From The President

Dear Congregants and Friends,

Roger and I had the wonderful opportunity a week ago to attend a reception at the Yiddish Book Center for the installation of the 25 foot long House of Israel mural at the main entrance to the Center. This mural is deeply connected with CBI’s history – it was painted by artist Noah Levin above the ark at our predecessor synagogue on Francis Street in North Adams. In 1920, the congregation moved to a larger space on Center Street, then merged with another congregation and became Congregation Beth Israel. The mural was left behind in the attic of what became an apartment building, untouched for 100 years.

In 2020, genealogist and historian Carol Clingan (on the right in the photo above) learned about this mural and recognized its value. She headed the project to repair, conserve and move the mural – a massive undertaking which culminated in its move and installation at the Yiddish Book Center.

During the reception, I met and talked with the conservator and some of the contractors who worked on this project. As you might imagine, it was a daunting challenge to preserve and safely remove the mural, and the results are breathtaking. I hope you will visit the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA and enjoy this piece of CBI history, which links us to our immigrant ancestors who had the foresight in 1893 to establish a synagogue in North Adams, and to beautify their sanctuary with a mural depicting both ancient Jewish symbols and their love of their new country.

We are working now on getting a high resolution photo of the restored mural for the back of our sanctuary, and we hope to organize a congregational trip to the Yiddish Book Center in the next few months to view the mural in person.

I believe it is our sacred trust to both preserve our past and to ensure that Congregation Beth Israel serves the needs of our community now and into the future, and welcome all of you to be part of this mission.

B’shalom,

— Natalie Matus