Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 12, 2017

Ryan Blessing rblessing@norwichbulletin.com, (860) 425-4205 rblessingNB

MONTVILLE Descendants of some of the first Russian Jewish settlers in Eastern Connecticut gathered in a wooded clearing Sunday afternoon in the Chesterfield section of town to honor the site where, 125 years ago, their ancestors established what is said to be the first rural synagogue in the state.

The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the state of Connecticuts 24th archaeological preserve. A large stone monument and plaque now mark the spot where the synagogue, which burned down in 1975, once stood.

The New England Hebrew Farmers of the Emanuel Society oversees the site, off of Route 161 just past the intersection with Route 85 in Montville.

Exactly 125 years, one month and three days ago, people from far and near gathered here to dedicate a rather unpretentious, one-room synagogue, society president Nancy Savin said. The synagogue and its creamery, also built in 1892, were the center of a vibrant Russian Jewish community, which flourished from 1890 until the Great Depression.

The descendants of these immigrants organized NEHFES in 2006, and today the society has more than 50 members in 15 states and Canada, Savin, a descendant, said. The societys website is newenglandhebrewfarmers.org.

The story of NEHFES is the perfect example of the American dream immigrants who came to Chesterfield speaking no English, who sent their children to the one-room schoolhouse and to Bulkeley High School, whose own children then went on to college and into multiple professions, Savin said. Today these descendants make valuable contributions to American society. We seek to perpetuate their legacy, their values and their ethics.

Connecticut State Archaeologist Emeritus Nicholas Bellantoni congratulated the society for its work to preserve the site.

Whats youve done is preserve memories, not for nostalgia, but for cultural heritage, Bellantoni said. You maintain and pass on to the future where you and your families have been. Youve preserved a sense of place.

At the site are the stone remains of the synagogues foundation, as well as remnants of a nearby mickveh,a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism.

Stuart Miller, a professor of Hebrew, history and Judaic studies at the University of Connecticut, said he couldnt contain his excitement when he was first shown the mickveh.

I explained that the only mickveh from the 19th century that had been excavated, at the time, was in Baltimore, he said. Thats Baltimore, this is Chesterfield. What is this doing here?

Jerome Fischer, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut, said he was proud as a Jew of what the early immigrants accomplished in Chesterfield in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

But Im even prouder we want to continue to welcome refugees to our country and let them settle and practice their way of life, he said.

Read the original:

Descendants mark historic synagogue's 125th anniversary - Norwich Bulletin

Category: Synagogue
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