By Henry M. Holden

In the late 19th century, there was a large influx of Polish and Russian Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe to the United States. They were fleeing the extreme conditions under which they were living. Many landed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and called it their first home.

In 1903, the first Jewish immigrants arrived in the Mount Freedom area. Max and Yetta Levine started a dairy farm. They were followed the same year by Sarah and Baruch Saltz.  By 1910, there were at least eight Jewish families in the Mount Freedom area. 

Many immigrant families were farmers, but they discovered that they could not make a living in the rock and bolder strewn soil left behind by the receding Ice Age. 

Soon, some of the families began to rent rooms during the summer months. Before long, there were hotels that were catering to a Jewish clientele. These boarding houses and hotels were built to accommodate the thousands of Jewish summer visitors who were discovering Mount Freedom.

In the early 20th century, Mount Freedom became a vacation destination for people from the urban areas, especially the Lower East Side of Manhattan. 

However, there was no synagogue in the area at that time. Jews had to travel to other areas for worship services. 

Mount Freedom Jewish Center, on Sussex Turnpike was the first synagogue established in Randolph, founded as an Orthodox synagogue in 1923. 

Though the congregation was formed in 1923 it was not possible to build a synagogue immediately, because of the great financial burden involved. The Congregation could function without a synagogue. The existence of the physical structure is not necessary. Worshipers could pray together in each other’s homes on the Sabbath and on holy days. And so, the founders conducted the services in each of their homes.

The Hebrew Ladies of Yuri raised enough money for the construction of the physical building which was completed in 1924. 

The building was a small white clapboard building consisting primarily of a sanctuary. When the building was renovated, in 1958, care was taken to incorporate the original sanctuary by building around the exterior walls. 

“A parking lot was not planned at the time because no one would dare drive to Shul on the Sabbath or on the holidays,” said Arthur Regan, an early member of the Congregation.   “There was no running water, but we did have an old hand pump outside the building.  A wood-burning potbelly stove in the front of the classroom, and the sanctuary was heated by a grill in the floor from the heat of the furnace below.”

“The first building did not resemble the current building,” said Regan who described the original building. “The total building area was composed of a lovely, simple sanctuary 22-feet wide and 40-feet long and a simple all-purpose room. This truly was an all-purpose room for it had been to serve as a classroom, a library, reception area and a room for weddings.”

The founders of the Mount Freedom Jewish Center followed an age-old and simple formula to preserve their Jewish way of life. 

It had been the Jewish custom for over 2,000 years, that wherever they settled, they tried almost at once to form a Congregation. The Congregation was the organization of the Jewish community to build a synagogue, provided religious school for the children and institute a society for charitable works. “Here in the synagogue, one could express religious feelings and find strength and identification with each other,” said Regan.  

“There have been a lot of changes to the building, some of which can be seen when repairs were made, and walls were taken down. If you lift the lovely stained-glass windows in the sanctuary and lobby you can see the clapboard walls of the original, simple wooden building behind them,” said Regan. 

Orthodox Jewish law required its followers to walk to Shabbat worship services. As a result, the vacation bungalows were built within walking distance of the Mount Freedom Jewish Center. It was enlarged several times over the years to accommodate the increase in worshipers.

Around 1950, zoning changes began to prohibit buildings from expanding unless they were placed on separate lots of 100 feet.

In 1950, there were over 900 seasonal dwellings in Mount Freedom. But the 1970s saw a distressing drop to 400. Hotels which once featured a-listers as evening entertainment were feeling the trend. It marked the beginning of the end of the resort era.

At its peak, the summertime brought upwards of 10,000 visitors to Mount Freedom. But slowly, the businesses began to fade, but not the Jewish Center. It had slow but steady growth as it accommodated vacationers and the newly developing permanent residents.

By 1982, the resorts were gone, and the few remaining structures have since been repurposed. The immigrants are also gone, but some of their descendants have remained. Today, almost one hundred years later, the MFJC is not only a house of worship, but also a place of learning, a source of caring, and an outlet for social enjoyment.

The founders will smile when they look down to see this thriving community soon to celebrate its Centennial.