Congregation Berith Sholom
Encyclopedia
Congregation Berith Sholom (Covenant of Peace) is a synagogue in Troy, New York
. The synagogue
is the oldest continuously used synagogue in the state of New York
, the second oldest house of worship in the state outside of the city of New York
, and one of the oldest synagogue buildings
in the United States.
. Reform ritual was adopted around 1890 and the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1920. Around 1953 an addition was built to house the religious school. The building is part of the Central Troy Historic District
.
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
. The synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
is the oldest continuously used synagogue in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the second oldest house of worship in the state outside of the city of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and one of the oldest synagogue buildings
Oldest synagogues in the United States
The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
in the United States.
History
The congregation was formally founded in 1866 by members of two other congregations, its name was originally spelled Baris Sholem. The building, which is still in use, was built in the summer of 1870, and finished in time for the High Holy DaysHigh Holy Days
The High Holidays or High Holy Days, in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim , may mean:#strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ;...
. Reform ritual was adopted around 1890 and the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1920. Around 1953 an addition was built to house the religious school. The building is part of the Central Troy Historic District
Central Troy Historic District
The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly-shaped, area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the [country]" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to...
.
Other reading
- A century of Temple Berith Sholom, Troy, New York, by Samuel Rezneck, Rickman Press (1966)