Mission

The Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society is a community-based, social justice organization dedicated to promoting understanding, empathy, & education about the Holocaust & its lasting impact on humanity.  Our  Community Archive is not merely a repository of historical artifacts; it is a transmission device that propels our mission & serves as the backbone of our educational programming.  

Vision

Our Community Archive brings people together to discover, experience, & share the many diverse stories that have made the "Quiet Corner" a distinctive place.  It bears witness to the founders' remarkable contributions to life in Northeastern Connecticut & to the Jewish diaspora in general.   ​

Statement of Historical Relevance

Prior to World War II, Danielson, Connecticut's Jewish community consisted of 9 families, who had worshiped in private homes.  After the war the Jewish Agricultural Society helped resettle 40 Jewish families, mostly Holocaust survivors, in the area.  Although they had limited resources, this larger community decided to erect a purpose-built synagogue.  That synagogue was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.  Our Community Archive chronicles the remarkable journey of those survivors and the partisans, liberators, local Jewish residents, & their encounters with the predominantly Christian community that warmly embraced them.  

History matters.  It allows us to understand the perspectives of others, & to empathize with their struggles & triumphs.  History enables us to develop a clearer understanding of who we are today.  And, in history, we can find accounts of heroism, courage, & oppression, that can inspire our community, our institutions, ourselves, and even society to be & do better.  Ultimately, "we study history to widen our horizons, to understand our present situation is neither natural nor inevitable, & that we consequently have many more possibilities before us than we imagine."*   

​Currently, it is private and accessible only to invited community members.  Once the collection is complete, we will unveil it to the public.    ​

        * Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens:  A Brief History of Humankind

This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of The Last Green Valley, Inc. 
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