Congregation Knesseth Israel | |
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Hebrew: ק"ק כנסת ישראל | |
The relocated synagogue building | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Modern Orthodox Judaism |
Rite | Ashkenazi |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
Year consecrated | 1906 |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | 236 Pinney Street, Ellington, Connecticut |
Country | United States |
Location in Connecticut | |
Geographic coordinates | 41°53′51″N72°28′47″W / 41.89750°N 72.47972°W |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Leon Dobkin |
Type | Synagogue |
Style | Colonial Revival |
Date established | 1906 (as a congregation) |
Completed | 1913 |
Construction cost | $1,500 |
Specifications | |
Direction of façade | East |
Length | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
Width | 40 feet (12 m) |
Materials | Wood |
Website | |
ellingtonshul | |
Congregation Knesseth Israel | |
NRHP reference No. | 95000862 [1] |
Added to NRHP | July 21, 1995 |
Congregation Knesseth Israel, also known as the Ellington Shul, is a Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 236 Pinney Street in Ellington, Connecticut, in the United States.
The congregation was founded in 1906 by a group of Yiddish-speaking Jewish farmers from Russia and Eastern Europe. [2] Its building, dating to 1913, is a rare example of an early 20th-century rural synagogue in the state, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. [1]
Knesseth Israel is located in what is now a rural-residential setting south of Ellington center, on the west side of Pinney Road (Connecticut Route 286) a short way north of its junction with Middle Road. It is a modest single-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and clapboarded exterior. Its main facade is three bays wide, with a center entrance sheltered by a gabled portico. The portico is supported by square posts, and has a Star of David in the gable. The flanking windows consist of a lower pair of sashes, and an upper transom with paired round arches applied. The interior of the building consists of one large chamber, with a bema that appears slightly oversized due to the building's small size. Because it is a single-story building, the segregated worship area for women (normally located in a second-floor gallery) is on the south side of the main space, separated by a low divider. [3]
The synagogue was built in 1913, and was originally located at the corner of Middle Rd. and Abbott Rd. in Ellington. [2] It was built in the Colonial Revival Style partly with funds from the philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch's Jewish Colonization Association. [4] In the 1954 the building was moved to its present location at 236 Pinney St. [3] The building was designed by Leon Dobkin. [1] [3] The building was one of fifteen Connecticut synagogues added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 [1] and 1996 in response to an unprecedented multiple submission, nominating nineteen synagogues. [5] [6]
In addition to the synagogue, the congregation maintains an Orthodox Jewish cemetery within the larger Ellington Cemetery. [7] [8]