Cumberland in Allegany County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation
Dedicated March 2, 1867
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 1, 2019
1. Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation Marker
Inscription.
Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation. Dedicated March 2, 1867. Jewish citizenry in Cumberland can be documented back to 1816. By 1853 twelve Jewish families had taken residence in this growing city of 6150 people. It was this small group which applied to the Maryland General Assembly for an Act incorporating the Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation on May 23, 1853. Steps were taken in 1865 to acquire a site for the temple and by 1866 the temples construction was completed at the corner of South Center and Union Streets at a cost of $ 7,427.02. The synagogue was dedicated on March 2, 1867. Weekly dues of 25 cents, offerings, and help from other communities paid the construction cost. Ber Chayim was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is the oldest continuously operating synagogue building in the State of Maryland, the sixth oldest Reform Congregation in America and the tenth oldest synagogue in country.
Jewish citizenry in Cumberland can be documented back to 1816. By 1853 twelve Jewish families had taken residence in this growing city of 6150 people. It was this small group which applied to the Maryland General Assembly for an Act incorporating the Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation on May 23, 1853. Steps were taken in 1865 to acquire a site for the temple and by 1866 the temples construction was completed at the corner of South Center and Union Streets at a cost of $ 7,427.02. The synagogue was dedicated on March 2, 1867. Weekly dues of 25 cents, offerings, and help from other communities paid the construction cost. Ber Chayim was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is the oldest continuously operating synagogue building in the State of Maryland, the sixth oldest Reform Congregation in America and the tenth oldest synagogue in country.
Erected 2017 by Ber Chayim Congregation, Historic Preservation Commission City of Cumberland, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Location. 39° 39.051′ N, 78° 45.637′ W. Marker is in Cumberland, Maryland, in Allegany County. It is on West Union Street just east of South Centre Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 South Centre Street, Cumberland MD 21502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Western Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Regarding Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation. First Permanent Jewish House of Worship in Western Maryland and the 6th oldest, continually functioning Synagogue in the Country.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 1, 2019
3. Ber Chayim Congregation Building
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 1, 2019
4. Plaque on the building
Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 752 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on September 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on May 25, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. 3, 4. submitted on September 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
