Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom

Adath Israel Temple
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Front and southern side
Location	834 S. 3rd St., Louisville, Kentucky
Coordinates	38°14′35″N 85°45′27″W / 38.24306°N 85.75750°WCoordinates: 38°14′35″N 85°45′27″W / 38.24306°N 85.75750°W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1905
Architect	McDonald Brothers
Architectural style	Grecian Ionic
NRHP Reference #	74000882[1]
Added to NRHP	December 31, 1974

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom is a Reform synagogue located in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally the Adath Israel Temple, it adopted its current name following a merger, but is more commonly known by the informal name The Temple.

History

The congregation, the oldest in Kentucky, was chartered in 1842 and has occupied six buildings.^[2] It is a founding member of the Union for Reform Judaism.^[3]

Brith Sholom, Louisville's third oldest synagogue, was organized in 1880.^[4] It was established for those wishing to pray in German, rather than the English used in Adath Israel. It joined the Reform movement in 1920.^[3]

In 1976, Adath Israel merged with Brith Sholom. This was motivated by the desire of both groups to improve their physical facilities and to relocate to the eastern part of Jefferson County. For a few years after it was organized as Adath Israel Brith Sholom, it held services in the Brith Sholom building. In 1980, the congregation was able to move into its new sanctuary on Brownsboro Road.^[5]

Architecture

In 1868 the congregation built an elaborate domed synagogue in an Orientalist style that featured twin towers topped by tall domes and a Torah Ark with a horseshoe arch topped by a similar dome. The architect was H. P. Bradshaw.^[6]

The congregation's third building, designed by architects Kenneth McDonald and J.F. Sheblessy,^[7] was dedicated on June 3, 1906, was informally known as the "Third Street Synagogue." The neo-classical building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as a result of the strength and prestige of the architects. In 1977 it was sold to an Apostolic Church, the Greater Bethel Temple.

References

1. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Temple Adath Israel: Louisville, KY, Jewish Postcards, National Museum of American Jewish History website via Wayback Machine. Accessed March 08, 2010.
3. The Temple - About Us
4. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0013_0_12780.html Jewish Virtual Library - Louisville
5. Lee Shai Weisbach, Synagogues of Kentucky: History and Architecture, University Press of Kentucky, 1995, p. 29.
6. Lee Shai Weisbach, Synagogues of Kentucky: History and Architecture, University Press of Kentucky, 1995, p. 62.
7. Gregory A. Luhan, Dennis Domer, David Mohney, The Louisville Guide, Princeton Architectural Press, 2004, p. 191

External links

• Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom website