Temple B'Nai Israel, now operating as the Olean Community Theatre, is a

deconsecrated Deconsecration, also referred to as decommissioning or ''secularization'' (a term also used for the external confiscation of church property), is the removal of a religious sanction and blessing from something that had been previously consec ...

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 ...

and stage venue located in Olean,

Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, in the United States. ''See also:'' The synagogue was erected in 1929, closed in 2019 and was deconsecrated in December 2020; the building was 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 ...

in 2012 and has been used as a

community theater Community theatre refers to any Theatre, theatrical performance made in relation to particular Community, communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a communit ...

since the deconsecration. The B'Nai Israel Congregation that occupied the synagogue, a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

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 established in 1894 as the Olean Hebrew Association, continues to operate using rented space elsewhere in Olean.

History

The congregation was established by Harris W. Marcus, a native of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

who had moved from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and settled in Olean in 1881, establishing the first Jewish community in the region. Its attendance peaked during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era as Jewish communities joined in solidarity against the ongoing

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. A

Sefer Torah file:SeferTorah.jpg, A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema file:Köln-Tora-und-Innenansicht-Synagoge-Glockengasse-040.JPG, An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Inte ...

was donated in 1941 by Oscar Rosenbloom, a local merchant. The membership was down to 23 families as of 2017. B'Nai Israel continued to hold its twice-monthly regular services at the time, but it was said to be in danger of closing within a decade due to the ongoing exodus of young people from the Olean region.Dinki, Tom
"Dwindling B’Nai Israel congregation celebrates Rosh Hashanah"
''

Olean Times Herald The ''Olean Times Herald'' is a daily newspaper serving the western Twin Tiers region, based in Olean, New York, United States. The afternoon newspaper, one of the few remaining afternoon papers in the nation, is published by Bradford Publishin ...

'', September 21, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018 Since deconsecrating its synagogue in 2020, it has rented space in the former Saint John's School on North Union Street for services.

Heritage building

B'Nai Israel's synagogue building from 1929 to 2019 was a three- to four-story tall, light brown brick structure with

terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...

decorative details. (Before the Temple was constructed, the Olean Jewish community had rented facilities to serve as a house of worship.) Built in 1929, it measures 85 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 50 feet tall. The front facade features a massive arched terra cotta portal encircling a large, round stained glass window. It was listed on the

in 2012. In July 2019, the synagogue announced that it would be closing after

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

services that fall as it sought to rent a smaller facility. A zoning variance was unanimously approved in August to allow the

deconsecration Deconsecration, also referred to as decommissioning or ''secularization'' (a term also used for the external Secularization (church property), confiscation of church property), is the removal of a religious sanction and blessing from somethin ...

. A Torah originally donated to the congregation was reunited with a family member of the original donor in 2019, Oscar Rosenbloom Jr., who then donated it to Camp Towonga, a Jewish youth summer camp outside Yosemite National Park in Northern California. The temple was formally deconsecrated in December 2020; attendance had fallen even further by then, with only 16 families attending the high holiday services, which are the most-attended services on the calendar. The building was sold to a local

organization, where it now serves as the home theater for Olean Community Theater.

References

External links

Official Facebook page of Temple B'Nai IsraelOfficial Web site of Olean Community Theatre
Former synagogues in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Cattaraugus County, New York Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Synagogues completed in 1929 1929 establishments in New York (state) Gothic Revival architecture in New York (state) Gothic Revival synagogues Jewish organizations established in 1894 1894 establishments in New York (state) Olean, New York Religious organizations disestablished in 2020 2020 disestablishments in New York (state) 20th-century synagogues in the United States {{CattaraugusCountyNY-NRHP-stub