The Old Ohavi Zedek Synagogue (Hebrew for "Lovers of Justice") is an historic

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 ...

building at Archibald and Hyde Streets in Burlington,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, in the United States. It was built in 1885 for Ohavi Zedek, Vermont's oldest Jewish congregation, and is currently occupied by Congregation Ahavath Gerim. The building, a distinctive vernacular interpretation of the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style, was listed on 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 1978.

History

Founded in 1876, Ohavi Zedek is the oldest Jewish congregation in

. The congregation was founded by Jewish immigrants from

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, predominantly

Lithuanian Jews {{Jews and Judaism sidebar , Population Litvaks ({{Langx, yi, ליטװאַקעס) or Lita'im ({{Langx, he, לִיטָאִים) are Jews who historically resided in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuan ...

. The congregation constructed this building in 1885, and in 1952 the congregation moved to its present home on North Prospect Street. This building was sold to Ahavath Gerim, a traditional egalitarian

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 ...

congregation.

Architecture

The original Ohavi Zedek building stands at the corner of Archibald and Hyde Streets in Burlington's Old North End neighborhood. It is a rectangular brick building with a gabled roof and

features. The front facade has arched windows flanking an arched entry, accessed by side-facing stairs. Above the entrance is a round window 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 ...

. The building sides also have arched windows, with small oculus windows interspersed above them, which provide illumination for the

women's gallery The Women's Gallery was a collectively established and run art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, showing only the work of women, that ran for four years between 1980 and 1984. History In 1977, artist Joanna Paul developed a project called ...

. with The building was erected in 1885, and is among the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States. Originally finished in wood, it was clad in brick in 1902, when it was enlarged. It was again enlarged in 1928, at which time the present

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

was built. It has a Classical design, with a depiction of the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

flanked by gilded lions and pineapple finials.

References

External links

* {{NRHP in Chittenden County, Vermont Lithuanian-Jewish culture in the United States Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places Jewish organizations established in 1876 Synagogues completed in 1885 Conservative synagogues in the United States Synagogues in Vermont Buildings and structures in Burlington, Vermont 1885 establishments in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Burlington, Vermont 1876 establishments in Vermont Gothic Revival synagogues Jews and Judaism in Burlington, Vermont 19th-century synagogues in the United States

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links