B'nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham
Encyclopedia
History
Early Jewish settlers in the Washington County, Texas arrived during the 1860s. B. Levinson, an original founder, arrived in 1861. Alex Simon arrived in 1866. These individuals became active in the business community of Brenham, and as other Jewish settlers arrived, the need for a synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
grew. The present building was constructed in 1893, after the first caught fire in 1892. http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Brenham/Bnai-Abraham-Synagogue.htm L. Fink served as first president, F. Susnitsky as vice president, L. Z. Harrison as treasurer, and J. Lewis and Abe Fink as secretaries. The twenty charter members were led by Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Israel. In the 1990s the synagogue was believed to be the oldest Orthodox Jewish synagogue to have been in continuous use in Texas. Leon Toubin
Leon Toubin
Leon Toubin, a Jewish Texan civic leader, philanthropist, and historian is the caretaker of B'Nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham, which he began attending in the late 1930s as part of the daily minyan.-Family:...
, a Jewish Texan community and business leader, is the caretaker of this place of worship
Place of worship
A place of worship or house of worship is an establishment or her location where a group of people comes to perform acts of religious study, honor, or devotion. The form and function of religious architecture has evolved over thousands of years for both changing beliefs and architectural style...
. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/txsynvr/Brenham/Brenham.html&date=2009-10-25+23:24:24
Architecture
The structure, located on 302 North Park Street, remains a staunchly Orthodox Shul. The projecting structure on the near side is the Mikveh. The white clapboard structure with its pointed arched windows closely resembles the small country churches in the region. Inside the building the Aron Kodesh can be seen on the eastern wall and in the center the BimahBimah
A bimah A bimah A bimah (among Ashkenazim, derived from Hebrew בּמה , almemar (from Arabic al-minbar) or tebah (among Sephardim) is the elevated area or platform in a Jewish synagogue which is intended to serve the place where the person reading aloud from the Torah stands during the Torah reading...
where the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
was read. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/txsynvr/Brenham/Brenham.html&date=2009-10-25+23:24:24
See also
- History of the Jews in Brenham, TexasHistory of the Jews in Brenham, TexasThe history of the Jews in Brenham, Texas, covers a period of over 140 years. As one of the first areas in Texas, outside of major population centers, to develop a sizable Jewish population, the community boasts many things of historical note. The Brenham community was formally organized in...
- Texas Jewish Historical Society
- Oldest synagogues in the United StatesOldest synagogues in the United StatesThe designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...