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Temple Beth Israel is an historic former
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
and
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
building, located at 39 Killingly Drive in the
Danielson Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Brot ...
village of Killingly,
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. Built between 1951 and 1961 to a design by
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
architect William Riseman, it is one of the first
Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
synagogues built in Connecticut. It was built in part by members of its congregation, many of whom were survivors of
The 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 ...
, and was formally dedicated on June 5, 1961 after ten years of construction. The congregation was a mix of Orthodox and Conservative adherents, and was merged with a congregation in Putnam in 2003. 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 2013, and it has served as a cultural historical center, managed by a non-profit organization since 2009.


Architecture and history

Temple Beth Israel is located in a residential area to the east of the Danielson's commercial district, at the southwest corner of Killingly Drive and Corinne Street. It is a two-story structure, built mainly out of concrete faced with fieldstone, and covered by a broad gabled roof that has extended eaves with exposed rafters. Bands of windows line three sides of the building's upper story. The basement houses a vestry, meeting area, and physical plant, while the upper level houses the sanctuary. At the end of
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 ...
, Danielson was home to a small number of Jewish families, who organized religious activities in their homes. The town saw a significant influx of Holocaust survivors after the war, settled with funding from the Jewish Agriculture Association, a charity established by Baron
Maurice de Hirsch Moritz Freiherr von Hirsch auf Gereuth (; ; 9 December 1831 – 21 April 1896), commonly known as Maurice de Hirsch, was a German Jewish financier and philanthropist who set up charitable foundations to promote Jewish education and improve the ...
, a prominent Jewish philanthropist. The extant Jews and new arrivals banded together to establish a temple. Stone for the building was donated by Mary Riseman of nearby
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 her son William, primarily an interior decorator working out of Boston, Massachusetts, donated his services to design the building. Construction began in 1951, and early services were held in the basement while funds were raised to complete the building. Its formal dedication took place in 1961. The building is distinctive in Connecticut as the first known instance of Modern movement architecture in a synagogue. The congregation, a blend of Orthodox and Conservative adherents, was generally served by itinerant rabbis, often religious students. Over the subsequent decades, it declined in size as its members aged and either died or moved away. In 2003, it merged with the Sons of Zion congregation in Putnam, adopting the new name B'nai Shalom. That congregation decided in 2008 to discontinue use of this building. A secular preservation society was organized to keep it, which has transformed it into a cultural and historical center, dedicated to preserving the history of the Jewish experience in the area.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Connecticut __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Connecticut. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Windham County ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beth Israel (Danielson, Connecticut) 20th-century synagogues in the United States Buildings and structures in Windham County, Connecticut Former synagogues in Connecticut Modernist architecture in Connecticut Modernist synagogues National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Connecticut Synagogues completed in 1961 Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Synagogues preserved as museums