, native_name_lang = , image = , image_upright = 1.4 , alt = , caption = , religious_affiliation =

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

, tradition = , sect = , district = , prefecture = , province = , region = , deity = , rite = , festival = , organisational_status =

Synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...

, ownership = , governing_body = , leadership = , bhattaraka = , patron = , consecration_year = , functional_status = Active , religious_features_label = , religious_features = , location = 2710 Park Avenue,

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

, locale = , municipality = , cercle = , state = , country = United States , map_type = Connecticut , map_size = 250 , map_alt = , map_relief = 1 , map_caption = Location in

, grid_name = , grid_position = , sector = , territory = , administration = , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , heritage_designation = , architect = , architecture_type = Synagogue , architecture_style = , founded_by = , creator = , funded_by = , general_contractor = , established = 1859 , groundbreaking = , year_completed = , construction_cost = , date_demolished = , facade_direction = , capacity = , length = , width = , width_nave = , interior_area = , height_max = , dome_quantity = , dome_height_outer = , dome_height_inner = , dome_dia_outer = , dome_dia_inner = , minaret_quantity = , minaret_height = , spire_quantity = , spire_height = , site_area = , temple_quantity = , monument_quantity = , shrine_quantity = , inscriptions = , materials = , elevation_m = , elevation_footnotes = , nrhp = , designated = , added = , refnum = , delisted1_date = , website = , module = , footnotes = Congregation B'nai Israel ( he, בני ישראל) is a

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...

located at 2710 Park Avenue, in

, in the United States. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Bridgeport and the third oldest in Connecticut.

History

B'nai Israel was established by a group of

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

immigrants as an Orthodox synagogue in 1859. The congregation's first

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

was A. Jacobs. B'nai Israel established a

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...

in 1863. For its first fifty years, B'nai Israel did not have a permanent home. Its members met and prayed in one another's homes and in storefronts and lofts. In 1885, plans were made to erect a building for B'nai Israel. The building, designed by Leonard Asheim with a Craftsman–style interior, was completed in 1911, located at 1100 Park Avenue and known as the Park Avenue Temple. By 1911, when the Park Avenue Temple was completed, B'nai Israel had moved from Orthodox to Reform Judaism. Members who were unhappy with the changes left B'nai Israel and founded two of Bridgeport's other synagogues: Adath Israel (Orthodox) and Rodeph Sholom (

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

). After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, B'nai Israel outgrew its building and a second structure, called the Second Park Avenue Temple, was erected, designed by the prolific synagogue architect

Percival Goodman Percival Goodman (January 13, 1904 – October 11, 1989) was an American urban theorist and architect who designed more than 50 synagogues between 1948 and 1983. He has been called the "leading theorist" of modern synagogue design, Philip N ...

, located at 2710 Park Avenue. Goodman commissioned artist

Larry Rivers Larry Rivers (born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg) (1923 – 2002) was an American artist, musician, filmmaker, and occasional actor. Considered by many scholars to be the "Godfather" and "Grandfather" of Pop art, he was one of the first artists ...

to create a

Torah ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha- ...

cloth for the new building, but Rivers' design was ultimately rejected and his work ended up in the collection of the

Jewish Museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. List of Jewish museums Notable Jewish museums include: *Albania ** Solomon Museum, Berat *Australia ** Jewish Mu ...

in New York City. The former synagogue building at 1100 Park Avenue has been repurposed as a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

, called the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

Recent history

In 2002, the temple drew attention (including an article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'') after its large junior choir, directed by Cantor Sheri Blum, recorded a CD with Cantor Bruce Benson entitled ''The Rock Service, Featuring Cantor Bruce Benson and the Jazz Service''. This album was described as combining "original rock music with liturgically accurate chants," and was reportedly in contention for a Grammy nomination. In 2009 the temple, having recently renovated and expanded its building, celebrated its 150th anniversary. As of 2009, 700 families belonged to Congregation B'nai Israel and approximately 400 students were enrolled in its religious school.

Notable members

Craig Breslow Craig Andrew Breslow (pronounced BREHZ-loh; born August 8, 1980) is an American baseball executive and former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently the Assistant General Manager/Vice President, Director of Pit ...

, a major league baseball player and executive, and his family

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:B'nai Israel (Bridgeport, Connecticut) 1859 establishments in Connecticut 20th-century synagogues in the United States American Craftsman architecture in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Bridgeport, Connecticut Culture of Bridgeport, Connecticut German-American culture in Connecticut German-Jewish culture in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1859 Percival Goodman synagogues Reform synagogues in Connecticut Synagogues completed in 1911 Synagogues completed in 1958