06/06/2026
The Newtown Jewish Community began with the immigration of several families from Russia, Poland, Austria, Hungary & Germany. Orthodox Jewish immigrants fleeing poverty and persecution in Eastern Europe were encouraged to become farmers in Connecticut. One sponsor of this program was the Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid Society, which was a subsidiary of the Baron de Hirsch Fund. Beginning in 1891, Baron Maurice de Hirsch, a Jewish German philanthropist, helped finance several of the immigrant communities in Connecticut and throughout the world.
One of the first to settle in the area was Israel Nezvesky (1839 – 1925). Israel settled in Newtown around 1906 and later became a leader in the community. Other Jewish farmers followed, purchasing land and building a thriving Jewish community in the area around Huntingtown Road, giving the neighborhood the nickname of ‘Little Palestine’. The families spoke different languages, but soon found what they all had in common was the desire to worship freely as Jews and the Yiddish language. The families worshipped for several years without a synagogue or rabbi.
Shabbat services were held in various homes. As the community grew, so did the desire to build a synagogue.
Life on Huntingtown Road – The Early Days
“Living on a farm in Connecticut was a tough, rough life” – Sylvia Nezvesky Kirschblum
Many of the residents of Huntingtown Road were farmers. While the families enjoyed the farm produce, most was marketed in Bridgeport. Items included butter, eggs, cream, milk, chickens, cattle and “farmer cheeses” made by the women which was in high demand. Summer vegetables were brought to market in town.
Every Thursday the horses would be hitched up to the wagons at 4am to start out for the long haul to the market in Bridgeport. More than 20 wagons made this long schlep each week. Rain and the winter snows brought many hazards.
A small neighborhood general store opened in 1907 by the Nalven family, near the corner of Huntingtown and Meadowbrook Roads. Food, clothing, hardware and medicines were sold along with typical “Jewish” foods such as salami, herring, lox, cream cheese, bagels and matzos. After Hebrew school, students were often seen buying snacks at the store. When customers were ill, the store made home deliveries. Mr. Nalven eventually sold the store in the 1940’s to Sarah & Morris Levinson who ran the store until the mid 1960’s. Other neighborhood businesses were a cider mill owned by Jacob Nezvesky in the red barn on his property. The Sussmans ran an animal feed store near the Botsford Station and the Buskers ran the gas station on South Main Street.
During the summer months, the Huntingtown area became a haven for nearby city residents looking for country living. Many residents rented rooms to supplement their income.
1910’s
On July 4, 1914, ground was broken for the synagogue on land donated by Israel & Rose Nezvesky. The synagogue was built by: Isaac Busker, Louis Busker, Max Busker, David Epstein, Harry Garder, Jacob Goldberg, Sam Goldberg, Isaac Goldstein, Alex Goosman, Jacob Goosman, Samuel (Shia) Goosman, Isador Kaufman, Sam Nalven, Abraham Nezvesky, Israel Nezvesky, Jacob Nezvesky, Benjamin Rosenberg, Max Schimelman, Harry Schopick and Samuel Sussman.
For the five years during construction, services were held at the home of Jacob Nezvesky.
In 1919, the cornerstone was laid for the new building. In addition to the donation of the land, Israel Nezvesky also donated the first Torah to the synagogue. The community strongly recognized his significant contributions and, in his honor, named the synagogue Adath Israel which translates to House of Israel. Adath Israel is the only known country synagogue in western Connecticut to have benefited from the programs of the Baron de Hirsch Fund.
