OUR HISTORY
Sons of Abraham Synagogue was founded in 1889 and formally chartered by the State of Indiana in 1892. The present home of the synagogue, at 661 N. 7th Street, Lafayette, was built in 1916 in a style that recalled the charming little synagogues of Europe, the continent that congregants had left behind when they journeyed to America to escape pogroms and build new lives. Since then, the synagogue membership has included refugees fleeing WWII, Holocaust survivors and their children, business people and professionals who came with their families to Lafayette to work, and faculty who came to teach and do research at Purdue University. Learn more about our history through the archives.
S.O.A.R.
Remarkable things are happening at Sons of Abraham synagogue these days. Project SOAR (Sons of Abraham Regeneration), a strategic, multi-year plan designed to promote development and ensure the continued success of the congregation, is well under way. Project SOAR endeavors include:
- Structural RenovationImproving the building's accessibility; renovating and beautifying the synagogue's interior and exterior; enhancing the building's safety.
- Membership GrowthPromoting congregational growth in numbers by developing this new Web site, brochures, etc.
- Jewish EducationImplementing a multifaceted program of Jewish education for preschoolers, children, teens, young adults, families, and senior adults.
- History and ArchivesLocating, organizing, cataloguing, and sharing with the larger community the congregation's rich historical archives that include oral histories, photographs, and documents.
- KinderKornerFurther developing an activity center specifically designed for Jewish families with children.
- Community OutreachProgramming to promote understanding within and between the congregation and the larger community.
Read more in the S.O.A.R. brochure by downloading the brochure PDF.