Synagogue new home of wall sculpture
An obscure piece of Jewish history is now preserved at B'nai Abraham synagogue, 519 N. Main St.
When Temple Hadar Israel in New Castle closed its doors for good Dec. 31, it gifted B'nai Abraham with its wall sculpture of the Lions of Judah guarding the Decalogue with the Crown of the Torah.
Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer said B'nai Abraham will have a dedication ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday with Soldiers and Sailors Museum Curator Michael Kraus to speak about the history of the lions.
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Former congregants of Hadar Israel have been invited to join.
According to B'nai Abraham President Eric Levin, “The lions had hung in Hader Israel since 1958.”
When they were brought down for the move to Butler, Levin said, the one lion split into three pieces. It was able to be restored, he said.
Levin said the closing of the New Castle synagogue leaves B'nai Abraham and its 50 to 60 families as the sole synagogue in Western Pennsylvania between Erie to the north and Ambridge to the south.
Read Thursday's Butler eagle for more about the history of the lions.
