Guide to the Records of Congregation Beth Israel (Hartford, Connecticut), 1920-1999
 
*I-464

Reprocessed by Stephanie Call

American Jewish Historical Society, New England Archives

99-101 Newbury St.

Boston, Massachusetts

Phone: (617) 226-1245

Email: reference@ajhsboston.org

URL: http://www.ajhsboston.org

© 2016, American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY. All Rights Reserved.

Machine-readable finding aid created by Stephanie Call as MS Word document, March 2010. Finding aid was encoded by Marvin Rusinek on September 2, 2010. Description is in English.

Historical Note¹

Congregation Beth Israel, Hartford, Connecticut

Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1843 and is Connecticut's oldest synagogue. Originally established as an Orthodox congregation, the synagogue eventually converted to Reform and was one of the founding members of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (Union for Reform Judaism) in 1877. In 1854, the Ladies' Deborah Society was established, which operated as a charitable group within the synagogue. Until 1856, the congregation met in congregants' homes and buildings throughout the city. The first building to house the synagogue, "Touro Hall," was also the first synagogue in Hartford, but was partially destroyed by fire in 1875. The synagogue then moved to Charter Oak Avenue, where it remained until 1935. In 1868, the synagogue purchased land on Zion Hill for their cemetery, which was dedicated in 1874. The current synagogue building is on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.

Footnote

¹ Information for this administrative sketch is from the following resources:

"History." Congregation Beth Israel. August 17, 2010 (http://www.cbict.org/whoWeAre/index.html)

Materials from the collection.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of flyers, invitations and programs concerning the Congregation's 100^th and 125^th Anniversaries, general miscellaneous materials and printed pamphlets about services (Bulletins.)

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series as follows:

• Series I: Anniversaries, 1943, 1968
• Series II: General, 1927-1970
• Series III: Publications, 1920-1969, 1980-1999

Access and Use

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011
email: reference@ajhs.org

Related Material

Marjorie L. Rafal Archives at Congregation Beth Israel, Hartford, CT.
AJHS Subject Files, "Ladies' Deborah Society," Box 3, Folder 34

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Congregation Beth Israel (Hartford, Connecticut), records; I-464; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information unknown.

Access Points

• Subject Organizations:

  • Congregation Beth Israel (Hartford, Conn.)
  • Union for Reform Judaism

• Subject Topics:

  • Reform Judaism.
  • Synagogues--United States--History.
  • Synagogues--United States--Organization and administration.

• Subject Places:

  • Hartford (Conn.)
  • West Hartford (Conn.)

• Document Types:

  • Books
  • Jewish sermons
  • Newsletters
  • Pamphlets
  • Programs

Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Click the box in the request column to learn more about viewing materials at the New England Archives of AJHS.

Series I: Anniversaries, 1943, 1968
English.
Box 1, Folders 1-2.
Scope and Content: Contains the anniversary book, Remember the Days of Old by Rabbi Abraham J. Feldman (written in commemoration of the synagogue's 100th anniversary) and Binding the Generations Each to Each, edited by Theodore Lenn, in honor of the 125th anniversary. An invitation to the 100th anniversary is also included. The books provide a thorough history of the synagogue and its congregants.
Box	Folder	Title	Date	Request
1	1	100th/Programs and Invitations	1943
1	2	125th/Programs	1968

Series II: General, 1927-1970
English.
Box 1, Folder 3.
Scope and Content: Contains the program to the dedication service for the building opening in 1936, the meeting house in 1955, and the Abraham J. Feldman Hall and Dorothy Silberman Lounge in 1956, meeting notices and call for social action, a sermon by Rabbi Feldman, and an annual meeting program.
Box	Folder	Title	Date	Request
1	3	Miscellaneous Material	1927-1970

Series III: Publications, 1920-1969, 1980-1999
English.
Box 1, Folder 4 - Box 4, Folder 5.
Scope and Content: Contains several bulletins with information about services, as well as newsletters.
Box	Folder	Title	Date	Request
1	4-7	“Bulletins”	1920-1959
Box	Folder	Title	Date	Request
2	1-5	“Bulletins”	1950-1969
Box	Folder	Title	Date	Request
3	1-5	“Bulletins”	1960-1989
Box	Folder	Title	Date	Request
4	1-5	“Bulletins”	1980-1999