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Shaarai Torah Synagogue (Hebrew: שַׁעֲרֵי תּוֹרָה, lit. 'Gates of Learning') is an historic former Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue building located at 32 Providence Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, 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.
| Shaarai Torah Synagogue (former) | |
|---|---|
Hebrew: שַׁעֲרֵי תּוֹרָה, lit. 'Gates of Learning' | |
 Shaarai Torah Synagogue, in 2011 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Modern Orthodox Judaism (former) |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue (former) |
| Status | Closed (1999) |
| Location | |
| Location | 32 Providence Street, Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Country | United States |
  Location in Massachusetts | |
| Geographic coordinates | 42°15′21″N 71°47′38″W / 42.25583°N 71.79389°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Edwin T. Chapin |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Style | Classical Revival |
| Date established | 1904 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Construction cost | $30,000 |
Shaarai Torah Synagogue | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| MPS | Worcester MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000729 |
| Added to NRHP | May 7, 1990 |
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 Ancient Order of Hibernians (A.O.H.) Hall at 26 Trumbull Street while the present structure was built. At a final cost of $30,000 ($1,050,000 in current dollar terms), the new building, designed by Edwin T. Chapin in a Classical Revival style, and modeled after Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City, opened on September 14, 1906.
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 Reform Temple Emanuel or Conservative 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 Orthodox Union, 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 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 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.
Rabbinical leadership
| Ordinal | Name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac Werne (orig. Wiernikowski) | 1906–1911 | |
| 2 | Solomon Golubowski | ||
| 3 | Gershon Appel | 1943–1947 | |
| 4 | Meyer Greenberg | 1947–1954 | |
| 5 | Joseph Gold | 1954–1989 |
East Side Synagogue history
| Hebrew Name | Transliteration | English Translation | Address(es) | Years Open | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| בני ישראל | B'nai Yisrael | Sons of Israel | 79 Green Street, 24 Providence Street | 1875-1957 | also known as the Balbirishocker Shul, Torn down for construction of I-290 in 1957 |
| בני אברהם | B'nai Avraham | Sons of Abraham | 10 Plymouth Street (1888-1913), 23 Coral Street | 1886-1948 | Merged with Shaarai Torah in 1948 |
| שערי צדק | Shaarei Tzedek | Gates of Righteousness | 8 Beach Street, 16 Gold Street, 3 Summit Street | 1892-? | also known as Tower of Truth |
| אגודת אחים | Agudas Achim | Union of Brothers | 19 Brown Street, 9 Pond Street | 1897-? | also known as Good Brothers |
| (צמח צדק (אנשי סמוליאן | Tzemach Tzedek (Anshe Smolian) | Plant of Justice (People of Smolyan) | 10 Plymouth Street | 1900-1923 | Changed name to Sons of Jacob in 1923 |
| שערי תורה | Shaarai Torah | Gates of Learning | 32 Providence Street | 1904-1999 | |
| (אגודת ישראל (אנשי ספרד | Agudas Israel (Anshe Safard) | Union of Israel (Sephardic) | 66 Harrison Street | 1913-1972 | Demolished 3/24/72 |
| בני יעקב | B'nai Yaakov | Sons of Jacob | 104 Harrison Street | 1923-1965 | Merged with Tifereth Israel (West Side) in 1965 |
| תפארת ישראל | Tifereth Israel | Pride of Israel | 42 Harrison Street | 19??-1957 | Torn down for construction of I-290 in 1957 |
| בני ציון | B'nai Tzion | Sons of Zion | 50 Granite Street | 1938-1986 | |
| קדימה | Kadimah | Forward | |||
| אנשי ראקישוק | Anshe Rakishok | People of Rokiškis |
Notable alumni and members
- S. N. Behrman, playwright and screenwriter
- Charles Tobias, lyricist and inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Harry Tobias, songwriter and inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame
See also
- Temple Emanuel Sinai (Worcester, Massachusetts)
- Congregation Beth Israel (Worcester, Massachusetts)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in eastern Worcester, Massachusetts
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- Kaufman, David (1999). Shul with a pool: the "synagogue-center" in American Jewish history. UPNE.
- Feingold, Norma. Shaarai Torah: Life Cycle of a Synagogue. Published by Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm Street, Worcester, Mass. 1991.
