Ellenville, NY – One of the oldest synagogues in the Catskills is celebrating its 100th anniversary and this coming Sunday evening, a dinner will mark the occasion. Earlier in the day, a new Sefer Torah, a sacred scroll, will be dedicated to the Congregation Ezrath Israel in Ellenville.
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The congregation, founded in 1907 as the Ellenville Hebrew Aid Society, worshipped in makeshift surroundings for the first two years, and then moved into a building that once stood across from its current synagogue.
The Orthodox congregation now stands at 125 families and its declining enrollment is viewed as a factor of the economic conditions in Ellenville, said synagogue Board Chairman David Buchman.
"We lost the Schrade plant. We lost the aluminum plant here," he said. The solution to growing the congregation is to bring in more industry to the area, Buchman said. "The building of this shul is directly tied with the rebuilding of Ellenville, which I think will happen in the coming years, but it's going to take time and effort."
Spiritual leader Rabbi Moishe Frank said the centennial is, "Clearly a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the long, storied life of Ezrath Israel." [midhudsonnews]