B'er Chayim Temple

Last updated

B'er Chayim Temple
Congregation B'er Chayim.jpg
B'er Chayim Temple, May 2008
USA Maryland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationUnion and South Centre Streets, Cumberland, Maryland, United States
Coordinates 39°39′2″N78°45′38″W / 39.65056°N 78.76056°W / 39.65056; -78.76056 Coordinates: 39°39′2″N78°45′38″W / 39.65056°N 78.76056°W / 39.65056; -78.76056
AreaLess than one acre
Built1866(155 years ago) (1866)
Built byJohn B. Walton
Architectural style Greek Revival
NRHP reference No. 79001106 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 15, 1979(42 years ago) (1979-11-15)

B'er Chayim Temple (Hebrew for Well of Life, [2] a metaphor in which Torah is likened to water) is a synagogue in Cumberland, Maryland that is currently affiliated with the Reform movement. B'er Chayim counts approximately 72 families as members. [3]

Contents

B'er Chayim is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use as a synagogue in Maryland and the sixth oldest in the United States. [4] [5]

Clergy and leadership

Mark J. Perman has served as the rabbi of B'er Chayim since July 2016. [6] A native of New York City, [7] Perman graduated from the High School of Performing Arts, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and New York University. [6] Perman was ordained a cantor in 1997, [6] and he was ordained a rabbi by Mesifta Program in Queens, New York, in 2013. [6] Prior to joining B'er Chayim, Perman served as the interim cantor at Congregation Emanu El in Houston. [7]

Lee Schwartz serves as president of B'er Chayim. [8]

Religious services and programs

Shabbat services are held Friday evening. [9] Services and celebrations of Jewish holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah, [10] [11] Yom Kippur, [2] and Chanukah, [12] are held throughout the year. [9]

Torah study sessions are held twice a month. [9]

History

The first Jewish resident recorded in Cumberland dates to 1816. Twelve Jewish families were living in Cumberland, which then had a population of 6,150, in 1853 when congregation B'er Chayim was chartered by the Maryland state legislature. [4] The congregation was Orthodox when the temple was built, [13] although it is now a Reform congregation.

Between 1865 and 1867, the congregation built a two-story, Greek Revival synagogue building on the corner of South Centre and Union Streets. The building cost $7,427.02 to construct. [4] The facade is ornamented with four pilasters, a handsome pediment, and four very un-Greek Rundbogenstil, or round-arched, windows. [13] The building was constructed by local builder John B. Walton. [14]

Prayers and sermons were originally held in German, rather than Hebrew. [15]

Beth Jacob Synagogue, which was also located in Cumberland, merged with B'er Chayim Temple in 1996. [3]

In 2011, the synagogue underwent renovation. [2] The brickwork's mortar was redone, the wrought iron gates outside the entrance were restored, improved the interior, and made the synagogue wheelchair-accessible. [16] [17] The synagogue's building was reopened on August 17, 2014, and the synagogue was rededicated on November 7, 2014. [18] The Cumberland Historic Preservation Board gave an award to B'er Chayim for the synagogue's restoration. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Touro Synagogue Historic synagogue in Rhode Island, United States

The Touro Synagogue or Congregation Jeshuat Israel is a synagogue built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island. It is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States, the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S. dating to the colonial era, and the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America. In 1946, it was declared a National Historic Site.

Beth Chayim Chadashim was founded in Mid-City Los Angeles in 1972 as a synagogue primarily for lesbians and gays. Affiliated with Reform Judaism, it has been acknowledged by the Los Angeles Conservancy as being "culturally significant" as both the first LGBT synagogue in the world, the first LGBT synagogue recognized by the Union for Reform Judaism and, in 1977, as the first LGBT synagogue to own its own building.

Temple Beth-El (Great Neck, New York)

Temple Beth-El is a Reform synagogue at 5 Old Mill Road in Great Neck, New York. Founded in 1928, it is the oldest synagogue in Great Neck.

Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut) United States historic place

Congregation Beth Israel is a synagogue located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The synagogue is one of the two oldest Jewish congregations in Connecticut and one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in New England, with about 900 member families and about 2,000 individual members.

First Roumanian-American Congregation Church in Manhattan, New York

The First Roumanian-American Congregation, also known as Congregation Shaarey Shomayim, or the Roumanishe Shul, was an Orthodox Jewish congregation that, for over 100 years, occupied a historic building at 89–93 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York.

Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes Synagogue in New York City

Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes, more commonly known as the Kane Street Synagogue, is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 236 Kane Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It is currently the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Brooklyn.

Congregation Beth Elohim Reform Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, New York, US

Congregation Beth Elohim, also known as the Garfield Temple and the Eighth Avenue Temple, is a Reform Jewish congregation located at 274 Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue, in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, United States.

Bnai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore)

B'nai Israel is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in the historic Jonestown neighborhood, near downtown and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. The synagogue is one of the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States.

Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona) Jewish congregation in Scottsdale, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Jewish congregation located at 10460 North 56th Street in Scottsdale, Arizona. Formally incorporated in 1920, it affiliated with the Reform Judaism in 1935.

Temple Beth Israel was a Reform synagogue located at 840 Highland Road in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Originally called House of Israel Congregation, it was founded in 1888 as an Orthodox congregation by Jews from Eastern Europe.

Congregation Bnai Israel (Sacramento, California)

Congregation B'nai Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Sacramento, California. The congregation, which began as an Orthodox community, traces its history back to the California Gold Rush of 1849, when Jewish settlers gathered to observe the High Holy days. The congregation purchased its first building at 7th and L streets on September 2, 1852, making it the first congregationally owned synagogue west of the Mississippi River.

Temple B'rith Kodesh is a Reform synagogue in Rochester, New York. It is the oldest synagogue and the largest Reform congregation in the greater Rochester area.

Congregation Shaare Zion is an Orthodox Sephardic synagogue located at 2030 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. Shaare Zion typically has an estimated 1,500 worshipers who attend its services Fridays and Saturdays for Shabbat making it one of the largest Sephardic synagogues in North America. In its over fifty years of existence, the synagogue has hosted over ten thousand occasions including Brit milahs, Bar mitzvas, engagements and weddings. The synagogue generally serves the Aleppo or (Halabi) descendants of the Syrian Jewish community.

Congregation B'nai Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Bridgeport and the third oldest in Connecticut. B'nai Israel was established by a group of German Jewish immigrants as an Orthodox synagogue in 1859. The congregation's first rabbi was A. Jacobs. B'nai Israel established a Hebrew school in 1863.

Temple Emanuel (Cherry Hill, New Jersey)

Temple Emanuel is a Reform Jewish congregation located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It was founded in 1950 on the western side of Cherry Hill, and moved in 1992 to Cherry Hill's east side. Its first rabbi was Herbert M. Yarrish, who served from 1956 to 1975. As of 2018, the senior rabbi is Jerome P. David, the assistant rabbi is Gidon B. Isaacs and the cantor is Neil Schnitzer.

Congregation Or Chadash was a Reform LGBT-oriented congregation in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1975 as a gay support group for Jews, and was holding religious services by 1976. It moved into its first building, a former Unitarian church on West Barry Avenue in 1977, and hired its first permanent rabbi, Suzanne Griffel, in 1997.

The city of Cumberland, Maryland is home to a small and declining but historically significant Jewish community. The city is home to a single synagogue, B'er Chayim Temple, one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. Cumberland has had a Jewish presence since the early 1800s. The community was largest prior to the 1960s, but has declined in number over the decades. Historically, the Jewish community in Cumberland maintained several synagogues, a Jewish cemetery, and a Hebrew school. By 2019, Cumberland's Jewish community had its lowest population point since the early 1900s.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Barkley, Kristin Harty."B'er Chayim temple will undergo major renovation: Built in 1864, brick building recognized as longest continuously operating synagogue in Maryland". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). September 18, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Pash, Barbara. "'We Don't Give Up': Cumberland's sole synagogue helps maintain Western Maryland's Jewish presence". Jewish Times (Baltimore, Maryland). October 31, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 "Jewish community celebrating restoration of historic city temple". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). November 2, 2014.
  5. Gordon, Mark W. "Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues". American Jewish History . 84.1. p. 11–27. 2019 article update.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Meet Our Rabbi". B'er Chayim Temple. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Blaisdell, Elaine. "New rabbi has plans for theater at B'er Chayim". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). October 3, 2016.
  8. "Board Members, Committee Chairs and Contacts". B'er Chayim Temple. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 "Services". B'er Chayim Temple. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  10. Shapiro, David. "Jewish New Year starts Sept. 8". Mineral Daily News-Tribune (Mineral, West Virginia). August 28, 2010.
  11. "Celebrations offer hope for new birth, new ways". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). September 1, 2010.
  12. "How area residents celebrate Chanukah". Mineral Daily News-Tribune (Mineral, West Virginia). November 22, 2009.
  13. 1 2 Staff (undated). "B'er Chayim Temple". National Park Service. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  14. Gordon, Mark W. (1996). "Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues". American Jewish History . 84.1. pp. 1127.(registration required). 2019 article update.
  15. William Pratt and Dave Dorsey (December 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: B'er Chayim Temple" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  16. Bieniek, Matthew"Cardin visits city temple". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). January 13, 2012.
  17. "Temple renovations". The Cumberland Times-News. (Cumberland, Maryland). November 17, 2011.
  18. "Congregation announces move back to temple". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). July 24, 2014.
  19. Barkley, Kristin Harty. "Commission recognizes B'er Chayim temple - Greene Street property also receives preservation commission award". The Cumberland Times-News (Cumberland, Maryland). August 30, 2012.