- Albert B. Southwick. "Shaarai Torah's 1906 birth is remembered." Telegram & Gazette 3 Oct. 1999.
- "The Jews of Worcester: A Population Study" (PDF). North American Jewish Data Bank. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-19.
- James Dempsey. "Synagogue last working on East Side Temple has haggard look of place whose time gone. " Telegram & Gazette 22 Sep. 1999.
- Sutner, Shaun (17 September 1999). "Fire hits East Side synagogue Two teens charged; landmark had been set for renovation". Telegram & Gazette (ALL ed.).
- Polan, Judy (June 19, 2014). "Presenting the Phenomenal Al Tapper, Peabody Award Winner (and so much more)". WMJledger. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- Kush, Bronislaus B. (24 February 2003). "Homes mark Oak Hill revival ; First-time owner open house held". Telegram & Gazette (FINAL ed.).
- Who's who in American Jewry. Jewish Biographical Bureau (New York, NY), 1926.
- The Worcester Directory Containing a General Directory of the Citizens, a Business Directory and the City and County Register. R.L. Polk & Company, 1916 (Worcester, MA).
- Sommer, Mark (September 9, 2008). "Rabbi Meyer Greenberg, 91, world-renowned Talmudic scholar Nov. 10, 1916 -- Sept. 2, 2008". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- Rabbi Joseph Gold dies in Worcester. Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 August 1989.
- Clingan, Carol (2010). "Massachusetts Synagogues and Their Records, Past and Present" (PDF). Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-02-01.
- NEW SYNAGAGUE OPENED. Boston Globe, 21 Jul 1913.
- Former synagogue is now history :[ALL Edition]. Telegram & Gazette, 30 Dec 1993.
- Adler, Cyrus & Szold, Henrietta. American Jewish Year Book, Volume 9. American Jewish Committee, 1907.
- Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Corporations Division: Business Entity Summary. Summary for: AGUDAS SONS OF JACOB SYNAGOGUE, ID Number: 000083446.
- Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Corporations Division: Business Entity Summary. Summary for: SONS OF ZION, OF WORCESTER, ID Number: 000004478.
- Behrman, S.N. "The Worcester Account." Random House, 1954.
- Williamson, Chet. "J23: The Tin Pan Alley Tobias Brothers" JazzSphere, November 11, 2007.
External links
- Shaarai Torah West
- The Last Minyan
- Kopec Contracting - Red Oak Condominiums
Author: www.NiNa.Az
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Shaarai Torah Synagogue Hebrew ש ע ר י ת ו ר ה lit Gates of Learning is an historic former Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue building located at 32 Providence Street Worcester Massachusetts 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 Shaarai Torah Synagogue former Hebrew ש ע ר י ת ו ר ה lit Gates of Learning Shaarai Torah Synagogue in 2011ReligionAffiliationModern Orthodox Judaism former Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue former StatusClosed 1999 LocationLocation32 Providence Street Worcester MassachusettsCountryUnited StatesLocation in MassachusettsGeographic coordinates42 15 21 N 71 47 38 W 42 25583 N 71 79389 W 42 25583 71 79389ArchitectureArchitect s Edwin T ChapinTypeSynagogueStyleClassical RevivalDate established1904 as a congregation Completed1906Construction cost 30 000Shaarai Torah SynagogueU S National Register of Historic PlacesMPSWorcester MRANRHP reference No 90000729Added to NRHPMay 7 1990HistoryThe 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 Ancient Order of Hibernians A O H Hall at 26 Trumbull Street while the present structure was built At a final cost of 30 000 1 050 000 in current dollar terms the new building designed by Edwin T Chapin in a Classical Revival style and modeled after Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City opened on September 14 1906 Merger Former Sons of Abraham Synagogue at 23 Coral Street 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 Shaarai Torah West 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 Reform Temple Emanuel or Conservative 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 Orthodox Union 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 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 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 Close up of Hebrew inscription over front entranceRabbinical leadershipOrdinal Name Years Notes 