Temple Celebrates 50th Anniversary

WINSTED — Members of the Temple Beth Israel Synagogue will celebrate an important milestone tonight, Friday, Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m., when the congregation will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the building of its synagogue at 74 Park Place. The scheduled speaker for the evening will be Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

Congregation member Barbara Braunstein acknowledged that there is a lack of awareness of the history of the Jewish community in Winsted, which founded its congregation back in 1925 at the site of the old St. James Episcopal Church. That structure was destroyed in the flood of 1955, and the congregation decided to rebuild with just $165 in its treasury.

“They went about raising the funds and in 1957 it was finished, and they had a big ceremony,� Braunstein said. “The synagogue has been going on ever since.�

Braunstein said there are about 100 members of the synagogue today.

The last member of the synagogue’s original 1957 building committee passed away earlier this year, but children of the committee members will speak to honor their parents, who were determined to see the congregation continue, Brainstein said. Rabbi Andrea Cohen Kiener will officiate at the service, which will include the placement of a new mezuzah at the entrance and will be followed by a reception.

Small and informal, Temple Beth Israel is open to anyone who wishes to worship or study with congregants. The synagogue has been deeply influenced by Reconstructionist Judaism, which respects traditional Jewish values and incorporates values of modern social life. “We want to involve people who have perhaps never been active in the life of a synagogue,� the congregation’s literature states.

With an admittedly small base, part of what has kept Temple Beth Israel alive in recent years has been a spacious basement, which once housed the Winsted Area Child Care Center and is now home to a dance studio.

“We own the building and we are funded by contributions,� Braunstein said. “The college also had art classes down there for a while.�

Throughout the years, Temple Beth Israel has been part of Winsted’s ministerial associations and the synagogue holds ecumenical Thanksgiving services each year. A student rabbi is invited to officiate services once a month for the congregation.

An excerpt from a September 1957 edition of the Winsted Evening Citizen recalls the original dedication of Temple Beth Israel as an inspiring event.

“There was joy in the heart of every member of Winsted’s Jewish community who attended the dedication of Temple Beth Israel yesterday; joy, because a beautiful new house of worship was theirs to behold, complete in every respect, close to the same site, which, not too many months ago, had been inflicted with sickening scars of hopelessness and despair by the horrible onslaught of 1955 flood waters, the former structure being ruined in the disaster.

“The jubilant mood of the Jewish congregation was enhanced by the presence of clergymen of other faiths, visiting dignitaries occupying important places in the world of Judaism and visitors, both local and out of town, who went to the impressive ceremony to extend congratulations and to bring messages of good will. The temple was filled to capacity for the joyous occasion.�

Braunstein said clergymen and women of other faiths have been invited again to participate in the 50th anniversary rededication ceremony. A bagel brunch has also been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 8, at 10:30 a.m.

For more information, call 860-379-8923.