Our Story
Congregation Adath Israel was founded in the early 1900s by a small group of Jews who fled poverty and persecution in Eastern Europe. They arrived with little more than their skill as farmers and a desire to worship freely. After settling in Newtown, they worshiped for several years without a synagogue or a rabbi. They erected Congregation Adath Israel in 1919: the first rabbi arrived in 1923.
The congregation prospered and grew until the 1940s. After World War II, many younger congregants left what was still a rural Newtown for jobs in larger cities.
By 1970, the congregation consisted of less than 20 families. It became clear that Adath Israel would not survive as an Orthodox institution and so they changed to a Conservative doctrine. That change included our embrace of egalitarianism and a welcoming of interfaith families which helped to rekindle Adath Israel.
In the following years, our congregation continued to grow as did the needs of our community. Our congregation is now comprised of Jews from all backgrounds. Our ritual follows a Conservative path; our social values are progressive.
In September 2007, we opened our new building to meet the demands of our growing congregation. With great joy, we paraded our torahs down the street to our new spiritual home. Today, as a contemporary conservative synagogue, we are proud to follow our Jewish heritage while at the same time learning how to be flexible within a strong framework of Judaism. We understand that every person and family has their own spiritual need and habits of observance. Our services now acknowledge the presence of less active participants including non-Jewish members in attendance. This provides a sense of flexibility within our strong religious framework and gives all attendees a taste of our wonderful faith and history.
We invite you to join us in fulfilling our commitment to the Jewish community in Newtown and its surrounding towns and villages. You can become a friend of Adath Israel at our web site, www.congadathisrael.org
