For the first time in over 100 years, the Jewish community in Plymouth will observe the High Holy Days without a home of its own.
In June, Congregation Beth Jacob (CBJ) sold its historic synagogue at the corner of Pleasant and Sandwich streets in downtown Plymouth. The congregation has purchased property on Summer Street and is in the midst of a capital campaign to build a new synagogue there.
“We appreciate everything that the building did for us and the history of the congregation that it represents, but now we are focused on the future,” said Devon Fernald, co-president of the congregation.
The first Jewish families came to Plymouth in the 1880s, emigrating largely from Lithuania and Ukraine, according to “A History of Jewish Plymouth” by Karin Goldstein, Ph.D., the late curator of collections at Plimoth Patuxet Museums.
The Jewish population in town grew slowly, but steadily, Goldstein wrote as relatives and friends followed the early immigrants to Plymouth. They initially gathered in private homes to celebrate the Sabbath and other holidays.
In 1909, with more than 40 extended Jewish families in Plymouth, the community formed the Beth Jacob Society for the purpose of building a synagogue. Construction began in 1912 and the synagogue was completed in December of 1913.
“When the idea of selling the building first came up, it hurt. It felt like letting go of something sacred,” said Katie Resnick Lamoureux, great-granddaughter of Morris Resnick, one of the founders of the congregation. “But over the past couple of years, I’ve come to understand that holding on to the building at all costs could actually hold us back.”
When it was built, the synagogue was in the heart of the Plymouth Jewish community, within walking distance for most of its members. There was no need for parking back then, nor any accessibility requirements for people with limited mobility.
Plymouth’s significant growth over the past 50 years brought many more Jews to town, with most living in developments miles away from CBJ. Parking around the synagogue today is a major problem, as is the configuration of the building, congregants say.
“For many years now, it’s been an embarrassment to say that when we had Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, too often the grandparents could not use the bathrooms because of the stairs,” said Allan Sherman, a lifelong member of CBJ and part of a founding family. “It is way beyond time we did this.”
Jonathan Sarna, Ph.D., professor (emeritus) of American Jewish History at Brandeis University said the sale of CBJ “repeats a pattern that we see over and over. Old synagogues tend to have deep problems. What’s unique in Plymouth is that it took so long to move. It’s very unusual to stay in the same building for that long.”
Sarna said only one of the original small “immigrant” synagogues built in Boston in the 19th and 20th centuries remains intact as a Jewish institution, the Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill, built in 1919. The more common story is that Jews moved away from their immigrant neighborhoods within a couple of generations, often pressured by discrimination, gentrification and redlining by banks that channeled certain ethnic groups into targeted neighborhoods, Sarna said.
But that was not the case in Plymouth. “The longevity of that synagogue is actually a tribute to the stability of the Plymouth community,” Sarna said.
After years of internal debate, when the congregation finally decided to sell they approached local developer Rick Vayo, because of his track record of successfully renovating old buildings in Plymouth, Fernald said.
Vayo’s company has restored and repurposed the old National Guard Armory on Court Street, the 1904 Registry of Deeds/courthouse on Russell Street and the former Mount Pleasant School on Whiting Street, among others.
“The synagogue building has challenges, but we’ve faced challenges in most projects,” Vayo said. “We are still early in the plan, but I can envision a building that will last another 100 years, as a contributing part of the community. My gut feeling is it will be some form of residential.”
Fernald said CBJ has started the permitting process to build on Summer Street. Site work there could begin this fall, with the building going up in 2027 if they reach their fundraising goal.
Until the new building is ready, several local churches have welcomed CBJ to use their facilities for religious school classes and weekly worship services.
“The churches have been so wonderful and welcoming, we really appreciate their support,” Fernald said. “And we’re still doing our High holiday services at the Spire Center this year, which we’ve done for many years now.”
While still in design, the new synagogue will be on one level, fully accessible with ample worship, educational and event space with a full kitchen, and plenty of parking, Fernald said.
“We are going to bring CBJ into the 21st century, with a new synagogue that will reflect our history and meet the needs of our community today,” Fernald said.
Michael Cohen can be reached at michael@plymouthindependent.org.