Early memories of the Jewish presence in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, speak of the 1910 arrangement by three families, the Dolgins, the Zabarskys, and the Goldsteins, to bring a rabbi from New York to lead High Holiday services using the Dolgins’ Torah scrolls. At that time, there must have been enough Jews in town to form a minyan, but there are few records of organized Jewish life in town until 1940. However, the 1920 Census gives us the names of five “Russian Jews” in St. Johnsbury, along with two boarders, also identified as “Russian Jews”: Abraham Nurnburg (furrier and junk dealer), Himan Finestone (tailor), and Barney Goldstein, Jake Aaron, and Philip Goldberg (all identified as junk dealers), along with Mr. Aaron’s boarders Morris Nurenburg and Maurice Weiner (junk dealer and dry goods merchant). Notes in the Census suggest that several of these men had Yiddish as their native language; their families are not mentioned. Some of the Jews in town held strong entrepreneurial roles early in the 20th century. Daniel Zabarsky’s sons Harry and Mickey founded St. Johnsbury Trucking, and in 1922 Al Caplan came from Tupper Lake, New York, to start and soon purchase a National Army Store on Eastern Avenue, eventually the Army Store on Railroad Street that still bears his name. According to one historical note, another Jewish entrepreneur, David Finkelstein (born in Lithuania), opened a bowling pin factory and in 1939 persuaded Phillip Iverson to come east from Chicago to work in the business.

Scrapbooks document the energetic role of Phillip Iverson’s wife Marge, who organized the St. Johnsbury Jewish Woman’s Club in 1940, with its first meeting on December 17. There were 14 charter members, and the first president was Kay Goldberg in 1941. The group gave prayer books on 13th birthdays; conducted programs; took care of hospitality, visiting, and cards; held regular religious studies; and ran a gift shop. Six years later, a year after the end of the Second World War, the community dedicated the Beth-El Synagogue on September 22, 1946. Originally called Beth-El Community Center, its members met on Railroad Street, upstairs over McClellan’s Store. David Finkelstein was the congregation’s first president. The dedication was a joyous occasion, and the Reverend Harold Hannum of St. Johnsbury’s North Congregational Church attended, bringing warm greetings from all the other churches in town. In those days, the Reverend Hannum was accustomed to calling on patients in the hospital, visiting Jews there as if he had been the rabbi, a sign of the mutual support among the Jewish and non-Jewish community members. Beginning in 1949, student rabbis often came to the synagogue, and over the years they were both male and female. Some traveled a considerable distance; one came from South Africa. More commonly, they had roots in New England or Canada.

A Brotherhood collaborated with the women’s group, which became known as the Beth-El Sisterhood. Together the two groups worked to carry out religious studies or activities for youths and adults, as well as interfaith affairs. The Sisterhood took care of a cleaning woman for the synagogue (a role that later lost its gender), provided refreshments for events, greeted visitors and guests, and when rabbis came for the High Holy Days, the women prepared meals for the rabbi and took turns hosting him or her. Records of the Sisterhood continue through 1977.

In January 1950, Beth-El adopted a constitution that spelled out its purposes: to support the upkeep of the synagogue, to support the religious education of the Jewish children of the community, and to further the social interests and help charitable causes. The community also paid much attention to the newly formed (1948) nation of Israel, inviting speakers to talk about the nation and providing support across the globe. Many individuals expressed their strong support of Israel by purchasing Israeli bonds at this time, and they continued to do so.

The 1950s were a busy time in the Jewish community here, and several articles each month about Beth-El activities and members appeared in the local newspaper, The Caledonian-Record. Often Rabbi Max Wall of Burlington came to visit and speak, and in 1955 he came to install the officers, showing the close connections of that time. This era also saw an energized youth movement statewide; many local Jewish teens took part in gatherings in Burlington and Rutland, including Alan Godes, John Gould, Sheila Aronoff, and Harvey Caplan.

Meanwhile, Jewish community spirit was growing throughout Vermont, and in 1951 the Vermont Jewish Council formed, “to consolidate Vermont Jewry into a coordinated group which can unite the combined strength of all the Jews of the state into a single force,” and “to bring the scattered Jewish population of the state into closer association with one another. The next year, Beth-El’s Herman Pigula became president of the Council, and St. Johnsbury’s Jewish community hosted its annual meeting.

