Shaarai Torah Synagogue () is an historic former

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

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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 located at 32 Providence Street,

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

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, in the United States. Worcester's first Modern Orthodox "shul" (and 6th overall), Shaarai Torah was considered the city's "Mother Synagogue" for many years.

History

The congregation, which was incorporated on January 1, 1904, held daily worship services for two years in a cottage they had purchased at 32 Providence Street in the heart of Worcester's east side Union Hill neighborhood, where most Jewish immigrants to Worcester lived. High Holiday services in 1904 and 1905 were held at

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(A.O.H.) Hall at 26 Trumbull Street while the present structure was built. At a final cost of $30,000 ($ in current dollar terms), the new building, designed by Edwin T. Chapin in a

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style, and modeled after

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (abbreviated as KJ or CKJ) is a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 126 East 85th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The synagogue was founded in 1872. The syna ...

in New York City, opened on September 14, 1906.Feingold, Norma. Shaarai Torah: Life Cycle of a Synagogue. Published by Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm Street, Worcester, Mass. 1991.

Merger

Most of the charter members of Shaarai Torah had left Congregation Sons of Abraham, Worcester's second-oldest synagogue, because they felt it did not meet the needs of the younger generation. One of the major issues was the use of English in the synagogue. As early as 1907, Sons of Abraham leaders discussed implementing changes to make merging with Shaarai Torah possible. The merger finally took place in 1948. From then on, the synagogue was officially known as Congregation Shaarai Torah Sons of Abraham.

West Side branch

By 1957, roughly 74% of Worcester's 9,333 Jews lived on the tonier west side of the city, leaving less than 1,600 living on the east side. Additionally, most west side Jews, who were generally younger and more assimilated than those who remained on the east side, attended

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Temple Emanuel or

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Congregation Beth Israel as Orthodoxy fell out of favor with most upwardly mobile American Jews. On September 10, 1959, Shaarai Torah purchased the former home of Beth Israel at 835 Pleasant Street as a west side branch, naming it Shaarai Torah West. The original building became known as Shaarai Torah East. Shaarai Torah West, affiliated with the

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, became an independent congregation on November 9, 1964 and continues to operate to this day.

Final days

The Providence Street 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 1990. The synagogue stopped functioning in 1996 and finally closed shortly after a devastating arson fire in 1999. Once one of at least 12 neighborhood Orthodox synagogues, when it closed Shaarai Torah was the last remaining functioning synagogue on the east side of Worcester. The building was sold in 1997 to Al Tapper, a Worcester native and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who had plans to turn it into a Jewish museum or multi-ethnic community center, but those plans were scrapped after the fire. Tapper was able to get the developer to agree to keep the Hebrew inscriptions on the facade of the building intact.

Redevelopment

Abandoned and in disrepair, the synagogue was added to the Worcester Preservation Society's list of endangered properties. In 2003, the building was finally sold to Selim LaHoud, a property developer, who hired Kopec Contracting to convert it into 11 apartments known as Red Oak Condominiums. Shaarai Torah Worcester Inscription

Rabbinical leadership

East Side Synagogue history

Notable alumni and members

S. N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...

, playwright and screenwriterBehrman, S.N. "The Worcester Account." Random House, 1954. *

Charles Tobias Charles Tobias (August 15, 1898 – July 7, 1970) was an American songwriter. He was sometimes credited as Charley Tobias. Biography Born in New York City, United States, Tobias grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with brothers Harry Tobias and ...

, lyricist and inductee of the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

Williamson, Chet. "J23: The Tin Pan Alley Tobias Brothers" JazzSphere, November 11, 2007. *

Harry Tobias Harry Tobias (September 11, 1895 – December 15, 1994) was an American lyricist. Like his younger brother Charles, he is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Born in New York City, United States, but raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, ...

, songwriter and inductee of the

References

External links

Shaarai Torah West

The Last Minyan

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Religious buildings and structures in Worcester, Massachusetts Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Neoclassical architecture in Massachusetts Neoclassical synagogues Former synagogues in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Worcester, Massachusetts Synagogues completed in 1906 1904 establishments in Massachusetts Jewish organizations established in 1904 1999 disestablishments in Massachusetts 20th-century synagogues in the United States