Congregation Beth Israel, also known as the Orchard Street Shul, is an Orthodox

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 232 Orchard Street in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, in the United States. The synagogue building is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

The congregation was founded in 1913 by an Orthodox congregation that was formed by Jewish families who had prospered sufficiently to move beyond the neighborhood of first immigrant settlement around Oak and Lafayette Streets to the area of upper Oak Street (renamed Legion Avenue in 1928) and Winthrop Avenue. First meeting in leased space, in 1915 the congregation moved into a remodeled house at 147 Orchard Street. In 1923 they purchased a lot at 232 Orchard Street for $12,000 (today $) and built the present Colonial revival style building in 1925. The architect was Louis Abramowitz and the builder was C. Abbadessa. By the late twentieth century, the membership was elderly, the Jewish population of the city had moved elsewhere, and the future of the synagogue was in doubt. Efforts to preserve the synagogue were organized by the Cultural Heritage Artists Project and the synagogue returned to regular weekly use during 2011 under the leadership of Rabbi Mendy Hecht. Hecht is the grandson of Rabbi Maurice I. Hecht, rabbi at the shul for 45 years; and the son of Rabbi Sheya Hecht, who had also served in the pulpit. The synagogue was listed on the

in 1995. and

Current services

The historic restoration of the Orchard Street Shul took place during 2012. Traditional Shabbat services are held every Saturday morning at 9:30 AM as well as on all Jewish holidays, with no tickets or membership required to attend High Holiday services.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beth Israel (New Haven, Connecticut) 1913 establishments in Connecticut 20th-century synagogues in the United States Buildings and structures in New Haven, Connecticut Colonial Revival architecture in Connecticut Colonial Revival synagogues Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut Jewish organizations established in 1913 National Register of Historic Places in New Haven, Connecticut Neoclassical architecture in Connecticut Neoclassical synagogues Orthodox synagogues in Connecticut Synagogues completed in 1925 Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

History

Current services

See also

References

External links