Six Chapters of Beth El's History by the late Janet Hennick. Become a member and be part of the next six chapters

Chapter 1 of 6

CHAPTER ONE- The earliest years What made a group of mostly immigrant Jews persist in starting a new synagogue in a New England factory town in the early years of the last century? They overcame hardships, lack of funds, disagreements about what to do, but persist they did, and for about three quarters of the twentieth century, they enjoyed being the largest synagogue in Waterbury, and probably the most prestigious. As Jews, their faith was all important and they banded together to provide the facilities for the practice of their religion and for the instruction of the younger generations to come. The Beth El was actually an outgrowth of the Friendship Social and Benevolent Society which was a social club in 1910 and had 100 members. It met in rented quarters until a building was purchased on Park Place. After World War I, the membership declined; so by 1923, there were only 25 members. Several of these members, under the leadership of Charles Rosengarten, were among those who strove to organize the Beth El Synagogue. They got together and in 1924 the Beth El was born. The Friendship Social Club gave their Park Place building to the new group because they had raised $11,000, which was one of the provisions for the gift. The Beth El was finally an entity. Adolph Sanditz was elected first president and serving were many of the members. The charter membership had 95 members, most of whom were foreign-born .The main interest was in modernizing the service, however. The group consisted of mostly orthodox Jews who felt that their style of worship was too old-fashioned. The list of names of the charter members, includes many prominent families who contributed to the success of the Waterbury community for more than one generation. The other initial officers were lst vice-president Charles Walzer, 2nd vice president Albert Leopold, 3rd vice-president Harry Strogatz and treasurer Martin Greenblatt. Also serving were recording secretary Max Traurig and financial secretary, Dr. Louis Weinberg.

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO- More about the early years The members of the new “shul” were mostly people who had been members of the Orthodox Beth Israel Synagogue. They called themselves “Modern Orthodox” and promptly made some changes in ritual. One of the first was to eliminate segregated seating. The men decided that they wanted to pray with their families. This was but one of the radical changes made by these young pioneers. The services were mostly conducted by student rabbis in those days until 1925, when Rabbi Harry E. Schwartz became the first full-time rabbi. That was also the year when the Beth El joined the United Synagogue of America as a member of the Conservative movement in this country. Rabbi Schwartz directed the formation of a Sunday school, but students also attended the community Talmud Torah for their religious education. Attendance at services was overwhelming even though there was no permanent house of worship. A focal point of these Waterburians was the social life revolving about the synagogue, in addition to the religious aspect. The need for new quarters was acute, and before the site on the corner of Cooke and Sterling Streets was settled upon, there were several places considered, but they either too small or not conveniently located. Although the upper Cooke Street area was not thickly populated, especially by the synagogue members, there was plenty of space and it was a pretty spot with Fulton Park across the street. In 1927 they bought the Cooke Street site which included a few houses that were used for the Sunday School and other purposes, and immediately there was a drive to build the synagogue. The members hadn’t anticipated the high cost of building and they would be $100,000 short, which in those days was a fortune; so they aimed just to construct the exterior walls and the basement auditorium. They had to postpone the completion of the sanctuary. How many of us remember looking up into the dome on the High Holidays, and seeing the bare cement walls only a few of which had black drapes? And the cold cement floor of the sanctuary? And the clackety-clack of the wooden chairs as we rose and sat during services? Many congregants brought small rugs to keep their feet warm. Then, to add to their woes, came the crash of 1929. Many people could not pay their pledges, and work had already started on the building. Still they struggled on an in 1930, the first wedding was held in the new building Dr. Harry Levin’s sister Rose was married to Harry Steinman. Then Rabbi Schwartz resigned, and in 1932, Rabbi William P. Greenfeld was hired to take his place. Many of us remember him as “the Rabbi” because we were the children of the Beth El at the time.

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3-HARD TIMES, THE DEPRESSION The Depression deepened and there was hardly a member who was not affected adversely. Businesses failed, and those who were considered the pillars of the synagogue, like the bankers and others who were counted on to contribute heavily were suddenly without funds to do so. Members were asked to make weekly payments of 50 cents and one dollar towards their dues. The Boy Scouts were enlisted to make the collections as their good deed, but that did not turn out well; so the adults took over. Salaries could not be paid, nor could the contractor. Light, fuel and power bills were in arrears. A bank loan was taken out for $50,000 and endorsed by some of the members, but the bank failed and a way was figured out to purchase the books, turn them in and get credit towards the repayment of the loan. Bankruptcy threatened and while some were ready to give up, the majority of the membership fought against it. Such was the tenacity of our forefathers. In spite of an almost hopeless situation, Beth El continued to fulfill its functions. In 1934, the first congregation Seder was held for Passover. There was a warmth and a feeling of camaraderie in those days. People were focussed on making a go of the organization; and so they pulled together. There were few complaints when Sunday School classes were held on the stage of the lower level. It was cold many days; so you kept your coat on. In the middle 1930s, kiddie shows were produced by Mrs. Bertha Fleisher. These were big events, also money raisers. The whole congregation turned out to enjoy the local talent and “qvell” about their children. So even in the depths of bad luck, the Beth El came through. Honors started to be bestowed on some of the stalwarts, and under the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Greenfeld the Beth El began to take its place as an important religious institution in Waterbury. There was a large board of directors and they elected some of the older men as honorary directors. In 1934, Adolph Sanditz, the first president of the synagogue was the first to receive this honor.

