Beth David Synagogue (Amenia, New York)
Encyclopedia
Beth David Synagogue, formally known as Congregation Beth David, is located on East Main Street (also state highway
NY 343
) in the hamlet of Amenia
, New York, United States. It is a small brick European-style building erected in the late 1920s.
It was built by the area's small community of Russian Jewish emigrants. Over the years, its membership has dwindled and it has moved from its original Orthodox
affiliation to Conservative
, and eventually to Reform
practices. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2002, the only synagogue in New York east of the Hudson River
and north of New York City
to be listed.
, US 44
and NY 343 at the center of the hamlet. There are houses across the street from various eras of Amenia's existence. To the west of the synagogue is a woodlot
; to the east is a 19th-century house. Rows of planted evergreen trees set off the synagogue lot lines on east and west and a small concrete sidewalk leads to the front steps from the main sidewalk along East Main.
sided in hollow tile over which a brick veneer in common bond
has been pasted and cast stone
trim applied. Brick pilaster
s mark the corners of the north (front) facade
and the three-bay
side elevations. On top is a gable
d roof, pierced by a narrow brick chimney at the southwest, with the ends clad in asbestos
shingles
. It has a frame
rear wing oriented perpendicularly to the main block.
Three concrete steps with flagstone
insets, partially covered by a wooden wheelchair ramp
, lead to the front entrance. It consists of double wooden doors with a cast stone surround surmounted by a glass panel above the doors with "CONGREGATION BETH DAVID" reverse painted
in gold letters on a black background. It is flanked by two sconce
s and tall, narrow round arched windows with a header course of bricks and cast stone lintels. Above the door is a wider round-arched double window with a blind
transom
and brick arch surround. Cast stone impost
blocks engage a horizontal stringer course
of brick in a basket-weave pattern that also engages the similar cast stone capitals
on the pilasters. A gold-colored Star of David
is in the gable field.
Both east and west profiles have similar long, narrow windows in their bays, divided by pilasters topped with a plain frieze
that becomes wider with each pilaster south. Both also have a fourth bay at the south end with a different treatment. On the west it has been divided by a spandrel
; on the east it is a small window that lights only the lower space.
Two small windows on the upper story complete the fenestration
of the main block. The older one-story frame
rear wing with shed roof and brick chimney connects with the newer addition, a gable-roofed section wider than the main block on a concrete foundation sided in asbestos shingles. It has an entrance and porch in its east end.
with a staircase to the upstairs gallery on the west and a bathroom on the east. Another pair of doors leads into the sanctuary
, a square space with high ceiling floored in carpeted fir
with plaster walls and ceiling in a two-tone color scheme. It has a traditional Orthodox layout, with a centrally located bimah
surrounded on three sides by theatre-style pew
s with individually upholstered
fold-down seats. The pews and bimah are dark stained
pine
. All face a Torah ark projecting from the rear wall, painted with mural
s of candlesticks and scrolls.
Atop the ark are a pair of gilt
Lions of Judah
hoilding a scroll with a hanging lighted crown above. Two stairs with electric lights on the upper newel
post lead up to the bimah. Above it is the central chandelier
.
Sconces along the sides alternate with the windows, whose lower sashes have stained glass
with geometric designs and Jewish symbols. Bookcases and commemorative plaques are located beneath the balcony. Another bathroom is located to the east of the balcony, which has a high solid rail.
Behind the sanctuary, but not directly accessible from it, is an area with a kitchen on the first floor and the rabbi's study on the second. The smaller wing section has bathrooms and a storage room, with the larger addition given over entirely to a classroom with pasteboard walls and simple woodwork. The flooring is carpeted fir
. Walls and ceilings are plaster in a two-tone color scheme.
, in the eastern part of the town of Sharon, where they farmed and rented rooms to visitors from the city in summertime. By the 1920s, many had moved across the state line, as Amenia had better schools and electricity, as well as convenient rail access to New York City
via the New York Central Railroad
's Harlem Valley line. Several families went into the resort business full time, opening their own hotels around nearby Lake Amenia.
It was a small Jewish community compared to those that had sprung up in the Catskills
, on the other side of the Hudson Valley
. Members at first worshiped in their homes, raising the money over several years to build their own synagogue
. A small plot of land was donated, and the cornerstone
lain on April 5, 1929, at a ceremony attended by members of the local Christian
community as well. All present donated to the construction of the synagogue, raising a total of $240 ($ in contemporary dollars) .
The synagogue, open later that year, was originally a flat-roofed structure with low parapet
s similar to those in Eastern Europe
. Its interior plan, with centrally located bimah and upstairs gallery for women, reflects that region's Orthodox
traditions, in keeping with origins of the founding families. The exterior brickwork shows some Georgian
influence.