1 Isaac Werne orig Wiernikowski 1906 1911 2 Solomon Golubowski 3 Gershon Appel 1943 1947 4 Meyer Greenberg 1947 1954 5 Joseph Gold 1954 1989East Side Synagogue historyHebrew Name Transliteration English Translation Address es Years Open Notes בני ישראל B nai Yisrael Sons of Israel 79 Green Street 24 Providence Street 1875 1957 also known as the Balbirishocker Shul Torn down for construction of I 290 in 1957 בני אברהם B nai Avraham Sons of Abraham 10 Plymouth Street 1888 1913 23 Coral Street 1886 1948 Merged with Shaarai Torah in 1948 שערי צדק Shaarei Tzedek Gates of Righteousness 8 Beach Street 16 Gold Street 3 Summit Street 1892 also known as Tower of Truth אגודת אחים Agudas Achim Union of Brothers 19 Brown Street 9 Pond Street 1897 also known as Good Brothers צמח צדק אנשי סמוליאן Tzemach Tzedek Anshe Smolian Plant of Justice People of Smolyan 10 Plymouth Street 1900 1923 Changed name to Sons of Jacob in 1923 שערי תורה Shaarai Torah Gates of Learning 32 Providence Street 1904 1999 אגודת ישראל אנשי ספרד Agudas Israel Anshe Safard Union of Israel Sephardic 66 Harrison Street 1913 1972 Demolished 3 24 72 בני יעקב B nai Yaakov Sons of Jacob 104 Harrison Street 1923 1965 Merged with Tifereth Israel West Side in 1965 תפארת ישראל Tifereth Israel Pride of Israel 42 Harrison Street 19 1957 Torn down for construction of I 290 in 1957 בני ציון B nai Tzion Sons of Zion 50 Granite Street 1938 1986 קדימה Kadimah Forward אנשי ראקישוק Anshe Rakishok People of RokiskisNotable alumni and membersS N Behrman playwright and screenwriter Charles Tobias lyricist and inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Harry Tobias songwriter and inductee of the Songwriters Hall of FameSee alsoTemple Emanuel Sinai Worcester Massachusetts Congregation Beth Israel Worcester Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in eastern Worcester MassachusettsReferences National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service April 15 2008 Kaufman David 1999 Shul with a pool the synagogue center in American Jewish history UPNE Feingold Norma Shaarai Torah Life Cycle of a Synagogue Published by Worcester Historical Museum 30 Elm Street Worcester Mass 1991 Albert B Southwick Shaarai Torah s 1906 birth is remembered Telegram amp Gazette 3 Oct 1999 The Jews of Worcester A Population Study PDF North American Jewish Data Bank Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 19 James Dempsey Synagogue last working on East Side Temple has haggard look of place whose time gone Telegram amp Gazette 22 Sep 1999 Sutner Shaun 17 September 1999 Fire hits East Side synagogue Two teens charged landmark had been set for renovation Telegram amp Gazette ALL ed Polan Judy June 19 2014 Presenting the Phenomenal Al Tapper Peabody Award Winner and so much more WMJledger Retrieved April 8 2021 Kush Bronislaus B 24 February 2003 Homes mark Oak Hill revival First time owner open house held Telegram amp Gazette FINAL ed Who s who in American Jewry Jewish Biographical Bureau New York NY 1926 The Worcester Directory Containing a General Directory of the Citizens a Business Directory and the City and County Register R L Polk amp Company 1916 Worcester MA Sommer Mark September 9 2008 Rabbi Meyer Greenberg 91 world renowned Talmudic scholar Nov 10 1916 Sept 2 2008 The Buffalo News Retrieved May 4 2022 Rabbi Joseph Gold dies in Worcester Jewish Post Indianapolis Marion County 9 August 1989 Clingan Carol 2010 Massachusetts Synagogues and Their Records Past and Present PDF Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston Archived PDF from the original on 2024 02 01 NEW SYNAGAGUE OPENED Boston Globe 21 Jul 1913 Former synagogue is now history ALL Edition Telegram amp Gazette 30 Dec 1993 Adler Cyrus amp Szold Henrietta American Jewish Year Book Volume 9 American Jewish Committee 1907 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Corporations Division Business Entity Summary Summary for AGUDAS SONS OF JACOB SYNAGOGUE ID Number 000083446 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Corporations Division Business Entity Summary Summary for SONS OF ZION OF WORCESTER ID Number 000004478 Behrman S N The Worcester Account Random House 1954 Williamson Chet J23 The Tin Pan Alley Tobias Brothers JazzSphere November 11 2007 External linksShaarai Torah West The Last Minyan Kopec Contracting Red Oak Condominiums