Congregation Sharey Tzedek Synagogue () is a historic former

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, now war veterans' centre, located at 833 South 200 East in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, in the United States.

History

A group of mostly of Yiddish-speaking immigrants from

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and elsewhere in

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split off from Congregation Montefiore in 1916 to form Congregation Sharey Tzedek, Utah's third Jewish congregation. The group raised $33,200 to buy the land and build a synagogue. The building was built by general contractor John E. Anderson, and it was completed in 1920.

Utah Governor The governor of Utah is the head of government of UtahUT Const. art. VII, § 5 and the commander-in-chief of its military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws as well as the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Ut ...

Simon Bamberger Simon Bamberger (February 27, 1845October 6, 1926) was a German-American entrepreneur and politician who served as the fourth governor of Utah (1917–1921) after it achieved statehood from territorial status in 1896. Bamberger retains the disti ...

spoke at the dedication on March 28, 1920. When the synagogue was built, its front had circular windows that contained colored glass with a

star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

. Rabbi Joseph Strinkomsky served as 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 of t ...

. Services were in line with Orthodox Judaism, with different seating areas for men and women. Most of the members lived within a short walk of the synagogue, and they shopped at a

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

butcher nearby. The congregation disbanded in the 1930s, and the building was sold to the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

in 1948. and At the time of the building's sale, many of the original members of the congregation had died, and others were attending religious services at B'nai Israel, which followed the

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

movement, or at Congregation Montefiore, which followed

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

practices. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1985. According to the Utah Historical Society, the building is significant "for its historical association with Utah's pluralistic community."

References

External links

1916 establishments in Utah 20th-century synagogues in the United States Ashkenazi synagogues in the United States European American culture in Utah Former synagogues in Utah Jewish organizations established in 1916 National Register of Historic Places in Salt Lake City Romanesque Revival architecture in Utah Romanesque Revival synagogues Russian-Jewish culture in the United States Synagogues completed in 1920 Synagogues in Salt Lake City Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah Veterans of Foreign Wars buildings {{US-synagogue-stub