Religious observations that we take for granted today were slow to arrive in the new synagogue, although surely many Jews held them at home. For instance, the synagogue did not hold a community Seder until 1976. At Beth-El bar mitzvahs took place, of course, but the first bat mitzvah was an occasion to note. It was that of Amy Aronoff, daughter of Gene and Sheila, on September 29, 1973. To prepare, Amy had studied at Temple Ohavi Zedak (Burlington) and at a Young Judea camp in New Hampshire, and a visiting student rabbi from Hebrew Union College, Elliot Strom, led the service for her.

Members of the congregation took prominent roles in the wider community, too. Arnold Dolgin, president of Vermont Salvage Company, chaired the local zoning board. The town appreciated him so much that three years after his 1981 death, after much thought, the town leaders presented a set of prayer shawls (tallisim) to the synagogue in his honor and memory. Alfred Zeller, who owned a furrier business with his wife Lillian, became president of the St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce in 1975. He would later be synagogue president for three years, and had already begun guiding many young men through becoming bar mitzvah (the first was Harvey Caplan, who would also become a synagogue leader). Ben Harris was synagogue president when in 1978 the Chamber named his wife Rosalie “St. Johnsbury Citizen of the Year”; she had multiple terms leading the Caledonia Home Health Care Agency. Ben’s multiple leadership roles at the synagogue stretched from the 1950s to the 1970s, and like Al Zeller, he would serve more years on the synagogue board as a president emeritus. Sheila and Gene Aronoff, each with a town leadership role in Lyndonville, bought Hill’s Department Store from Sheila’s father. Scrapbooks from the time also show the community offering picnics, holiday events, and talks.

A transition period for the congregation’s home began in 1979, when a new landlord for the downtown building demanded a tremendous increase in rent (until then, $600 per year). A distress call from the congregation to the wider community was answered immediately by Father Couture of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, who place two rooms at the church’s community center at Beth-El’s disposal until a permanent location could be found. In October 1979, at Rosh Hashanah, the congregation members carried the Torah scrolls from the Railroad Street upstairs rooms to their temporary home on Maple Street.

Al Zeller became synagogue president as the community tackled the task of building its own structure. Congregation Beth-El had already purchased a two-hundred-year lease on a small tract of land on Hospital Drive in a commercial zone. There were fifteen families in the congregation at the time, and it took another three years before they were ready to build. Patty Caplan as treasurer and Rosalie Harris as fund drive chair kept the campaign organized. The first spade of soil was turned at the site in the spring of 1981, and donations to construction included heating and plumbing work from the Patty Caplan’s family, the Grodskys. The first services in the new building were held on September 28. The formal dedication followed the next summer, on August 22, 1982, with Rabbi Wall of Burlington presiding.

Fresh growth took place in many ways. By 1985, nationally known artist Chick (Charles) Schwartz had become an active member, teaching in the Hebrew school, and his re-creation of the West Wall of Jerusalem adorns the entire east wall of the sanctuary. His wife Marsha also taught and filled other leadership roles as needed; in this the Schwartzes followed the model of other couples like Ed and Chanita Krinsky, who contributed in many ways over the years. A membership drive in 1986 drew attention to the congregation, and memberships extended even beyond the Canadian border. And in 1987, having its request for space declined by the cemetery in Lyndonville, the synagogue received an offer of a section from St. Johnsbury’s Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, which it gladly accepted. During this time the community continued its stance of independence from affiliation with specific movements in American Judaism, in recognition of the diversity of its membership. David Kanell led the synagogue board from 1988 to 1994, followed by Steve Nichols for a year, and Dave again from 1995 to 1997. Jay Abramson and Marsha Schwartz then shared the leadership briefly, and Steve would later resume the presidency from 2000 to 2005.

Another significant initiative to note in the 1980s was the establishment of the Conference on Rural Judaism in 1983, meeting at nearby Lyndon State College and bringing many distinguished and energetic guests to share worship and conversation at Beth-El. The connections formed through the conference enriched the community. In 1987, Dave Kanell, who had heard noted professor and author Julius Lester speak at Dartmouth College, invited him to speak at the nearby Conference. The ensuing friendship proved invaluable. In 1991, as the synagogue saw the need for a committed and regular service leader, invitations from both Rick Schwag and Dave Kanell encouraged Lester to lead a service at Beth-El – and afterward, the leaders of the congregation began discussions with him for more. In January 1992, Professor Lester became the congregation’s lay religious leader, offering a trained cantorial voice as well as provocative sermons and study groups. He commuted monthly from his home outside Amherst, Massachusetts, to spend one weekend each month with Beth-El.

