Agudas Achim Synagogue (Glory Chapel International Cathedral)
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Founded by Romanian immigrants in 1887, Agudas Achim is an Orthodox congregation. As was typical of newly formed 19th-century Jewish congregations, members initially met in private homes to worship, before opening their first synagogue, a building on Market Street, around 1903. Agudas Achim's Greenfield Street synagogue, designed by Berenson & Moses in a mixture of Romanesque Revival and Colonial Revival style, opened in 1928. During the 1960s, Congregation Agudas Achim moved out of Hartford to the suburbs of West Hartford, reflecting the general suburban relocation of Hartford's Jewish communities during this time. The 1928 Greenfield Street synagogue is now home to a Baptist church.
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Agudas Achim Synagogue was built in 1928 and is now Glory Chapel International Cathedral.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Rabbinic leadership at Agudas Achim
As Rabbi Joshua Berkowitz told the New York Times upon the Agudas Achim's 100-year anniversary, the congregation had only five rabbis over the course of its first century, contributing to its longevity and "rootedness." Synagogue president Leon Chameides concurred that "rabbinic leadership [is] the glue that has held the synagogue together."
The congregation's first rabbi, Isaac S. Hurewitz, served from 1893 until 1935, while simultaneously working as a kosher butcher. A synagogue on Market Street opened in 1903, under his leadership. He was still in charge in 1928, when the new Greenfield Street synagogue was built.
As Rabbi Joshua Berkowitz told the New York Times upon the Agudas Achim's 100-year anniversary, the congregation had only five rabbis over the course of its first century, contributing to its longevity and "rootedness." Synagogue president Leon Chameides concurred that "rabbinic leadership [is] the glue that has held the synagogue together."
The congregation's first rabbi, Isaac S. Hurewitz, served from 1893 until 1935, while simultaneously working as a kosher butcher. A synagogue on Market Street opened in 1903, under his leadership. He was still in charge in 1928, when the new Greenfield Street synagogue was built.
Sources
"Agudas Achim Synagogue, Hartford (1928)." Historic Buildings of Connecticut. Accessed January 11, 2019. http://historicbuildingsct.com/congregation-agudas-achim-1928/.
"Historic Synagogues of Hartford." Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. Accessed January 11, 2019. https://jhsgh.org/historic-synagogues-of-hartford/.
Kadden, Jack. "For Synagogue, 100 Years of Change." New York Times. October 18, 1987. Accessed January 11, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/18/nyregion/for-synagogue-100-years-of-change.html.
"Historic Synagogues of Hartford." Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. Accessed January 11, 2019. https://jhsgh.org/historic-synagogues-of-hartford/.
Kadden, Jack. "For Synagogue, 100 Years of Change." New York Times. October 18, 1987. Accessed January 11, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/18/nyregion/for-synagogue-100-years-of-change.html.