Congregation Beth Jacob marks a centennial anniversary

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The synagogue and its members in 1913 Synagogue members gather at Congregation Beth Jacob in late June 2013.

 

PLYMOUTH, Mass. – In 1909, when 40 Jewish families formed the Beis Jacob Society, they began making plans to build a synagogue. By 1911, the society had voted to spend up to $4,000 to build that synagogue and, after securing a long-term mortgage, purchased land on Pleasant Street.  The building was completed in 1913. In the 1940s, when Jewish veterans of World War II returned home, they used their severance pay to pay off the mortgage.

On Sunday, June 23, Rabbi Lawrence Silverman (who has been the leader and “face” of Congregation Beth Jacob for more than one-third of its existence), along with Dr. Fred Sarke, synagogue president, and a packed audience, including descendants of the original Beis Jacob Society and current and past members of the congregation, paid tribute to this historic structure.  Dr. Karin Goldstein completed this rededication with her presentation of the history of immigrant Jews of Plymouth and their involvement in its growth.