A TIME LINE

OUTLINING THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN CAMBRIDGE

Decade

Year

Date

Event

Location

1896

Meetings in private homes to discuss founding a formal synagogue (beginning of Anshai Sfard)

1898

May 6

Anshai Sfard chartered

Cambridge/Somerville Hebrew Literary Association founded

meets at house at 280 Windsor

Cambridge Hebrew Ladies Educational Society chartered.

(later known as the Cambridge Hebrew Women's Aid Society)

1900

1900

Congregation Beth Israel founded

1901

June 17

Groundbreaking - construction begins on Beth Israel Building

238 Columbia St.

1903

Dedication of Beth Israel building

Cambridge/Somerville Gemeleth Chesed Benevolent Society founded (to give interest-free loans to those in need)

1906

February 28

Mortgage taken out by Barnet Shifres for construction of building for Anshai Sfard

83 Webster Ave., Som.

1908

Congregation Agudath Ashkenazim (Temple Ashkenaz) chartered

(after break from Beth Israel due to difference over Sephardic & Ashkenazic modes of worship)

1910

August 10

Hebrew Literary Association (private Hebrew School) buys building (Bldg also houses th YMHA)

178 Elm St.

1911

December 15

Temple Ashkenaz purchases land at 8 Tremont St. (home of Joshua Kaplan)

Hebrew Literary Associiation acquires property on Elm Street for $1

1914

The Menorah Society at MIT is founded (organization for Jewish men - women first accepted in 1930's)

1918

January 4

Congregation and Talmud Torah Yavna chartered

242/244 Western Ave.

123 River St.

1920

1920

Temple Yavna opens new building

8 Howard St.

1924

August

Groundbreaking - construction begins on building for

Temple Ashkenaz

8 Tremont St.

1925

Completion of Temple Ashkenaz building

1930

Young Judea Youth Group founded, housed at Temple Ashkenaz

1931

Auxiliary No. 6 (Cambridge aux. of Jewish Tuberculosis Sanatorium) organized.

1932

Jewish War Veterans - Cambridge Post 35 - is chartered

Continues to meet at TBS

1934

Sisterhood of Congregation Beth Israel formed

June 26

Temple Yavna sells building to Church - congregation disappears

1937

Hadassah, Cambridge Chapter, founded

1940

1945

Hillel Foundation at MIT founded

1946

Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel founded

1950

1950

Jewish Tuberculosis Sanatorium becomes New England Sinai Hospital and moves to Jamaica Plain - Auxiliary continues

1951

Cambridge Jewish Community Center incorporated

1952

December 31

Cambridge Jewish Community Center, Inc. purchases building

Harvard & Lee Sts.

1954

March 31

Hebrew Literary Assoc. building sold. (Closed around 1952)

becomes Portuguese social club

1957

June 17

Anshai Sfard merges into Beth Israel (Anshai Sfard ceases to exist)

(Charter dissolved Oct.)

1960

1962

August 29

Temple Beth Shalom of Cambridge is chartered (Congr. Beth Israel and Temple Ashkenaz cease to exist)

mid 60's

Harvard Hillel Children's School Community founded at Harvard

1970

1972?

September 30

Annual community-wide Simchat Torah celebrations begin at Temple Beth Shalom

1977

November 22

Jewish Community Center sells building

Harvard Hillel Children's School Community becomes independent

1978

Cambridge Hebrew Women's Aid Society dissolved

1980

1988

April

Alef-Bet Child Care Center opens in Temple Beth Shalom building

Hadassah, Cambridge Chapter disbanded

1990

1990

Hadassah, Cambridge/Somerville group initiated under aegis of Boston Chapter

Harvard Hillel Children's School becomes

Congregation Eitz Hayim

1992

Kesher After-School Hebrew School founded

Havurah Or Chadash founded

1994

Alef-Bet Child Care Center expands to include Gimmel class

edited agr 3/25/96

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