Friday night services were followed by a course in basic Judaism, and Saturday mornings focused on the Torah. Articles in the synagogue newsletter challenged the congregation to consider Jewish life more deeply, and a Tzedakah committee was formed. About a dozen lay leaders in the congregation ensured that weekly services continued over the years. This too has an earlier precedent, as right after World War II another dedicated local lay leader, Dr. Gould, did much to draw the community together.

The 1990s in synagogue life included a fundraising campaign for purchase of new prayer books (for both weekly services and the High Holidays), and on a more mundane level, the change to a smoke-free building (far more complex and passionate a change than many people today would guess), and the addition of handicap access with a ramp and electrical gliding stair seat. Classes for children were organized and often taught by highly involved parents, who ensured special holiday events. As the century ended, the community had reached some 67 membership units (today it totals about 60, with 40 families and 20 single memberships). It collaborated with other houses of worship in the region by often hosting a community Thanksgiving service and cooking for a community Christmas dinner, and was preparing to enter the computer age with a dedicated web site and email address. Tzedakah discussion and action often brought community members together, and became an expected part of local bar and bat mitzvahs. A prolonged discussion of community views of Jewish descent during 1998, led by then president David Kanell, Julius Lester, and the Religious Committee, ultimately involved the entire community and concluded the year with a decision to recognize patrilineal descent, a significant change for Beth-El.

Although he ended his monthly visits in early 2002, Julius Lester continued to lead the High Holy Day services through 2006. Author of more than a hundred essays and reviews, known for his activism in the Civil Rights Movement, photographer, novelist, memoirist, and creator of many vibrant children’s picturebooks, he brought both scholarship and a passion for Jewish life and history to his leadership. His marriage to Milan Sabatini was performed in 1995 at Beth-El, where the joyful bride and groom were united under a chuppah. Those who attended took home a copy of Marcia Falk’s translation of The Song of Songs, a poetic scripture of romantic love that also evokes the relationship of G-d with the beloved people of this world. Julius Lester began a tradition of sharing his books in progress with the congregation, which took delight in his children’s books in particular. His many university and literary awards over the years culminated in 2006 with the Coretta Scott King Award for his young adult book The Day of Tears, but to many Jews worldwide his best known book is Lovesong: Becoming a Jew (1988). Beth-El community members also took special interest in The Autobiography of God, a novel set in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

A farewell gathering to thank Julius Lester for his leadership and celebrate the congregation’s double anniversaries – 25 years for the building, 60 for the congregation -- was the occasion for this updated history of the congregation. We gathered on Saturday November 11, 2006, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, to appreciate our heritage and the many people who have enriched and defended it. In a time of increasing global concern, we see losses and challenges before us: The end of the Conference on Rural Judaism took place in 2003, changes in demographics have sharply decreased the number of children in our community, and electronic communications, ease of travel, and a culture of overwork have encouraged many members to retreat from regular attendance at Shabbat services, although the synagogue often overflows for bar or bat mitzvah events, the High Holy days, and Passover. We have formed a committee to explore the form of leadership that our community will most benefit from in the near future, and we benefit from a large board whose members hold many leadership roles in the wider community as well.

Many additional threads of fellowship and study strengthen the congregation. Channukah and sukkot gatherings at the home of Jay Abramson and Nancy Frank and their children provide celebrations of tradition. Nancy is the congregation president at this time. Friday night services are presently the focus of each week, but additional Saturday morning services, Torah study groups, and Hebrew classes are often scheduled. Beth-El enjoys some fame in Vermont for its always delicious oneg Shabbat, for which a rotating roster of families take responsibility. Somehow there always is a youngster experienced on the trumpet and willing to tackle the shofar as the Days of Awe approach each year (recent shofar blowers of note have been Mathew Shulman, Michelle Lane, and Jake Adler). Skilled contributions from members toward High Holy Day services include conducting the Torah service, reading from the Torah, and leading discussions. And the synagogue continues to welcome students from Lyndon State College and area private schools in worship.

One striking note that emerged again and again during our celebration was the importance of sharing meals with each other as a way of building and enhancing our ties: Many a member joined Beth El as a result of an invitation to the home of Ben and Rosalie Harris, for example, and dinners have also been key to recognizing synagogue leaders for their work. As we celebrated the anniversary of 25 years of our building and 60 years as an organized community, and offered our thanks to Julius Lester, the conclusion that for years has been on our web site stood as an enduring blessing to our community:

The Story of Congregation Beth-El, St. Johnsbury, Vermont