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4- Middle to Late 30’s As the1930s evolved, the monetary pressures on the Beth El began to ease. The bank loan for $50,000 was paid off in 1937, and the total debt was reduced The first yahrzeit tablet was dedicated in 1939, and during that year, Herman Kornreich became the recording secretary and was one of the longest-serving office-holders in Beth El history. Also in that year, a one-family house was purchased on Cooke Street next to the synagogue to be used as a home for the rabbi. It was used for this purpose until 1960. Beth El traditionally has had a fine relationship with the churches in Waterbury. Pulpit exchanges were initiated in the early 1930s, and warm and amiable functions together occurred often. When some churches were struck by fire, Beth El offered the use of our facilities until they rebuilt. Beth El also raised funds to help out. Although old-time tradition looked askance at the use of an organ for services, the times were changing and the consensus was that an organ would indeed be proper. After much talk and soul-searching, in 1948, approval was given to have an organ, and many of us can remember with pleasure the beautiful music that emanated from the choir loft. We had a choir who sang and which was directed by Harry Strogatz. In 1947, it was reorganized and subsequently was led by Louise Greenfield, who, along with Cantor Irving Pinsky and the use of the organ provided the music for the services. The choir grew in numbers and became an integral part of the Synagogue ritual. In the early 1940s, the success of Beth El was reflected in the naming of other people to honorary membership on the board. They were individuals who had taken part in the founding and who had suffered through the hard times and continued to work for the Synagogue. They were Charles Walzer, Harry Fisher, Isadore Stoll, Isaac N. Albert and Rudolph M.Hennick. Also included in the group were J.K.Jennes, Martin Greenblatt, Morris Kosersky, Charles Rosengarten, Dr. Louis Weinberg and Leonard Garston. The time had come for Beth El to honor its own.

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5- The Years of Growth The early 1940s saw great changes in our way of life. The first half of the decade was the years when World War II was raging in Europe and the Far East. Many Beth El young people served our country and many citizens with relatives abroad were affected. It was not a happy time, but Beth El continued to grow. The synagogue was jolted in 1946, when Rabbi Greenfeld resigned and many congregants who had known no other rabbi were forced to change their ways. Rabbi Mordecai Brill replaced him, and Brill was ultimately replaced by Rabbi Benjamin Sincoff. Beth El continued to grow, especially the education standards, with Bar Mitzvah requirements made more stringent. Dr. Irving Pinsky who began as a teacher initiated the Junior Congregation, thus drawing a wider age group into the fold. Beth El had lived with its unfinished sanctuary throughout all these years. Many of us remember the bare cement walls, curtained bimah, the see-through dome and noisy wooden chairs. At the time, Jewish thoughts were more on the rescue of war victims throughout the world; so it wasn’t until 1949 that a $150,000 campaign to finish the building was started. The sanctuary was not constructed until 1951, but when it was finished, the congregation was pleased to worship in its beautiful new surroundings. In 1952, there was a major change in the seating arrangements for the high holidays. Whereas there were seating assignments previously, now it was just that members were required to take whatever seats were available except for a few which were reserved for people with handicaps or the very elderly. ( This was a hard thing for some people to accept as they had been sitting in the same seats for some twenty years, but they got accustomed to the new routine with as little grumbling as possible.) The beauty of the sanctuary and the seating pews more than compensated for the inconvenience of the seating change. Rabbi Sincoff left that year and Rabbi Joseph Smith began his long term of spiritual leadership. Smith was the rabbi until the mid 1960s. Shortly after, the ceremony of Bat Mitzvah was introduced, another instance of the progress in providing proper education for the children. But so large was the group of students, that Beth El started to run out of space. Dr. Pinsky became the principal of the school. A building on Sterling Street was added to the property and called the Beth El Annex. The lower grades of the school, which had upwards of a dozen grades, were housed there.

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6- Completing the School The Beth El religious school had very high standards and they demanded a lot from the students. For their efforts, in 1955, they received the Solomon Schechter Award for high standards from the United Synagogue of America. Despite grumblings that the children had to attend classes too many days a week, attend they did, and it paid off. Several young people and also older people, and those in between held national offices in the United Synagogue movement. It was obvious that the physical plant was no longer adequate. A school building was a necessity. With Charles Rosengarten as the campaign chairman, Manuel Lax served as chairman of the building committee, and money was raised to finish the building at last. The 1950s saw the completion of the sanctuary and also the flowering of the religious school with Dr. Pinsky at the helm. He was principal for several decades and is Cantor Emeritus at this writing. A small chapel in the Synagogue was reconstructed to be used for minyans and other smaller ceremonies. The Beth El continued it support for various facets of Jewish life in this country and abroad, for example, aid for displaced persons worldwide also the CT Camp Ramah based on Conservative principles for youngsters was supported. The emphasis was on youth, the future of the Synagogue. In July, 1960, ground was broken for the new school building. It was a day of great joy and pride in the accomplishments of the congregation. When the building was finished, the children had a modern building with pleasant surroundings in which learning was less of a chore. There were eight grades and a confirmation class. For those who wished it, there were further classes for leadership that appealed to many of the Synagogue’s youth. With the birth of Israel, spoken Hebrew became popular, and the Sephardic version of Hebrew was taught in the school. Beth El had a prominent place in the Waterbury community and had many of the building’s facilities used by the community at large. The congregation was growing at that time. From being the dream of just a few men, it grew from being the youngest and smallest of the Jewish congregations in the city to being the largest in 1962.