B'er Chayim Temple
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B'er Chayim Temple
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B'er Chayim Temple, May 2008
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| Location | Union and South Centre Streets, Cumberland, Maryland, United States |
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1866 |
| Built by | John B. Walton |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 79001106[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 15, 1979 |
The B'er Chayim Temple (Hebrew for Well of Life, a metaphor in which Torah is likened to water) is a synagogue in the American city of Cumberland, Maryland.
It was built in 1866 for the local Jewish congregation. Originally an Orthodox congregation, it is now a Reform congregation. It is one of the oldest congregations in Maryland and its 1865 building is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the United States.[2]
Contents
History
The first Jewish resident recorded in Cumberland dates to 1816. Twelve Jewish families were living in Cumberland, which then had a population of 6,150, in 1853 when congregation B'ere Chayim was incorporated by the state legislature. The congregation was Orthodox when the temple was built,[3] although it is now a Reform congregation.
Between 1865 and 1867, the congregation built a two-story, Greek Revival synagogue building on the corner of South Centre and Union Streets. The facade is ornamented with four pilasters, a handsome pediment, and four very un-Greek Rundbogenstil, or round-arched, windows.[3] The building was constructed by local builder John B. Walton.
Prayers and sermons were originally held in German, rather than Hebrew.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ (registration required) Gordon, Mark (1996). "Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues". American Jewish History. 84.1. pp. 11–27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Staff (undated). "B'er Chayim Temple". National Park Service. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to B'er Chayim Temple. |
- berchayim
.org, the official website of the B'er Chayim Congregation - B'er Chayin Temple, Allegany County, including 1979 photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
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- 1866 establishments in Maryland
- 19th-century synagogues
- Ashkenazi synagogues
- Buildings and structures in Cumberland, Maryland
- Downtown Cumberland, Maryland
- German-Jewish culture in Maryland
- Greek Revival architecture in Maryland
- Greek Revival synagogues
- Jews and Judaism in Appalachia
- Orthodox synagogues in Maryland
- Places of worship in Allegany County, Maryland
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
- Reform synagogues in Maryland
- Religion in Cumberland, MD-WV-PA
- Religious buildings completed in 1866
- Synagogues in Maryland
- National Register of Historic Places in Allegany County, Maryland
