100 Years & Beyond!
The first Jewish settlers came to Beloit before the Civil War.
There were few
Jewish people living in Beloit until the l890's. Then there was an influx
from Eastern Europe, especially Russia. Many Jewish people fled Russia,
because of religious persecution. Usually the husband immigrated first to
the United States and found a job. He would bring his wife and children when
he had saved enough money to pay for their trip.
Most Jewish immigrants arrived at Ellis Island when they entered the USA.
Many factories such as Fairbanks-Morse had men waiting to meet these new
immigrants. Their job was to persuade the men to work in their factories.
This is how many Jewish people arrived in Beloit from 1890 to l920.
Relatives of these first settlers also settled in Beloit.
On November 7, 1907, 13 Jewish men established a Jewish Synagogue and named
it Congregation B'nai Abraham. Religious services were in rented halls until
1918. Then B'nai Abraham purchased a building from Our Saviors Lutheran
Church at 723 Oak Street.
The first wedding held at the synagogue was the marriage of Clara Furman and
Harry Filveroff in 1924. Their daughter, Sima Wexler and Clara's sister,
Sophia Furman, now live in Janesville. On one memorable day, in the 1920's
three Jewish young men, Mike Putterman, Sam Kantor, and Emmanuel Kapitanoff
had Bar Mitzvahs at the same time.
The Congregation had Sunday schools intermittently until 1950. That year
Mollie Putterman became the principal of the Sunday School. Mollie devoted
many hours building up the Sunday School enrollment and it thrived. Later in
the 1950's a number of Janesville families joined the synagogue because of
the Sunday School.
The building was remodeled in 1957 and again in 1967. Among the improvements
were a new kitchen, a new furnace and the renovation of the sanctuary. In
the early 1980's the heating system was switched from fuel oil to natural
gas, ceiling fans were installed and the building was insulated. The cut
down the cost of heating the building.
Originally the congregation was an orthodox one. Eventually it became a
reformed synagogue. Right after the switch the now renown Deborah Friedman was hired as a
cantor.
In 1986 the congregation decided to build a new building. Work was started in 1987 on
the new synagogue located at 2400 Oxford Lane, Beloit, and completed in 1988.
The ark and the pews from the old synagogue are being used in the new
synagogue. The pews were in the building when it was purchased from
Our Savior's Lutheran Church. The Sunday School was then named the Mollie Putterman
Religious School in honor of all her work for the synagogue.
Since 1945, all of our rabbis have been part-time. We have been fortunate over the years to have had a number of outstanding rabbis including our last Rabbi Ira Youdovin who served on the Board of Rabbis in Chicago, IL. The congregation numbers about forty families. The bulk come from Janesville and Beloit but we also have members from Rockton, Roscoe, Delavan, Whitewater, South Beloit and Platteville.
B'nai Abraham is building a growing community. Our 40 family households are a diverse, friendly and wonderful people. We welcome traditional and nontraditional families, singles, interfaith couples, from Beloit and its surrounding area.
We have come together from varied Jewish backgrounds, and our members' Jewish education ranges from extensive to none at all. We work to create an environment where all people feel welcome regardless of their religious, spiritual, or cultural identity. We are committed to fostering Jewish spiritual experience through prayer, study, song, community service, and friendship.
As Always we invite non-members to worship with us!
Please note that the information contained in these pages represents historical documentation
and is intended for educational use only. No financial gain is connected to this site.