The Temple - Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom is a

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

located in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. Originally the Adath Israel Temple, it adopted its current name following a merger, but is more commonly known by the informal name The Temple. Prior to merging, the congregations resided in several buildings, with the Adath Israel Temple's third synagogue listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

The congregation, the oldest in Kentucky, was chartered in 1842 and has occupied six buildings. It is a founding member of the

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...

. Brith Sholom—Louisville's third oldest synagogue—was organized in 1880. It was established for those wishing to pray in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, rather than the English used in Adath Israel. It joined the Reform movement in 1920. In 1976, Adath Israel merged with Brith Sholom. This was motivated by the desire of both groups to improve their physical facilities and to relocate to the eastern part of Jefferson County. For a few years after it was organized as Adath Israel Brith Sholom, it held services in the Brith Sholom building. In 1980, the congregation was able to move into its new sanctuary on Brownsboro Road.Lee Shai Weisbach, ''Synagogues of Kentucky: History and Architecture'',

University Press of Kentucky The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The university had sponsored scholarly publication since 1943. In 194 ...

, 1995, p. 29.

Adath Israel Temple sites

First site

The congregation built a synagogue on Fourth Street in 1849, which a fire destroyed in 1866.

Second site

In 1868, the congregation built a new temple at Broadway and Sixth Street. The elaborate

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

d synagogue was created in an Orientalist style that featured twin towers topped by tall domes and a

Torah Ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha- ...

with a

horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; Spanish: "arco de herradura"), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is an emblematic arch of Islamic architecture, especially Moorish architecture. Horseshoe arches can take rounded, pointed or lobed form. Hi ...

topped by a similar dome. The architect was H. P. Bradshaw.

Third site

The congregation's third building was informally known as the "Third Street Synagogue". The

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

structure was designed by architects Kenneth McDonald and J.F. Sheblessy and dedicated on June 3, 1906. The neo-classical building was listed in the

in 1975 as a result of the strength and prestige of the architects. In 1977, it was sold to the Greater Bethel Temple, an Apostolic Church.

Brith Sholom Temple sites

Brith Sholom first owned a building at First and Walnut Streets, which it sold to Congregation Anshei Sfard in 1903 when it moved to Second and College Streets. It moved to the Bonnycastle Mansion at Cowling and Maryland Avenues in 1949.

Merged site

In 1980, the congregation moved to Brownsboro and Lime Kiln Roads with land purchased in 1966. The temple was built by a joint venture between managing partners Arrasmith & Rapp and

Joseph & Joseph Joseph & Joseph is an architectural firm founded in 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky. The main services include architectural, engineering and design projects. The firm designed many buildings listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. ...

References

External links

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adath Israel Brith Sholom Synagogues completed in 1905 German-American culture in Louisville, Kentucky Synagogues in Louisville, Kentucky Reform synagogues in Kentucky Religious organizations established in 1842 Founding members of the Union for Reform Judaism 1842 establishments in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Greek Revival synagogues Greek Revival architecture in Kentucky