Best of New Haven: Staff Picks
Reprinted by permission from the New Haven Advocate, 2 May 1996, p. 82
Half a century ago (give or take), there was the Rose Street shul, a synagogue now known only by the name of its street. The street doesn't exist anymore, and nobody seems to agree on exactly where it was. But it lay somewhere off Legion Avenue, the Hill neighborhood artery that bustled with Jewish and Italian immigrant life and commerce before urban renewal bulldozed it and sent people scattering.
Thirty-five years ago (give or take), when Jewish families and their synagogues were moving to the suburbs, members of the Rose Street shul left the old neighborhood, too -- but they decided to stay in New Haven. They built a shiny new white-brick building on the Corner of Whalley Avenue and Harrison Street in Westville, and, after merger with another synagogue, ended up with the name Beth El-Keser Israel.
Fifteen years ago (give or take), the congregation was literally dying, with an average age in the 70s. It looked as though the richness of the congregation's traditions would be lost forever, with no one left to carry them forward. Then one young couple joined, then another. A baby was born, then another. And gradually, Beth El-Keser Israel (affectionately known as BEKI) regained strength.
These days, BEKI is undergoing a true spiritual renewal. Saturday morning finds pre-schoolers learning about Judaism by singing, dancing, playing games and reading stories in the children's room; grade-schoolers acting out plays in the chapel; adults learning about the traditional Jewish service in the library; and, in the main sanctuary, teen-agers and adults of all ages chanting the beautiful centuries-old melodies and gorgeous harmonies of Hebrew prayers.
There's a whole lot of learning going on during the week, too, whether it's Hebrew language or Torah reading or how to celebrate Shabbat. It's a community now of scholars and retired tradespeople, egalitarian not just in name but in practice, with women taking a lead role in once male-only areas of ritual and study. The older folks contribute as much as ever: leading services, setting up refreshments, fixing the building, tirelessly holding fund-raisers. There's a queitly dynamic rabbi who keeps finding more and more ways to get people active. There's give and take. And where once there was a synagogue fading into memory, there's now a vibrant institution planning for the next century. C.B.
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Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street at Whalley Avenue
New Haven, CT USA 06515-1724
(203) 389-2108 Fax: (203) 389-5899 (24-hour)
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