History
The names of the first Jewish settlers in Columbia County are not known, but the earliest legible date on a tombstone in the old Jewish cemetery in 1864. Most of the immigrants came from Eastern Europe. They were seeking a better life with freedom to worship without fear of persecution. They were peddlers, shopkeepers, farmers and laborers.
In Hudson, Congregation Ohav Sholem (Men of Peace) was incorporated in 1868 and a house of worship was built on Diamond Street (now Columbia) between 5th and 6th Streets. The Congregation disbanded about 12 years later and the building became known as Woodmen’s Hall. One of the first lodges of B’nai Brith called Gamaliel #116 was granted its charter in 1868 and met in this hall.
In 1885, 40 local Jewish families hired Rabbi Morris Freinberg as their spiritual leader. He was also Cantor, Shochet, Hebrew teacher and head of the Chevra Kadisha. The Synagogue was officially incorporated in 1888. As the Congregation grew, it moved from 14 South Front Street to 9 Diamond Street and then to 14 Warren Street. The latter site was purchased in 1907 and the building was completed in 1913. The Ladies Auxiliary (now the Sisterhood), organized in 1906, joined with the men in raising funds for that purpose. The Congregation continued to grow and in 1921 a building at 247 Warren Street was purchased to serve as both a Hebrew School and Jewish Center. There was also a Mikvah at the rear of the building.
Over the years, the community had started to change from Orthodoxy to Conservatism, and on March 15, 1961, the Congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement by joining the United Synagogue of America. During the same year, property on Joslen Boulevard in Greeport was purchased as a site for the current building. The first fund-raising affair for this venture was held on May 16, 1963, the 75th anniversary of the Congregation. On Sunday, November 13, 1966, a groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated with local and state dignitaries present. Less than a month later, the old Synagogue building was sold to the Shiloh Baptist Church. The new Synagogue building was dedicated on September 8, 1968.
In 1980, Rabbi Daniel Fried became the spiritual leader of Congregation Anshe Emeth and has served for a longer period than any other rabbi except the first, Rabbi Morris Freinberg.
On July 10, 1988, the Congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gala dinner and on November 7, 1998, a dinner party and dance recognized the 30th anniversary of the Synagogue on Joslen Boulevard in Greenport.
On July 13. 2014, the Congregation had a 125th Anniversary Gala and an anniversary video was released.
On July 29, 2018, the Congregation had a gala to celebrate its elders, those that were members in 1968 when the new synagogue was built.
Sisterhood
In the 1930s the Jewish Community Center was established and in the 1940s the Sisterhood of the Jewish Community Center was organized to maintain the Center for educational and social purposes. In 1958 the Ladies Auxiliary and the Sisterhood merged to form the Sisterhood of Congregation Anshe Emeth and in 1961 the Sisterhood joined the National Women’s League for Conservative Judaism of the United Synagogues of America.
