One of the oldest Orthodox Shuls in the Catskills is celebrating its 100th anniversary and this coming Sunday evening, a dinner will mark the occasion. Earlier in the day, a new Sefer Torah will be dedicated to Congregation Ezrath Israel in Ellenville.
The congregation, founded in 1907 as the Ellenville Hebrew Aid Society, started – like many Shuls – in makeshift surroundings for the first two years, and then moved into a building that once stood across from its current Shul.
The Shul now stands at 125 families and its declining enrollment is viewed as a factor of the economic conditions in Ellenville, synagogue Board Chairman David Buchman told the MidHudsonNews.com
“We lost the Schrade plant. We lost the aluminum plant here,” he said. The solution to growing the congregation is to bring in more industry to the area, Buchman said. “The building of this shul is directly tied with the rebuilding of Ellenville, which I think will happen in the coming years, but it’s going to take time and effort.”
Spiritual leader Rabbi Moishe Frank said the centennial is, “Clearly a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the long, storied life of Ezrath Israel.”
(Source for news & photo: MidHudsonNews.com)
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5 Responses
i think they have a kollel there too.
thanks for the Post.. I grew up going to PineViewHill bungalows in 60’s and 70’s(closed 1987) 1/4 mile from now Camp Segula and we used the Sefer Torah from the Ellenville Shul. the rabbi was Rabbi Eisner a’h and he was a choshuva yid and helped build a dayschool and new shul bdg for the mispallilim there
Many women use the mikvah in this Shul during the summer.It is worthwhile to support the shul. Does anyone have any details on the Dinner?
The dinner is on Sunday, September 9, starting at 2:30 pm. There is also hachnossas sefer torah on that day. Dinner reservations are $60 per person.
For further information contact the shul:
Congregation Ezrath Israel
Rabbi Herman Eisner Square
38 Centre Street
Ellenville, NY 12428
United States
Phone: 845-647-4450
Fax: 845-647-4472
Thank you very much for The Yeshiva World to bring this up! As always, you post news and happenings of an interest to “The Yeshiva World” (and entire Frum olem)!
Congregation Ezarath Israel is worth our support. Over the years, they kept an Orthodox Shul going in the region when most closed down. They always had a prominent Rabbi to guide the Kehilla with love and understanding.
They have a beautiful Shul. The main sanctuary is big and spacious, unlike other Shuls in the Catskill region (even year round Shuls).
They have a web site where you can check out more information:
ezrathisrael.org
For years, Rabbi Eisner A”H served as the Rabbi and spiritual leader of the Kehilla. It is fair to say that because of him a lot of Yidden became or stayed Shomer Shabbat.
Ellenville is a small town in the Catskills (Ulster County) and should be a nice place to raise a Frum family. Right now houses are way below market prices. More Frum people should pick themselves up and move there! There is a Shop Rite right in town with a large kosher selection. Synagogue members all feel like family in this kehilla.
I passed there not so long ago and was dully impressed with the Shull. They also have a daily chapel and a small judaica shop.
So please consider helping out this wonderful Kehilla even if you can’t make it to the dinner. Ellenville and the entire region are going thru a very difficult economic time. (That’s why it should be attractive to buy homes now for the Frum Olem who anyway don’t rely so much on blue collar type jobs). You know the dream house you wanted to buy in Flatbush and now it goes from more then 1 million? You get so much more here in Ellenville for about $200,000!