For the next two decades, the synagogue prospered along with Amenia's Jews. After World War II
, in the 1950s, changes in vacationing habits led to the summer resorts closing down. Flooding after Hurricane Diane
in 1955 destroyed the dam and drained Lake Amenia (now Beekman Park
), ending that industry in the area. Children of the founding families left the area, taking the second generation with them. In 1960 the gabled roof was installed.
By 1970 the synagogue was down to 12 members. To sustain itself in the following decades, it became first Conservative
, then Reform
in practice, when it could no longer support its own full-time rabbi (although it remains unaffiliated with any major American Jewish religious movements). Today it has 29 member families in the Amenia and Sharon area committed to preserving the congregation and synagogue. In 2004 the congregation celebrated the synagogue's 75th anniversary.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
NY 343
New York State Route 343
New York State Route 343 is a state highway located entirely within central Dutchess County, in the Hudson Valley region of the U.S. state of New York. It runs east–west from the intersection of NY 82 in the village of Millbrook to the Connecticut state line in the town of Amenia, where...
) in the hamlet of Amenia
Amenia (CDP), New York
Amenia is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 1,115 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
, New York, United States. It is a small brick European-style building erected in the late 1920s.
It was built by the area's small community of Russian Jewish emigrants. Over the years, its membership has dwindled and it has moved from its original Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
affiliation to Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
, and eventually to Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
practices. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2002, the only synagogue in New York east of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and north of New York City
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...
to be listed.
Building
The synagogue is on a 46 by lot on the south side of East Main, about a quarter-mile (250 m) east of the intersection of highways NY 22New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
, US 44
U.S. Route 44 in New York
U.S. Route 44 in the state of New York is a major east–west thoroughfare in the Hudson Valley region of the state. Its entire length is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation, with the exception of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which is maintained by the New York State Bridge...
and NY 343 at the center of the hamlet. There are houses across the street from various eras of Amenia's existence. To the west of the synagogue is a woodlot
Woodlot
A woodlot is a term used in North America to refer to a segment of a woodland or forest capable of small-scale production of forest products such as wood fuel, sap for maple syrup, sawlogs, as well as recreational uses like bird watching, bushwalking, and wildflower appreciation...
; to the east is a 19th-century house. Rows of planted evergreen trees set off the synagogue lot lines on east and west and a small concrete sidewalk leads to the front steps from the main sidewalk along East Main.
Exterior
The building is a tall one-story building on a parged concrete foundationFoundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
sided in hollow tile over which a brick veneer in common bond
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
has been pasted and cast stone
Cast stone
Cast stone is defined as “a refined architectural concrete building unit manufactured to simulate natural cut stone, used in unit masonry applications”. In the UK and Europe cast stone is defined as “any material manufactured with aggregate and cementitious binder, intended to resemble in...
trim applied. Brick pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s mark the corners of the north (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and the three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
side elevations. On top is a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof, pierced by a narrow brick chimney at the southwest, with the ends clad in asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
shingles
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
. It has a frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
rear wing oriented perpendicularly to the main block.
Three concrete steps with flagstone
Flagstone
Flagstone, is a generic flat stone, usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other constructions. The name derives from Middle English flagge meaning turf, perhaps from Old Norse flaga meaning slab.Flagstone is a...
insets, partially covered by a wooden wheelchair ramp
Wheelchair ramp
A wheelchair ramp is an inclined plane installed in addition to or instead of stairs. Ramps permit wheelchair users, as well as people pushing strollers, carts, or other wheeled objects, to more easily access a building....
, lead to the front entrance. It consists of double wooden doors with a cast stone surround surmounted by a glass panel above the doors with "CONGREGATION BETH DAVID" reverse painted
Reverse painting on glass
Reverse painting on glass is an art form consisting of applying paint to a piece of glass and then viewing the image by turning the glass over and looking through the glass at the image. Verre Églomisé is a commonly used term to refer to the art of cold painting and gilding on the back of glass...
in gold letters on a black background. It is flanked by two sconce
Sconce (light fixture)
A sconce is a type of light fixture affixed to a wall in such a way that it uses only the wall for support, and the light is usually directed upwards. It does not have a base on the ground...
s and tall, narrow round arched windows with a header course of bricks and cast stone lintels. Above the door is a wider round-arched double window with a blind
Blind arch
A blind arch is an arch found in the wall of a building which has been infilled with solid construction so it cannot serve as a passageway, door, or window. The term is most often associated with masonry wall construction, but is also found in other types of construction such as light frame...
transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
and brick arch surround. Cast stone impost
Impost (architecture)
In architecture, an impost is a projecting block resting on top of a column or embedded in a wall, serving as the base for the springer or lowest wedge of an arch....
blocks engage a horizontal stringer course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
of brick in a basket-weave pattern that also engages the similar cast stone capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
on the pilasters. A gold-colored Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
is in the gable field.
