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Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom

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Coordinates: 38°17′28″N 85°37′52″W / 38.291°N 85.631°W / 38.291; -85.631
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For similarly named synagogues, see Adath Israel.

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom
(The Temple)
Religion
AffiliationReform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
StatusActive
Location
Location5101 US Hwy 42, Louisville, Kentucky 40241
CountryUnited States
Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom is located in Kentucky
Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom
Location of the current synagogue in Kentucky
Geographic coordinates38°17′28″N 85°37′52″W / 38.291°N 85.631°W / 38.291; -85.631
Architecture
Architect(s)1868, Adath Israel:
  • H. P. Bradshaw
1905, Adath Israel:
1949, Brith Sholom:
  • Walter C. Wagner
  • Joseph Potts
1980, Merged:
TypeSynagogue
Style
Date established1976 (merged congregation)
  • 1842 (as Adath Israel)
  • 1880 (as Brith Sholom)
CompletedAdath Israel:
  • 1849 (Fourth Street)
  • 1868 (Broadway)
  • 1905 (S. Third Street)
Brith Sholom:
  • 1881 (First Street)
  • 1903 (Second Street)
  • 1949 (Cowling Avenue)
Merged:
  • 1980 (Brownsboro)
Website
thetemplelouky.org
Adath Israel Temple
Façade and southern side of the 1905 synagogue
Location834 South Third Street, Louisville
Coordinates38°14′35″N 85°45′27″W / 38.24306°N 85.75750°W / 38.24306; -85.75750
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
NRHP reference No.74000882
Added to NRHPDecember 31, 1974
Adath Israel Cemetery
Entrance to the heritage-listed cemetery in 2021
Location2716 Preston Street, Louisville
Coordinates38°12′38″N 85°44′30″W / 38.21052°N 85.74157438°W / 38.21052; -85.74157438
Area23 acres (9.3 ha)
NRHP reference No.82002702
Added to NRHPJune 22, 1982
[1][2][3]

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5101 US Hwy 42, in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.

Originally the Adath Israel Temple, it adopted its current name following a merger, however is more commonly known as The Temple. Prior to merging, the congregations resided in several buildings. Adath Israel Temple's third synagogue building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974; and the associated cemetery was listed in 1982.

History

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The Adath Israel Congregation ("Congregation of Israel"), the oldest in Kentucky, was chartered in 1842 in the Orthodox tradition[4]: 150  and has occupied six buildings.[5] It is a founding member of the Union for Reform Judaism.[6]

Brith Sholom ("Covenant of Peace"), Louisville's third oldest synagogue, was organized in 1880.[7] It was established in the Conservative tradition[4]: 150  for those wishing to pray in German, rather than the English used in Adath Israel. It joined the Reform movement in 1920.[6]

In 1976, Adath Israel merged with Brith Sholom.[8] This was motivated by the desire of both groups to improve their physical facilities and to relocate to the eastern part of Jefferson County. For a few years after it was organized as Adath Israel Brith Sholom, it held services in the Brith Sholom building. In 1980, the congregation moved into its new Modernist sanctuary on Brownsboro Road.[9]: 29 

Adath Israel Temple sites

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The congregation's first synagogue was built in 1849 on Fourth Street, which a fire destroyed in 1866.[8]

In 1868, the congregation built a new temple at Broadway and Sixth Street.[8] The elaborate domed synagogue was created in an Orientalist style that featured twin towers topped by tall domes and a Torah Ark with a horseshoe arch topped by a similar dome. The architect was H. P. Bradshaw.[9]: 62  Adolph S. Moses served as rabbi from 1881 to his death in 1902.[10] The building was subsequently repurposed as a Methodist church.[9]: 155 

The congregation's third building was informally known as the "Third Street Synagogue". The Greek Revival structure[8] was designed by architects Kenneth McDonald and J.F. Sheblessy[11]: 191  and dedicated on June 3, 1906. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as a result of the strength and prestige of the architects. In 1977, it was sold to the Greater Bethel Temple,[12] an Apostolic Church.[11]: 191 [9]: 155 

Brith Sholom Temple sites

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Brith Sholom first building was at First and Walnut Streets,[13] occupied from 1881 and completed in the Gothic Revival style,[9]: 155, 92  which it sold to Congregation Anshei Sfard in 1903. The First Street synagogue was destroyed in 1962 to make way for an expressway.[9]: 155 

Its second building was at Second and College Streets, completed in 1903, vacated in 1949, and subsequently used as a church. This building was demolished c. 1965.[9]: 155 

The congregation's third building was in the Bonnycastle Mansion at Cowling and Maryland Avenues in 1949,[8][13] completed in the Georgian Revival style by architects, Walter C. Wagner and Joseph Potts. It is the only synagogue built in Kentucky between 1950 and 2000, not designed in the Modernist style. Following the 1976 merger, the merged congregation met at the Cowling Avenue site. The building was subsequently sold and used as a Pentecostal church.[9]: 94–95, 112, 154, 157, 159 

Merged site

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In 1980, the congregation moved to Brownsboro[9]: 29  and Lime Kiln Roads[11]: 332  with land purchased in 1966.[8] The temple was designed by a joint venture between architectural firms, Arrasmith & Rapp and Joseph & Joseph,[11]: 332  as Arnold Judd and Alfred Joseph Jr., senior partners of each firm, were members of the merged congregation.[4]: 113 

Cemetery

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The Temple Cemetery was formed from the former Adath Israel Cemetery and Brith Sholom Cemetery and comprises 23 acres (9.3 ha) located at 2716 Preston Street, in Louisville. In 1981, the congregation nominated the cemetery for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, that was approved on June 22, 1982.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Contact". The Temple - Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom. 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.[self-published source?]
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Inventory Nomination Form: Adath Israel Cemetery". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 1982.
  4. ^ a b c Weissbach, Lee Shai (1995). "The Synagogues of Kentucky: Architecture and History". Architecture. 1. University Press of Kentucky. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Temple Adath Israel: Louisville, KY". Jewish Postcards. National Museum of American Jewish History. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "About Us". The Temple - Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2009.[self-published source?]
  7. ^ "Louisville". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Kleber, John E. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 448, 875. ISBN 9780813128900.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Weisbach, Lee Shai (1995). Synagogues of Kentucky: History and Architecture. University Press of Kentucky.
  10. ^ Adler, Cyrus; Dobsevage, I. George. "MOSES, ADOLPH". The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d Luhan, Gregory; Domer, Dennis; Mohoney, David (September 9, 2004). The Louisville Guide. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 9781568984513 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Hedgepeth, Marty Lyn Poynter (1981). The Victorian to the Beaux-arts: A Study of Four Louisville Architectural Firms, McDonald Brothers, McDonald & Sheblessy, Dodd & Cobb and McDonald & Dodd. University of Louisville. pp. 40, 41, 93.
  13. ^ a b Weissbach, Lee Shai (January 13, 2015). The Synagogues of Kentucky: Architecture and History. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 41, 42, 94, 95. ISBN 9780813148021.
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