LAFAYETTE, IN — Tucked off South Seventh Street on the edge of Lafayette’s historic downtown sits the oldest synagogue in Indiana. Although it hasn’t been used as a house of worship in several decades, a group of friends is campaigning to restore its history.
Built in 1867 by the Jewish congregation Ahavath Achim, which translates from Hebrew to “brotherly love,” the brick synagogue at 17 S. 7th St. was put up for sale as in October. The brick three-bedroom, two-bath property at 4,176 square feet is currently listed for $299,900.
Before the synagogue’s fall listing, when word got out that the property would soon be for sale, Tanya Volansky-Wirth said she and a group of her fellow Jewish friends began chatting among themselves, wondering what could be done to save the historic building.
By December, Volansk-Wirth said those conversations evolved into the formation Ahavas Achim Cultural Center, a nonprofit founded to buy and preserve the synagogue and establish a local history center.
“There are a lot of possibilities and a lot of potential for the synagogue, and there are a lot of what-ifs, but at the end of the day we’re really aiming for the flavor of a history center,” said Volanksy-Wirth, president of the nonprofit. “Our thoughts right now, while we’re dreaming of things we could do with this building, is to have a little museum on the first floor for both local and state Jewish history, but for local history of Lafayette, too.”
The synagogue was home to Lafayette’s Jewish congregation, which later changed its name to Temple Israel in 1919, for more than 100 years, according to Temple Israel’s website.
On Nov. 1, 1867, the Lafayette Daily Courier recounted the synagogue’s formal dedication ceremony, which included a parade through downtown Lafayette to the congregation’s new 7th Street home. Alongside members of the congregation, the Lafayette mayor, members of the city council, and the Lafayette Silver Cornet Band marched to the synagogue for the founding ceremony, filling every seat.
But by 1969, the congregation had outgrown its space in downtown Lafayette, leading it to sell the property and relocate to its current home at 620 Cumberland Ave. in West Lafayette.
The building was later occupied by the Red Cross, which quickly sold the property to the Unitarian Fellowship of Greater Lafayette from 1977 to 2007, then changing hands in 2010 to Seeds of Hope Community Ministries. Despite several changes in ownership, many of the synagogue’s original features and fixtures remain intact.
In the synagogue’s sanctuary on the second floor, original stained-glass windows can be seen from the building’s parking lot. Other features like a chandelier that reflects the Star of David onto the ceiling and strike plates on old wooden doors remain, Volansky-Wirth said, which the group was able to see during a recent tour.
“With the building having been in so many hands, its one of the many, many reasons why we’re hoping to get our hands on it,” Volansky-Wirth said “so we can make it at minimum a historical center, but it has such a heavy history to the downtown area.”
Volansky-Wirth said that although the group is still in the early stages of fundraising to buy the building, it has currently collected $9,515.
The group believes securing the purchase of the historic synagogue will be important in preserving local architecture, and Volansky-Wirth said saving the building would be large feat for Jewish history across the United States.
The synagogue stands as the oldest in the state, and one of only two left in Indiana built before 1900. Across the Midwest, the synagogue is the fourth-oldest, and it’s 12th-oldest in the country.
Jean Hause, treasurer of Ahavas Achim Cultural Center, Inc., said a recent price reduction was made for the building’s real estate listing, and the group sees that as a need to move quickly.
“It’s both an opportunity and a scare,” Hause said.
But the support the group has been able to garner in its early stages, Volansky-Wirth said, gives them reason to remain optimistic.
“At the end of the day, we want future generations to be able to thrive and enjoy the history of their city,” Volansky-Wirth said. “Whether they’re part of the Jewish community or not, this building has local significance to us all.”
Those wishing to donate to the Ahavas Achim Cultural Center, Inc. fundraising campaign can do so at preserveaacc.org/donate.
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. she can be reached via email at jellison@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Indiana’s oldest synagogue for sale; group fights to save history
Reporting by Jillian Ellison, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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