Both east and west profiles have similar long, narrow windows in their bays, divided by pilasters topped with a plain frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
that becomes wider with each pilaster south. Both also have a fourth bay at the south end with a different treatment. On the west it has been divided by a spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
; on the east it is a small window that lights only the lower space.
Two small windows on the upper story complete the fenestration
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
of the main block. The older one-story frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
rear wing with shed roof and brick chimney connects with the newer addition, a gable-roofed section wider than the main block on a concrete foundation sided in asbestos shingles. It has an entrance and porch in its east end.
Interior
The main entrance opens on a small vestibuleVestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
with a staircase to the upstairs gallery on the west and a bathroom on the east. Another pair of doors leads into the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, a square space with high ceiling floored in carpeted fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
with plaster walls and ceiling in a two-tone color scheme. It has a traditional Orthodox layout, with a centrally located bimah
Bimah
A bimah A bimah A bimah (among Ashkenazim, derived from Hebrew בּמה , almemar (from Arabic al-minbar) or tebah (among Sephardim) is the elevated area or platform in a Jewish synagogue which is intended to serve the place where the person reading aloud from the Torah stands during the Torah reading...
surrounded on three sides by theatre-style pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s with individually upholstered
Upholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...
fold-down seats. The pews and bimah are dark stained
Wood stain
A wood stain consists of a colorant suspended or dissolved in a 'vehicle' or solvent. The suspension agent can be water, alcohol, petroleum distillate, or the actual finishing agent...
pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
. All face a Torah ark projecting from the rear wall, painted with mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s of candlesticks and scrolls.
Atop the ark are a pair of gilt
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
Lions of Judah
Lion of Judah
The Lion of Judah was the symbol of the Israelite tribe of Judah in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible .-Lion of Judah and Judaism:...
hoilding a scroll with a hanging lighted crown above. Two stairs with electric lights on the upper newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
post lead up to the bimah. Above it is the central chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
.
Sconces along the sides alternate with the windows, whose lower sashes have stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
with geometric designs and Jewish symbols. Bookcases and commemorative plaques are located beneath the balcony. Another bathroom is located to the east of the balcony, which has a high solid rail.
Behind the sanctuary, but not directly accessible from it, is an area with a kitchen on the first floor and the rabbi's study on the second. The smaller wing section has bathrooms and a storage room, with the larger addition given over entirely to a classroom with pasteboard walls and simple woodwork. The flooring is carpeted fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
. Walls and ceilings are plaster in a two-tone color scheme.
History
Beth David was founded by a group of 12 to 15 Russian Jewish families that had settled in Amenia. Many had come there from nearby Ellsworth, ConnecticutSharon, Connecticut
Sharon is a town located in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the northwest corner of the state. It is bounded on the north by Salisbury, on the east by the Housatonic River, on the south by Kent, and on the west by Dutchess County, New York...
, in the eastern part of the town of Sharon, where they farmed and rented rooms to visitors from the city in summertime. By the 1920s, many had moved across the state line, as Amenia had better schools and electricity, as well as convenient rail access to New York City
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...
via the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
's Harlem Valley line. Several families went into the resort business full time, opening their own hotels around nearby Lake Amenia.
It was a small Jewish community compared to those that had sprung up in the Catskills
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
, on the other side of the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
. Members at first worshiped in their homes, raising the money over several years to build their own 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...
. A small plot of land was donated, and the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
lain on April 5, 1929, at a ceremony attended by members of the local Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
community as well. All present donated to the construction of the synagogue, raising a total of $240 ($ in contemporary dollars) .
The synagogue, open later that year, was originally a flat-roofed structure with low parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s similar to those in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Its interior plan, with centrally located bimah and upstairs gallery for women, reflects that region's Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
traditions, in keeping with origins of the founding families. The exterior brickwork shows some Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
influence.
For the next two decades, the synagogue prospered along with Amenia's Jews. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the 1950s, changes in vacationing habits led to the summer resorts closing down. Flooding after Hurricane Diane
Hurricane Diane
Hurricane Diane was one of three hurricanes to hit North Carolina during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season, striking an area that had been hit by Hurricane Connie five days earlier...
in 1955 destroyed the dam and drained Lake Amenia (now Beekman Park
Beekman Park
Beekman Park is a small local park in the census-designated place of Amenia, part of Dutchess County, New York. It is located on U.S. Route 44 and is visible off New York State Route 22 and New York State Route 343 across from a nearby restaurant. In 1974, the land upon which the park is located...
), ending that industry in the area. Children of the founding families left the area, taking the second generation with them. In 1960 the gabled roof was installed.
By 1970 the synagogue was down to 12 members. To sustain itself in the following decades, it became first Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
, then Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
in practice, when it could no longer support its own full-time rabbi (although it remains unaffiliated with any major American Jewish religious movements). Today it has 29 member families in the Amenia and Sharon area committed to preserving the congregation and synagogue. In 2004 the congregation celebrated the synagogue's 75th anniversary.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Dutchess County, New York