fbpx

Historic Connecticut synagogue damaged by fire

A historic synagogue in Connecticut was seriously damaged by a fire. Flames gutted the sanctuary at the Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont in Milford, Conn., on Sunday morning. Its two Torah scrolls were damaged, but Rabbi Schneur Wilhelm, spiritual leader of the congregation, told the Hartford Courant that he believes they are salvageable.
[additional-authors]
October 15, 2012

A historic synagogue in Connecticut was seriously damaged by a fire.

Flames gutted the sanctuary at the Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont in Milford, Conn., on Sunday morning. Its two Torah scrolls were damaged, but Rabbi Schneur Wilhelm, spiritual leader of the congregation, told the Hartford Courant that he believes they are salvageable.

 

The cause of the fire is unknown, according to reports, but it is not believed to be arson. Fire officials believe it was an electrical problem.

Wilhelm said the congregation will rebuild, according to reports.

The synagogue, which was established in 1926, was popular with the Jewish vacationers who flocked to the Connecticut beachside town because anti-Semitism prevented them from heading to more popular sites.

The building appears on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as one of the Historic Synagogues of Connecticut.

Some 30 worshipers attend weekly Shabbat services at the Hebrew Congregation, and about 100 attended its High Holidays services this year.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Three Dates to Dataland

I took three different dates, ages 6, 72 and 35, to see Dataland, the unusual digital art experience in downtown Los Angeles.

Hakol Shalom, All Is Shalom

This is the transcript of the speech Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson gave at the 2026 AJU Gala on May 19, 2026.

A Slice of Aussie Heaven for the Jewish Day of Love

A classic Australian dessert chocolate coconut slice features a rich, dense, fudgy chocolate base packed with dried coconut, finished with a thick cocoa frosting and generously dusted with even more coconut.

The Empty Plaza and the Eternal Bond

This Tisha b’Av, as we mourn over the Temple once more, it is an occasion to consider what resonance the remnants of the Temple structure hold for us today.

Rosner’s Domain | A Leftist (Not) by Choice?

Coalition supporters want to define Eisenkot as a leftist because leftist is a title most Israelis do not want their Prime Minister to hold. But this definition has inherent limitations.

Life, Love and Tisha b’Av

As if life needed one more complication, my anniversary with life, my birthday, usually falls somewhere inside the Three Weeks, that narrow corridor of Jewish time when celebration starts to feel suspicious.

Echoes of Oct. 7 in ‘The Odyssey’

The film reminded me that an ancient poet could write about massacres but also about moral courage, while terrorists who dream of killing Jews can only think of going right to the massacre.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.