Congregation Agudath Sholom
Religion
AffiliationModern Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
Leadership
  • Rabbi Daniel Cohen
  • Rabbi Moshe Kurtz (Assistant)
StatusActive
Location
Location301 Strawberry Hill Avenue, Stamford, Connecticut 06902
CountryUnited States
Congregation Agudath Sholom is located in Connecticut
Congregation Agudath Sholom
Location of the current synagogue in Connecticut
Geographic coordinates41°04′14″N 73°32′01″W / 41.0705927°N 73.5336742°W / 41.0705927; -73.5336742
Architecture
TypeSynagogue
StyleRomanesque Revival (1941)
Date established1889 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1908 (Greyrock)
  • 1941 (Grove Street)
  • 1965 (Strawberry Hill Ave.)
Website
congregationagudathsholom.org
Agudath Sholom Synagogue (former)
The former Agudath Sholom Synagogue, now Baptist church building with the original façade and Star of David in the rose window
Location29 Grove Street, Stamford, Connecticut
Coordinates41°3′18″N 73°32′1″W / 41.05500°N 73.53361°W / 41.05500; -73.53361
MPSHistoric Synagogues of Connecticut MPS
NRHP reference No.95000561
Added to NRHPMay 11, 1995
[1]

Congregation Agudath Sholom (transliterated from Hebrew as "Knot (or society) for peace") is a Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue located at Strawberry Hill Avenue, in Stamford, Connecticut, in the United States.

The congregation's second building, at 29 Grove Street, was vacated in 1965 and subsequently converted into a Christian church, called the Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. This former synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 as part of a multiple property listing of fifteen historic synagogues in Connecticut.[2]

History

On September 7, 1889, twenty-two members formally declared themselves as "Agudath Sholom Synagogue"; meaning "knot for peace" or "society for peace". The congregation constructed their first synagogue, the Greyrock Synagogue, from 1904 through 1908. The congregation used the building until February 1932 when the Greyrock Synagogue was destroyed in a fire.[3]

Grove Street building

The Star of David window

Located at 29 Grove Street in Stamford, Connecticut, the Agudath Sholom Synagogue was the second synagogue of the congregation. The ground breaking occurred on September 12, 1933, and the final dedication was on April 27, 1941.[4][lower-alpha 1] The construction delayed by funding difficulties that resulted from the Great Depression.[4] The synagogue is a rectangular brick building constructed on a high basement. The building features a prominent rose window depicting the Star of David.[4]

Strawberry Hill Avenue building

In order to meet the demands of its growing congregation, funds were raised for a new synagogue; and in February 1963 it was announced that $860,000 had been raised, against a goal of $1.2 million.[5] In 1965, the congregation completed and dedicated a new synagogue at 301 Strawberry Hill Avenue.[6]

The Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church now uses the Grove St synagogue.[7]

Grove Street building significance

While it was originally a synagogue, the Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church continues to use the building as a church, however this did not impact the "National Landmark" status bestowed upon the building.[8] For the National Register of Historic Places, it was submitted under Criterion C because it was "Constructed as a Jewish house of worship, located in an urban setting, exhibits integrity of design and workmanship and constructed prior to 1945."[9]

The former Agudath Sholom Synagogue building on Grove Street 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.[8][2]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ According to the congregation's website, the Agudath Sholom Synagogue was completed in 1938 and the "Chanukkat Habayit dedication occurred on the High Holidays".[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Ransom, David F. (March 29, 1995). "NRHP Registration Form Multiple Property Listing: Historic Synagogues of Connecticut". National Park Service. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "History of Congregation Agudath Sholom". Congregation Agudath Sholom. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Agudath Sholom Synagogue". National Park Service. May 11, 1995. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ "none". Sunday Herald. February 17, 1963.
  6. ↑ Olitzky, Kerry (1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 81.
  7. ↑ "Connecticut – Fairfield County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Charles, Eleanor (April 7, 1996). "In the Region/Connecticut: 15 Synagogues Gain National Landmark Status". New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  9. ↑ Ransom, David F. (August 29, 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration, Multiple Property Listing, Historic Synagogues of Connecticut: Agudath Sholom Synagogue / Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church". National Park Service. (pages 102-110) and Accompanying two photos, exterior
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