The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
SYNAGOGUE TO CLOSE
Beth El Synagogue cites declining membership, aging congregation
TORRINGTON >> There are a series of plaques on the walls of the Beth El Synagogue on Litchfield Street, each bearing the name of a member of the congregation and their date of death.
On the anniversary of their passing, a small light is illuminated next to their name, and they are announced during the next service in remembrance.
Some of those lights were shining Tuesday afternoon; but the names are disappearing from the wall.
The synagogue is set to close by the end of the year, leading congregants to take the memorials to their loved ones away.
Rabbi Richard Eisenberg said Tuesday that the decision to close was made based on a series of factors, including declining membership, lack of lay leadership, and aging of the congregation.
There are about 70 members of the synagogue, Eisenberg said, and about 15-20 attend the service each Saturday.
The Board of Directors of the synagogue officially made the decision to close, Eisenberg said.
The closure of the religious school operated by the temple was a significant contributor to the fall in attendance, Eisenberg said.
“We lost a lot of steam when our religious school closed,” said Eisenberg. “That was really the first step to our demise.”
Patricia Anderson, who has attended services there since 1977, and raised her children in the temple, was keeping watch over the building Tuesday afternoon.
She cited the same demographic trends — a declining, aging population in the region — as the rationale for the decision.
“(It’s) very sad. So much work went into establishing and continuing Beth El by so many dedicated people that it is a shame we can’t continue any longer,” said Anderson.
At one point, Anderson said, 60 students took part in bar and bat mitzvah classes at the temple, and the seven classrooms in the building were used for religious education — one for each grade level.
Now, the last bar mitzvah candidate is expected to graduate in the fall.
Both of member Ed Arum’s sons had their bar mitzvah in the temple, he said Tuesday afternoon, and he has attended services there for more than 35 years.
“I’m sad,” said Arum. “It’s a sad thing.”
Arum said the impending retirement of Eisenberg was a factor in the
decision. Congregants did not want to search for a replacement. Eisenberg could not be reached for comment about this later Tuesday. According to the temple’s website, Eisenberg works as a drug and addiction rehabilitation counselor at the APT Foundation Access Center in New Haven, and is a part-time rabbi at Beth El.
Arum noted that other houses of worship, Christian and Jewish alike, also are closing.
The Hartford Archdiocese recently announced plans to close two Catholic churches in Torrington, and consolidate four parishes into one.
“If you look around... unfortunately, it’s what’s happening,” said Arum.
Congregants will now have to find a new religious home, Eisenberg said.
Anderson plans to begin attending services in Southbury, she said, while Arum said he might go to West Hartford.
Beth-El served congregants of different religious traditions, according to Anderson — Orthodox, Reform — from throughout the region, and is the last fully-functional synagogue in the county.
It was founded in 1906, according to the synagogue website, after “a handful of Jewish families who lived in Torrington and worshipped together in each other’s homes before the turn of the century.” “It’s a monumental decision after 100 years,” said Anderson.
Eisenberg expressed sadness at the development as well Tuesday, and noted the temple’s long history in the community.
“Our synagogue has had a sense of pride in being part of the Torrington community for many decades,” said Eisenberg. “We are sorry that we can no longer provide a Jewish congregation for worship in Torrington.”
The building will be sold, according to Eisenberg, who declined to offer specific details about a potential sale Tuesday.
Mayor Elinor Carbone said Tuesday that a primarily-Latino church has expressed interest in acquiring the building.