Temple Beth El was a

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 ...

located at 3528 East Genesee Street,

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. It was designed by Nicholas Goffredo, a local architect.

History

Founded in 1965 as an

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 ...

congregation, the congregation was initially affiliated with the

Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs f ...

. In , the congregation joined the

Union for Traditional Judaism The Union for Traditional Judaism, founded in 1984, is a traditional, Halakhic Jewish outreach and communal service organization. It initially called itself "The Union for Traditional Conservative Judaism" but dropped "Conservative" from its tit ...

. Later, in 2002, it changed to a

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 ...

affiliation, and held its final service on January 27, 2007. In 2007, due to declining membership, the synagogue has closed and was sold. The membership voted to join Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, a Conservative synagogue at 18 Patsy Lane in DeWitt. In October 2007, the Slavic Full Gospel Church began using the building.

2000 arson attack

The temple building, but not the sanctuary, was heavily damaged in an

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

attack on October 13, 2000. Palestinian-American Ramsi Uthman was convicted in the attack. Uthman, who was born in

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parents, is a naturalized

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citizen. Ahed Shehadeh was convicted of aiding and abetting the arson. According to Shehadeh's testimony, after Uthman set fire to the Temple, he yelled "I did this for you, God!" In exchange for his testimony Shehadeh received a five-year prison sentence, and was released in 2008. Uthman received the maximum possible sentence of 25 years, to be served in New York's

Attica Correctional Facility Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison campus in the Town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It was constructed in the 1930s in response to earlier riots ...

, although he will be eligible for

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

in 2021.Trends in Hate
. He was convicted of a hate crime. The building reopened in 2001 after repairing some $700,000 of damage from the attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beth El (Syracuse, New York) 21st-century attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States Religious buildings and structures in Syracuse, New York Former synagogues in New York (state) 1965 establishments in New York (state) 2007 disestablishments in New York (state) Jewish organizations established in 1965