Congregation Beth Israel

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Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 615 Court Street in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1849 by German Jews, its 1856 synagogue building was the smallest in the United States. The congregation was originally Orthodox, but rapidly moved to "Classical Reform". In the 1930s and 1940s an influx of more traditional Eastern European Jews prompted a change from Classical Reform to Traditional Reform.The congregation was always small, and went through long periods where it had no rabbi. During other periods, particularly from 1939 to 1954, rabbis' tenures were very short, often a year or less., Allan L. Smith, has served as the congregation's rabbi for over 40 years. The synagogue building was the second oldest in the United States still occupied by its original congregation.HistoryThe congregation was founded by Jews of German background. In the spring of 1849 the first Jewish family settled in Honesdale, and by the fall the congregation had been organized. By 1854 the congregation also had a Hebrew school. Originally Orthodox, the congregation moved rapidly to "Classical Reform". The congregation's first spiritual leader was a Rabbi Kutner.Between 1880 and 1890 many Jewish families left Honesdale. The congregation was able to maintain a full-time local rabbi until 1891, but could not afford one after that. Rabbis (typically student rabbis from the Reform Hebrew Union College or Jewish Institute of Religion) would officiate only at High Holiday and some festival services. Other services were held on Friday nights, and were lay-led.