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06/23/2007
Small building, big heritageCongregation Beth El observes milestone anniversaryRecord-Eagle photo manager 
From top left to bottom right, the Star of David, the Ten Commandments and eternal light are just a few of the historical and religious symbols found at Congregation Beth El. TRAVERSE CITY —The story of Congregation Beth El is as much about the settling of the American frontier as it is about faith, community and the Jewish emigration from Eastern Europe to escape oppression and injustice. The tiny, white frame building on Beth El Way, built 120 years ago, is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Michigan. This weekend the 50-family congregation is celebrating that anniversary and will hold a public open house at the synagogue from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday with a short rededication ceremony at 1:30 p.m. at the nearby Robert P. Griffin Hall of Justice at 280 W. Washington St. Jewish history in Traverse City dates back to 1868, when Julius Steinberg arrive here, probably as a traveling peddler. He had left Suwalki in a part of Russia that is Poland today to avoid conscription in the Czar's army. Julius Levinson, also from Suwalki, came to the Suttons Bay area that same year. By 1879, he and his family had settled in Traverse City and established the J. Levinson-Star Clothing House. In 1890, they moved to Petoskey and resettled in Detroit about 1900. It's unknown when Solomon Yalomstein, another immigrant from Suwalki, arrived in the region. He came to the United States in the 1860s and had established a mercantile business in Elk Rapids by 1876. In 1881, he moved to Traverse City with his family. The three men established the Hebrew Congregation in Traverse City in 1882 and were its first trustees and officers. In 1884, Steinberg purchased five acres as a cemetery for the members of Congregation Beth El. In all likelihood, members of the congregation met in private homes, according to a history of the synagogue by Sharon Alterman published in 1985. Then, along came Perry Hannah, lumber magnate and philanthropist, who donated the land to the congregation for a synagogue just as he had for area churches of that time. The groundbreaking was Nov. 19, 1885. The building was completed in March 1886 and Steinberg gave the congregation a stained glass window. It was built as a simple two-story gable and clapboard structure to house an Orthodox congregation. An upper gallery seated the women and a mikvah, or ritual bath, was built in the basement. In 1975, the synagogue was officially listed on the State Register of Historic Sites, identifying it as the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in Michigan. The state historical marker was officially dedicated in 1977. At the same time, the congregation was presented a Czech Torah scroll that belonged to a small Jewish congregation whose members were killed during the Nazi Holocaust to keep alive the spirit of that community.
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