South Fallsburg Hebrew Association Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The South Fallsburg Hebrew Association Synagogue is located on North Street in the hamlet of South Fallsburg
, New York, United States. Built in 1902, it underwent a major expansion in 1919 that included being raised a story. It has a full sukkah
in its basement.
It is one of the oldest synagogues
in Sullivan County
, and has played a central role the region's Jewish community, with some notable Jews having been members of the congregation. It is officially Orthodox
, but welcomes all Jews regardless of their level of observance. After a period of decline that mirrored that of the Catskill
region's Jewish resorts that had supplied its membership, a new rabbi has begun to restore the synagogue's role in local Jewish life. In 2000 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
on a raised basement. The slight slope of the site exposes the basement walls on the rear and sides. It is sided in gold stucco
topped with an asphalt-shingled hipped roof
, partially obscured by the parapet
s of the north (front) facade
.
Concrete stairs with iron railings and brick newel
s lead up to the entrance, flanked by two windows, wooden surrounds and a cornice
with a small pediment
. At the outer edges, wooden pilaster
s with Doric
capitals
rise from basement to cornice. The entire facade is topped by a Spanish Baroque
-inspired parapet, within which a stained glass
window depicts one Star of David
nested in another.
The sides feature narrow, flat windows in each bay. On the east is a shed-roofed ground-level entrance and concrete block chimney; opposite is a metal fire escape
. The rear has a projecting middle bay (the Torah ark on the inside) plus two similar windows.
Inside, the synagogue uses all three of its floors. The main floor is devoted to the sanctuary
, where the bimah
is unusually placed in the rear, near the ark, rather than the center as is customary in Orthodox
synagogues. The ark itself is separated from the bimah by sliding wooden doors and illuminated by stained glass depicting the Burning bush
; two backlit
panels show the Ten Commandments
. The ceiling is the original pressed metal.
A women's gallery and some classrooms are located on the third level. The basement is a large community room used for ceremonies and gatherings; it has a sukkah
of knotty pine panelling with a retractable bamboo
ceiling.
to stay at, and later operate, summer resort communities. There were enough in South Fallsburg to build the synagogue, originally known as Ahavas Achim, in 1902. Its design owed much to the congregants' memory of synagogues in the Eastern Europe
an countries many had originally emigrated from. All Jews were welcome to join regardless of whether they were Orthodox or not.
In 1910 the congregation changed its name to the South Fallsburg Hebrew Association (SFHA), reflecting its function as a center for local Jews regardless of religious sect. It bought and operated a local secular Yiddish
school. Enough Jews had made South Fallsburg their permanent home after vacationing there that the synagogue held weekly meetings year-round. Members were prosperous enough to begin banking money for synagogue expansions, and in 1919 the building was elevated to build a Talmud Torah school in the new basement. A women's gallery was added and the building was elongated to accommodate the growing congregation. At this time a new ark was also built.
Throughout the middle decades of the century, the synagogue served one of the region's most active and prosperous Jewish communities. In 1959, all the local firefighters were also members of SFHA. Its members included notable Jews like two-time Oscar-winning songwriter Sammy Fain
and influential Israeli rabbi Nachman Bulman
. In the 1970s, the interior was remodeled, with Jewish folk art that had hung from the balustrade by the women's gallery removed to project an image of greater sophistication. The original stained glass window was replaced at this time as well.
The resort industry began to decline after that, and South Fallsburg's Jewish community felt the effects, with many of its children choosing to settle elsewhere in adulthood. The synagogue saw attendance drop off, and it became a struggle to maintain the building and get enough men together for a minyan
on the Sabbath
. The congregation pondered whether to remain Orthodox, especially when many members were not personally so. That was not done, but the synagogue describes itself "open to all Jews regardless of their level of observance". In December 2004, Yakov Barros, a young rabbi
was 'hired', and he began reversing that decline and increasing attendance at the synagogue's Hebrew school
.
South Fallsburg, New York
South Fallsburg is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 2,061 at the 2000 census and 2,121 according to a 2007 estimate.South Fallsburg is located within the town of Fallsburg on Route 42....
, New York, United States. Built in 1902, it underwent a major expansion in 1919 that included being raised a story. It has a full sukkah
Sukkah
A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes...
in its basement.
It is one of the oldest synagogues
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 Sullivan County
Sullivan County, New York
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
, and has played a central role the region's Jewish community, with some notable Jews having been members of the congregation. It is officially 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...
