Beth Israel Synagogue

Beth Israel Synagogue is a dedicated and active group, committed to our traditional past and working hard to blend it with our present lives, enabling us to move into a future that is reflective of all that we have been, are, and can be. Our membership is a mix of all types of backgrounds - more traditional and less traditional, interfaith couples and singles; and everyone is welcome and encouraged to come and participate at their own level of comfort. 

Beth Israel Synagogue, formerly known as the Wallingford Hebrew Association, dates back to 1897, when it's Orchard Street location was the center for Jewish learning and worship in town. It hosted 19 students who met five days a week.  In the early 1900s the Congregation purchased property on North Orchard Street.  By 1908, a permanent house of worship and a center of Jewish culture was established in Wallingford. The Congregation continued to grow and by the late 1960s instituted a major renovation and expansion, adding classrooms, a large kitchen, social hall, office and library.

To meet the needs of Wallingford's changing  Jewish community, the Congregation shed its orthodox affiliation and joined the United Synagogues of America, a conservative denomination. Beth Israel has chosen not to be affiliated at this time, to better reflect the realities and uniqueness of its membership.

Throughout the years, Beth Israel has maintained its character - a welcoming, warm and inclusive community - as it strives to meet the needs of contemporary Jewish life in Connecticut. Walk into Beth Israel Synagogue today, and it feels like home. A small, friendly, family-oriented congregation can be found just inside our doors. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come and participate.