Congregation Beth Ahabah

Last updated

Congregation Beth Ahabah
Postcard of Temple Beth Ahaba.jpg
Early 20th century postcard of the current synagogue
Religion
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
StatusActive
Location
Location1121 West Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia
CountryUnited States
USA Virginia relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Virginia
Geographic coordinates 37°33′05″N77°27′20″W / 37.551278°N 77.4555°W / 37.551278; -77.4555
Architecture
Architect(s) Noland and Baskervill
TypeSynagogue
Style Roman Revival
Date established1789 (as Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome)
GroundbreakingMarch 4, 1904
CompletedDecember 9, 1904
Specifications
Dome(s)One
Materials Stone
Website
bethahabah.org
Congregation Beth Ahabah
NRHP reference No. 72001528
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 14, 1972
Designated CP West Franklin Street Historic District
[1] [2] [3]

Congregation Beth Ahabah (meaning "House of Love") is a Reform Jewish synagogue at 1121 West Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. Founded in 1789 by Spanish and Portuguese Jews as Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome (meaning "Holy Congregation, House of Peace"), it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. [4]

Contents

History

When the congregation was founded, there were 100 Jews in Richmond's population of 3,900. After meeting for some years in leased space, the congregation built its first synagogue in 1822. It was a handsome, if modest, one-story brick building in Georgian style. [5]

The community grew and in 1841 the Ashkenazi members founded a new congregation called Beth Ahabah. In 1846 Beth Ahabah established the first Jewish school in Richmond, and 1846 built a synagogue at Eleventh and Marshall Streets. The Congregation moved toward Reform in 1867 with discussion of acquiring an organ, the decision to switch to family pews (mixing men and women) and allowing women to join the choir. Beth Ahabah joined the Reform Movement Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1875. A new building was erected, also at Eleventh and Marshall, in 1880. In 1898 K.K. Beth Shalome formally merged with Congregation Beth Ahabah. [5]

On March 4, 1904 the congregation laid the cornerstone for its present building, known as the Franklin Street Synagogue. The building was dedicated on December 9, 1904. [1] The domed, Neoclassical synagogue was designed by the Richmond-based firm of Noland and Baskervill (now Baskervill), who also designed nearby St. James' Church and the wings of the Virginia State Capitol. The synagogue has 29 stained glass windows. Most notable is a window on the building's eastern wall created and signed by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios in 1923. It depicts Mt. Sinai.

The congregation maintains the Hebrew Cemetery of Richmond, including the Cemetery for Hebrew Confederate Soldiers, as well as the original site of the 1789 Franklin Street Burial Grounds, which was the first Jewish cemetery in Virginia.

Beth Ahabah Museum

Congregation Beth Ahabah is the home of the Beth Ahabah Museum & Archives, located at 1109 West Franklin Street. Established in 1977, the museum's focus is the history and culture of Richmond's Jewish community and the Southern Jewish experience. Three galleries feature changing exhibits. The museum is open from Sunday through Thursday.

Notable members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)</span> Historic cemetery in Richmond, Virginia

The Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, also known as Hebrew Burying Ground, and previously the Jew's Burying Ground, dates from 1816. This Jewish cemetery, one of the oldest in the United States, was founded in 1816 as successor to the Franklin Street Burial Grounds of 1789. Among those interred here is Josephine Cohen Joel, who was well known in the early 20th century as the founder of Richmond Art Co. Within Hebrew Cemetery is a plot known as the Soldier's Section. It contains the graves of 30 Jewish Confederate soldiers who died in or near Richmond. It is one of only two Jewish military cemeteries outside of the State of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth El (Detroit)</span> Reform synagogue in Michigan, United States

Temple Beth El is a Reform synagogue located at in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan, in the United States. Beth El was founded in 1850 in the city of Detroit, and is the oldest Jewish congregation in Michigan. Temple Beth El was a founding member of the Union for Reform Judaism in 1873, and hosted the meeting in 1889 during which the Central Conference of American Rabbis was established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim</span> One of the oldest Jewish congregations in the US

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Portland, Oregon)</span> Jewish synagogue in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 1931 NW Flanders Street, Portland, Oregon, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Ohabei Shalom (Brookline, Massachusetts)</span> Reform synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts, US

Temple Ohabei Shalom is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 1187 Beacon Street, in Brookline, suburban Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Organized in 1842 with membership mainly of German Jews, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Massachusetts and the third oldest in New England, following congregations in Newport and New Haven.

Congregation Beth Israel was a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located for most of its history at 761 Chestnut Street in Gadsden, Alabama, in the United States. An outgrowth of Gadsden's Jewish religious school, it was founded in 1908 and incorporated in 1910. It moved into its Chestnut Street building in 1922, and joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Scottsdale, Arizona, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 10460 North 56th Street in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. Incorporated in 1920, the congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation B'nai Israel (Sacramento, California)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Sacramento, California, US

Congregation B'nai Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3600 Riverside Boulevard, in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Founded in 1852 as an Orthodox community, the congregation is the oldest Jewish congregation in Sacramento. The congregation dates 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 synagogue west of the Mississippi River.

The history of the Jews in Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada has been noted since the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Jeshurun (Manhattan)</span> Synagogue in New York City

B'nai Jeshurun is a non-denominational Jewish synagogue located at 257 West 88th Street and 270 West 89th Street, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahavath Beth Israel (Boise, Idaho)</span> Reform synagogue in Idaho

Ahavath Beth Israel, officially Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 11 North Latah Street, in Boise, Idaho, in the United States. Its 1896 building is amongst the oldest synagogues in continuous use west of the Mississippi River. The congregation is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple House of Israel</span> Jewish congregation in Staunton, Virginia, U. S.

Temple House of Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 15 North Market Street, in Staunton, Virginia, in the United States. Founded in 1876 by Major Alexander Hart, it originally held services in members' homes, then moved to a building on Kalorama street in 1885, the year it joined the Union for Reform Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Houston)</span> Historic site in Harris County, Texas

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5600 North Braeswood Boulevard, in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The congregation, founded in 1854, is the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas; and it operates the Shlenker School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Meridian, Mississippi)</span> Reform Jewish congregation in Mississippi, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Meridian, Mississippi, in the United States. Founded in 1868 and a member of the Union for Reform Judaism, the congregation's first permanent house of worship was a Middle Eastern-style building constructed in 1879. The congregation moved to another building built in the Greek Revival style in 1906, and in 1964 moved to a more modern building, out of which they still operate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery</span> Synagogue and cemetery in North Dakota, US

B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in the United States, consists of a Reform Jewish congregation and its synagogue; and the congregation's related cemetery. Both the synagogue building and the cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magen David Synagogue (Kolkata)</span>

Magen David Synagogue is located at the junction of Brabourne Road and Canning Street in Kolkata. Magen David is the second operating synagogue in Kolkata, the other is the Beth El Synagogue at Pollock Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome</span> Former Jewish synagogue in Richmond, Virginia, United States

Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue that was located in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. Established in 1789, the congregation merged with Congregation Beth Ahabah in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Franklin Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

The West Franklin Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Richmond, Virginia. It is located along the northern boundary of the Fan district. The district encompasses 71 contributing buildings built between about 1870 and the 1920. It was originally developed as a primarily residential district with buildings in a variety of popular late-19th and early-20th century architectural styles including Greek Revival, Romanesque, Georgian Revival, Queen Anne, and Italianate. Many of the dwellings have been converted to commercial use. In addition, the district's private houses have been converted into multi-family housing and departmental offices for Virginia Commonwealth University. Notable buildings include Franklin Terrace, the Ritter-Hickock House, First Independent Church, Founder's Hall, the Raleigh Building, The Greyston Apartments, Gresham Court Apartments, and the Beth Ahabah Congregation Hall and Synagogue.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Synagogue". Beth Ahaba. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  2. "West Franklin Street Historic District National Register Nomination" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee (June 30, 1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook'. Greenwood Press. p. 359.
  5. 1 2 "Our History". Congregation Beth Ahabah, Richmond, Virginia (VA). Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.