Baltimore Hebrew Congregation is a synagogue and

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 ...

community in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. It is affiliated with the

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 ...

movement. Originally named Nidche Yisroel,
''Jewish Encyclopedia'' bibliography: *Archives of the congregations; *files of the Occident and of the local newspapers; *personal reminiscences of older members of the Jewish community; *'' Publications of the American-Jewish Historical Society'', **No. 1, pp. 21, 22; **No. 2, pp. 65, 66; **No, 4, pp. 94-96. the synagogue was founded in 1830, and for the first fifteen years of its existence, services were held in a small room above a local

grocery A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

. It was originally an Orthodox synagogue, but became Reform officially in 1871. The pressure from the Congregation for modernization was such that its Orthodox first rabbi,

Abraham Rice Abraham Joseph Rice (born Abraham Reiss) (c. 18001862) was the first ordained rabbi to serve in a rabbinical position in the United States. Rice was born in 1800 or 1802 at Gochsheim, near Schweinfurt, Lower Franconia. An injury in infancy left ...

, resigned his position in 1849 over this question. In 1845, the congregation moved to Lloyd Street under the new name, Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. The new synagogue was dedicated by the Rev. S. M. Isaacs of New York and the Rev.

Isaac Leeser Isaac Leeser (December 12, 1806 – February 1, 1868) was an American Orthodox Jewish religious leader, teacher, scholar and publisher. He helped found the Jewish press of America, produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, together with the ministers of the congregation, Abraham Rice and A. Ansell (Anshel). That building, the

Lloyd Street Synagogue The Lloyd Street Synagogue is an 1845 Greek Revival style synagogue building in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the oldest synagogues in the United States, Lloyd Street was the first synagogue building erected in Maryland and is the third oldest synag ...

, the third-oldest synagogue building in the United States, is now preserved as part of the

Jewish Museum of Maryland The Jewish Museum of Maryland is located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The museum tells the story of the American Jewish experience in the city of Baltimore and throughout the US state of Maryland. Description The museum is one of the c ...

. As the city of Baltimore and its Jewish population continued to grow, so too did the number of congregants, and thus also the size of its endowment. Thus, in 1891, the congregation moved to Madison Avenue, where it built a brand new building. This building, the

Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Synagogue Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, now known as Berea Temple Seventh Day Adventist Church, is a historic synagogue building located in the Madison Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The former synagogue, built as an ea ...

, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1976. As the Jewish population of Baltimore moved northwest, the congregation relocated to Park Heights Avenue in 1951 on the border of Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew

Under the direction of Rabbi

Murray Saltzman Murray Saltzman (November 26, 1929 – January 5, 2010) was an American reform Jewish rabbi and civil rights leader. Biography Saltzman was born to a Russian-immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of three sons. After first enrolling ...

, BHC senior rabbi at the time, BHC added a

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when comp ...

to its educational programming in 1991 for children from 18 months through 8th grade. In early 2008, it was officially renamed The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew. The Day School received accreditation from the State of Maryland and the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS), was a member of the Center for Jewish Education of The Associated, Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools (PARDeS) and The Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). It closed after the 2012–2013 school year. It was slated to reopen as a new school, The Independent Academy, as a joint venture with The Cardin School, but the Cardin school pulled out and closed and the new school did not materialize.

Notable congregants

Steve Krulevitz Steve "Lightning" Krulevitz (born May 30, 1951) is an American- Israeli former professional tennis player, and current coach. Playing for UCLA, he was an All-American. He won gold medals for the United States in singles and doubles at the 197 ...

(born 1951), American-Israeli tennis player

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1830 establishments in Maryland Jewish day schools in Maryland Reform Jewish day schools Reform synagogues in Maryland Religious organizations established in 1830 Synagogues in Baltimore

The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew

Notable congregants

See also

References

External links