Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on January 8, 2015

By Cindy Mindell

Since Congregation Rodfe Zedek of Moodus merged with Congregation Beth Shalom of Deep River in the mid-90s, the resulting amalgam of the two Connecticut River Valley synagogues Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek (CBSRZ) in Chester has come to be recognized not only as a house of worship, but also as a cultural center and architectural landmark, designed in part by congregant and conceptual-art pioneer Sol LeWitt, zl, a Hartford native who died in 2007.

Pianist Byron Janis in concert at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in Chester.

The building is a three-dimensional expression of Sol LeWitts art and his interpretation of the spiritual and the infinite, says CBSRZ president Wtephen Davis. The Ark features his interpretation of the Star of David and is the symbol of our congregation. It means that art and culture are really in the DNA of the congregation.

This dual and intertwined identification as both a religious and cultural center inspired the Ledger to survey several synagogues throughout the state to understand how cultural programming fits into their mission and operation, and into Jewish life in general. Is that concert or cooking demonstration or yoga class Jewish just because it takes place at a synagogue?

First, some history.

The synagogue was always a beit midrash an educational center, probably more a house of study and inquiry than a house of prayer, says Rabbi Joshua Hammerman of Temple Beth El in Stamford. It was also called beit knesset, a house of gathering. But it was never called a beit tefila, a house of prayer.

Rabbi Greg Wall of Beit Chaverim Synagogue of Westport/Norwalk, plays with other klezmer musicians at his installation, held at Westport Town Hall auditorium in November 2013.

While the etymology may have steered away from an emphasis on prayer, the American model of a synagogue was based primarily on that function, according to Rabbi Greg Wall of Beit Chaverim Synagogue of Westport/Norwalk.

But the beit knesset really needs to be a portal into Jewish life, he says. Our tradition teaches that there are 70 faces to Torah, meaning a myriad of approaches to make our heritage

Originally posted here:

Ancient and cool The synagogue as cultural center

Category: Synagogue
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