Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont

The Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont is an historic, 1926 beach (summer, resort) synagogue at 15-17 Edgefield Avenue in Woodmont, Connecticut, United States. The synagogue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont
Location15 and 17 Edgefield Ave., Milford, Connecticut
Coordinates41°13′33″N 73°0′5″W
Area3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1926 (1926)
ArchitectAbramovitz, Charles H.; Schiff, Jacob
Architectural styleColonial Revival
MPSHistoric Synagogues of Connecticut MPS
NRHP reference No.95000860[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 21, 1995

Historic building

The small, wood-frame, clapboard synagogue was built in the Colonial Revival style typical of small New England towns for seasonal use by Jewish families who came to stay on the beach in the summer months.[2] An adjacent social hall was built in 1946.[3]

In 2012 the historic building was badly damaged by a fire, caused by an electrical wiring problem.[4] A reconstruction was quickly planned to restore both the 1926 sanctuary and the adjacent 1946 social hall, which suffered minor damage.[5][6][7][8] The social hall was restored in time for the High Holy Days in 2013.[9]

Congregation

The congregation began in 1920, meeting during the summer months in the vacation home of Rabbi Yehuda Heschel Levenberg. Ground was broken for a permanent synagogue building in 1926, and completed by the summer vacation season of 1927. A summer Sunday school opened in 1936, and a social hall was built in 1946. By the early 21st century, however, the summer population had declined and the diminished congregation hired Rabbi Schneur and Chanie Wilhelm of the Chabad movement in 2007 with the hope that they could attract enough members to make the Hebrew Congregation into a year-round synagogue. As of 2014, services were being held on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays year-round.[10][11][12]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. National Park Service, Historic Synagogues of Connecticut
  3. Fire damages historic Milford synagogue; Torahs, Shofar are rescued by firefighters, October 14, 2012, New Haven Register
  4. Fire Guts Milford Synagogue, Connecticut Post, October 214, 2013
  5. Milford Launches Building Plan, Feb. 19, 2013, Community News, http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=24118
  6. Milford rabbi vows to rebuild after devastating fire, Oct. 13, 2012, Connecticut Jewish Ledger,
  7. http://www.godfreyhoffman.com/Civil-Engineering-Blog/bid/284738/GHA-Lends-a-Helping-Hand-to-the-Rebuilding-of-a-Milford-Synagogue
  8. Rebuilding Burnt Historic Shul, June 25, 2013 http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=25892
  9. Milford Synagogue Works to Repair Fire Damage in Time for Holidays, September 3, 2013, NBC Connecticut
  10. Bagel Beach: Jewish Milford experiences a renaissance…again, June 13, 2012, Connecticut Jewish Ledger
  11. At Historic Synagogue, A Congregation at Last, New York Times, Dec, 9, 2007
  12. Bagel Beach Historical Association
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