Beth Israel Synagogue (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Beth Israel Synagogue
Beth Israel Synagogue
	The former synagogue, in 2010
Religion
Affiliation	Conservative Judaism (former)
Rite	Sephardic
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue (1903–1962); Residential apartments;
Status	Closed; and repurposed
Location
Location	238 Columbia Street, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Country	United States
	Location of the former synagogue in Massachusetts
Geographic coordinates	42°22′9″N71°05′46″W / 42.36917°N 71.09611°W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Nathan Douglass
Type	Synagogue
Style	Romanesque Revival
Date established	1900 (as a congregation)
Completed	1903
	Beth Israel Synagogue
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	less than one acre
MPS	Cambridge MRA
NRHP reference No.	82001921
Added to NRHP	April 13, 1982

Last updated June 23, 2024

Beth Israel Synagogue is a historic former Jewish synagogue building at 238 Columbia Street in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. Built in 1903, it was the first and principal synagogue to serve the East Cambridge area, and is a fine local example of Romanesque Revival architecture. Now converted into residential condominiums, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.^[1]

Description

The former Beth Israel Synagogue stands in The Port neighborhood of eastern Cambridge, on the east side of Columbia Street, between Hampshire and Market Streets. It is a two-story brick building with a gabled roof and flanking square towers. Its Romanesque Revival styling includes bands of narrow round-arch windows and a large Syrian arch sheltering the main entrance. Brick corbelling adorns the eaves of the pyramidal tower roofs, and is featured in multiple bands at the base of the front gable. The building was designed by Nathan Douglass^[2] and completed in 1903.^[3]

History

The known history of Jewish worship in East Cambridge begins in 1898, with the founding of the Sephardic Congregation Anshai Sfard. It originally met in private residences. Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1900, and construction was begun on this building in 1901. In 1906 the congregation divided over doctrinal differences, resulting in the founding of Congregation Agudath Ashkenazim.^[3] Congregation Anshai Sfard merged with Beth Israel in 1957.^[4] In 1962 Beth Israel and Agudath Ashkenazim merged to form Temple Beth Shalom of Cambridge, and the new congregation chose to use the Temple Ashkenaz building on Tremont Street in Cambridge,^[3]^[5] now widely known as the Tremont Street Shul.^[6]

By 1982, the Beth Israel building, no longer used as a synagogue, was taken over by the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.^[2] The former synagogue building currently houses condominium units.^[7]

Gallery

Erected 1901
Congregation Beth Israel

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References

1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
1 2 "NRHP nomination and MACRIS inventory record for Beth Israel Synagogue". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
1 2 3 "A Century of Shalom: An Exhibit on The History of the Jewish Community in Cambridge". Tremont Street Shul. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
↑ "Old Rite Unites Temples: Two Orthodox Synagogues Merge in Cambridge, Massachusetts". Life Magazine . June 24, 1957. p. 85.
↑ Reinhold, Arthur (March 25, 1996). "Jewish Life in Cambridge - 1896 - 1996". A Century of Shalom - History: A History of the Organized Jewish Community in Cambridge. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
↑ "Our History". Tremont Street Shul. Cambridge, MA. 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
↑ "Guide to the Records of Congregation Beth Israel-Cambridge, Massachusetts". American Jewish Historical Society.

External links

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[nris-1] 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.

[NRHP-2] 1 2 "NRHP nomination and MACRIS inventory record for Beth Israel Synagogue". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[timeline-3] 1 2 3 "A Century of Shalom: An Exhibit on The History of the Jewish Community in Cambridge". Tremont Street Shul. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2009.

[4] "Old Rite Unites Temples: Two Orthodox Synagogues Merge in Cambridge, Massachusetts". Life Magazine . June 24, 1957. p. 85.

[5] Reinhold, Arthur (March 25, 1996). "Jewish Life in Cambridge - 1896 - 1996". A Century of Shalom - History: A History of the Organized Jewish Community in Cambridge. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

[6] "Our History". Tremont Street Shul. Cambridge, MA. 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

[7] "Guide to the Records of Congregation Beth Israel-Cambridge, Massachusetts". American Jewish Historical Society.

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