroule.2° Were there only 17 members of Adas Yisroule in 1877? If not, where did the others wor¬ship? Was there any connection between Adas Yisroule and the present Ados Israel Congregation which was organized about 1884? Since there are no available minutes of Adas Yisroule and the early minutes and records of Ados Israel were lost in the flood of 1912, these questions remain unanswered. In 1878, Beth Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 21 When the fiftieth anniversary of Beth Israel was commemorated on July 23, 1897, both the Times and the Courant on the following day gave detailed accounts of this historic milestone, and quoted extensively from the speeches of Rabbi Meyer Elkin, President Moritz Wieder, and Isidore Wise, and the minutes of Beth Israel preserved the newspaper clippings of the event. Congregation Beth Israel remained on Charter Oak Avenue until 1935, and in 1936 its new temple and school were completed at 701 Farmington Avenue. In 1950 the Alfred M. Silberman Memorial Chapel was added and in 1955 a Meeting House, new classrooms, and auditoriums were erected. Abraham J. Feldman served Beth Israel from 1925 to 1968 when he became rabbi emeritus.

Silverman