B'er Chayim Temple

39°39′2″N 78°45′38″W / 39.65056°N 78.76056°W / 39.65056; -78.76056ArchitectureTypeSynagogue architectureStyleGreek RevivalGeneral contractorJohn B. WaltonDate established1853 (as a congregation)Completed1866 (158 years ago) (1866)Websiteberchayim.org AreaLess than one acreNRHP reference No.79001106Added to NRHPNovember 15, 1979 (44 years ago) (1979-11-15) ^[1]

B'er Chayim Temple (transliterated from Hebrew as "Well of Life",^[2] a metaphor in which Torah is likened to water) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Cumberland, Maryland, in the United States. As of 2008^[update], B'er Chayim counted approximately 72 families as members.^[3]

B'er Chayim is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use as a synagogue in Maryland and the sixth oldest in the United States.^[4][5]

Clergy and leadership

Mark J. Perman has served as the rabbi of B'er Chayim since July 2016.^[6] A native of New York City,^[7] Perman graduated from the High School of Performing Arts, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and New York University.^[6] Perman was ordained a cantor in 1997,^[6] and he was ordained a rabbi by Mesifta Program in Queens, New York, in 2013.^[6] Prior to joining B'er Chayim, Perman served as the interim cantor at Congregation Emanu El in Houston.^[7]

Lee Schwartz serves as president of B'er Chayim.^[8]

Religious services and programs

Shabbat services are held Friday evening.^[9] Services and celebrations of Jewish holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah,^[10][11] Yom Kippur,^[2] and Chanukah,^[12] are held throughout the year.^[9]

Torah study sessions are held twice a month.^[9]

History

The first Jewish resident recorded in Cumberland dates to 1816. Twelve Jewish families were living in Cumberland, which then had a population of 6,150, in 1853 when congregation B'er Chayim was chartered by the Maryland state legislature.^[4] The congregation was Orthodox when the temple was built,^[13] although it is now a Reform congregation.

Between 1865 and 1867, the congregation built a two-story, Greek Revival synagogue building on the corner of South Centre and Union Streets. The building cost $7,427.02 to construct.^[4] The facade is ornamented with four pilasters, a handsome pediment, and four very un-Greek Rundbogenstil, or round-arched, windows.^[13] The building was constructed by local builder John B. Walton.^[5]

Prayers and sermons were originally held in German, rather than Hebrew.^[14]

Beth Jacob Synagogue, which was also located in Cumberland, merged with B'er Chayim Temple in 1996.^[3]

In 2011, the synagogue underwent renovation.^[2] The brickwork's mortar was redone, the wrought iron gates outside the entrance were restored, improved the interior, and made the synagogue wheelchair-accessible.^[15][16] The synagogue's building was reopened on August 17, 2014, and the synagogue was rededicated on November 7, 2014.^[17] The Cumberland Historic Preservation Board gave an award to B'er Chayim for the synagogue's restoration.^[18]

See also

• 1866 in architecture
• List of oldest synagogues in the United States
• History of the Jews in Maryland

References

External links