, but welcomes all Jews regardless of their level of observance. After a period of decline that mirrored that of the Catskill
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...
region's Jewish resorts that had supplied its membership, a new rabbi has begun to restore the synagogue's role in local Jewish life. In 2000 it was listed on 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...
.
Building
The synagogue is a one-story three-by-five-bayBay (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:...
on a raised basement. The slight slope of the site exposes the basement walls on the rear and sides. It is sided in gold stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
topped with an asphalt-shingled hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, partially obscured by the 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 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"....
.
Concrete stairs with iron railings and brick 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...
s lead up to the entrance, flanked by two windows, wooden surrounds and a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
with a small pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. At the outer edges, wooden 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 with Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
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...
rise from basement to cornice. The entire facade is topped by a Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain and its provinces and former colonies, notably Spanish America and Belgium....
-inspired parapet, within which a 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...
window depicts one 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...
nested in another.
The sides feature narrow, flat windows in each bay. On the east is a shed-roofed ground-level entrance and concrete block chimney; opposite is a metal fire escape
Fire escape
A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible...
. The rear has a projecting middle bay (the Torah ark on the inside) plus two similar windows.
Inside, the synagogue uses all three of its floors. The main floor is devoted to 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...
, where the 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...
is unusually placed in the rear, near the ark, rather than the center as is customary in 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...
synagogues. The ark itself is separated from the bimah by sliding wooden doors and illuminated by stained glass depicting the Burning bush
Burning bush
The burning bush is an object described by the Book of Exodus as being located on Mount Sinai; according to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name...
; two backlit
Backlighting (lighting design)
Backlighting refers to the process of illuminating the subject from the back. In other words, the lighting instrument and the viewer are facing towards each other, with the subject in between. This causes the edges of the subject to glow, while the other areas remain darker. The backlight can be a...
panels show the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. The ceiling is the original pressed metal.
A women's gallery and some classrooms are located on the third level. The basement is a large community room used for ceremonies and gatherings; it has a sukkah
Sukkah
A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes...
of knotty pine panelling with a retractable bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
ceiling.
History
As the 19th century yielded to the 20th, Jewish immigrants began coming to the southern Catskill MountainsCatskill 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...
to stay at, and later operate, summer resort communities. There were enough in South Fallsburg to build the synagogue, originally known as Ahavas Achim, in 1902. Its design owed much to the congregants' memory of synagogues in the 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"...
an countries many had originally emigrated from. All Jews were welcome to join regardless of whether they were Orthodox or not.
In 1910 the congregation changed its name to the South Fallsburg Hebrew Association (SFHA), reflecting its function as a center for local Jews regardless of religious sect. It bought and operated a local secular Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
school. Enough Jews had made South Fallsburg their permanent home after vacationing there that the synagogue held weekly meetings year-round. Members were prosperous enough to begin banking money for synagogue expansions, and in 1919 the building was elevated to build a Talmud Torah school in the new basement. A women's gallery was added and the building was elongated to accommodate the growing congregation. At this time a new ark was also built.
Throughout the middle decades of the century, the synagogue served one of the region's most active and prosperous Jewish communities. In 1959, all the local firefighters were also members of SFHA. Its members included notable Jews like two-time Oscar-winning songwriter Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
and influential Israeli rabbi Nachman Bulman
Nachman Bulman
Nachman Bulman was an American rabbi associated with Orthodox Judaism. He was born to Rabbi Meir and Etil Bulman after a blessing from the Rebbe of Ger, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter...
. In the 1970s, the interior was remodeled, with Jewish folk art that had hung from the balustrade by the women's gallery removed to project an image of greater sophistication. The original stained glass window was replaced at this time as well.
The resort industry began to decline after that, and South Fallsburg's Jewish community felt the effects, with many of its children choosing to settle elsewhere in adulthood. The synagogue saw attendance drop off, and it became a struggle to maintain the building and get enough men together for a minyan
Minyan
A minyan in Judaism refers to the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. According to many non-Orthodox streams of Judaism adult females count in the minyan....
on the Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
. The congregation pondered whether to remain Orthodox, especially when many members were not personally so. That was not done, but the synagogue describes itself "open to all Jews regardless of their level of observance". In December 2004, Yakov Barros, a young rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
was 'hired', and he began reversing that decline and increasing attendance at the synagogue's Hebrew school
Hebrew school
Hebrew school can be either the Jewish equivalent of Sunday school - an educational regimen separate from secular education, focusing on topics of Jewish history and learning the Hebrew language, or a primary, secondary or college level educational institution where some or all of the classes are...
.