In the beginning, there was a trickle of travelers into the Tarrytown area, mostly from the melting pot that was New York City in the late 1880s. They were among the Orthodox Jews escaping from the hubbub of the big cities, seeking a haven on earth from the whirlwinds of change that marked the twilight of the 19th century. As time went by, these Orthodox settlers formed the nucleus of what was to become the Hebrew Congregation of Tarrytown and North Tarrytown, and finally, what we now know as Temple Beth Abraham. In those early years, religious services were held in the houses of various members. Then, Hyman Levy, son of Abraham Levy who was reportedly the first Jew to settle in Tarrytown, provided a room over his Dry Good Store to serve as “shul.” This arrangement continued until space became inadequate.
In 1905, the congregation built the first Orthodox shul on Valley Street in North Tarrytown (now Sleepy Hollow). The architecture of the “shul” was a replica of an old Lithuanian synagogue, since most settlers came from Kovno, near Kiev. The interior featured a beautiful hand-carved ark, which stands today in our Conservative Chapel. In the center of the room was a circular bima and ark. In back of the bima were pews for the men. The aisles were covered with red carpeting. The ladies sat upstairs in long rectangular balconies.
By the 1930s, the congregation, needed a place for the Jewish community to hold social events. In 1933, property on North Washington Street in Tarrytown was purchased and thanks to the money raised by the Ladies Auxiliary, the Jewish Center was built, complete with a kosher kitchen. As the Valley Street shul became too crowded, the Jewish Center was used for religious services as well. But there was no balcony for separate seating. Thus, the Orthodox continued to pray at the Valley Street shul and the Jewish Center followed the Conservative tradition.
By 1945, our congregation had become primarily Conservative, with a vestige of Orthodox members and many of the Reform tradition. The need for a larger building was evident but there was a dilemma: to maintain the Conservative tradition or to change to the Reform tradition. A special committee appointed to resolve this problem decided upon a unique compromise: there would be two chapels under one roof. The Leroy Avenue property was purchased in 1949, the first service was held in 1955 and the new building was named Temple Beth Abraham in January 1956.
In 1957, the Board of Trustees was instituted to run the affairs of the temple. In 1962 the first Friday of the month was designated as a Family Service, which continues to this day with the addition of Tot Shabbat. In 1983, a preschool began under the joint auspices of TBA and the JCCA (formerly known as Jewish Child Care Association). In 1993 the Children’s Garden Center Nursery School opened and was run solely by Temple Beth Abraham. Although there were a few years when the Garden Center was jointly run with the Harold and Elaine Shames JCC or was closed (during the COVID-19 pandemic), the CGC recently reopened as the Ian and Emily Cohen Children’s Garden Center at Temple Beth Abraham with Melissa McHugh as the Director of Early Childhood Education.
Since its earliest days, Temple Beth Abraham has had a religious school where boys prepared for their Bar Mitzvahs, and girls were taught to read and write Hebrew. Over the years, the school’s curriculum evolved to reflect the needs of a modern Jewish community. Under the leadership of dedicated educators, including our current Director of Education and Youth Engagement, Stessa Peers (a long-time member of the TBA Community and a product of the religious school itself), the school emphasizes not only Hebrew reading and preparation for B-Mitzvah, but also Jewish values, history, and community engagement. Youth groups and teen programs are an important part of TBA life, giving students opportunities for leadership, friendship, and Jewish identity-building beyond the classroom.
The COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) was a time of extraordinary challenge and creativity for Temple Beth Abraham. While the building was closed, services, classes, and programs were moved online. Clergy and lay leaders worked tirelessly to keep the congregation connected through Zoom, livestreamed services, and virtual holiday celebrations. As restrictions eased, TBA gradually reopened with safety protocols, hybrid programming, and renewed commitment to in-person community life. These adaptations not only sustained the congregation during a difficult time but also expanded accessibility for those unable to attend in person.
In September 2012, Temple Beth Abraham began a major renovation of the Sanctuary. The project improved accessibility by adding a wheelchair ramp, retractable screens and projectors to assist those with visual impairments, and an induction loop in the concrete flooring so attendees could hear directly through their hearing aids. We also upgraded the lighting while preserving the warmth and beauty of the original design, blending tradition with modern functionality.
During our “Bridges” Campaign in 2019, we continued these enhancements: we relocated the entrance for easier wheelchair access, installed an elevator, expanded the lower level, and added more office space. The upper level gained a seating area with a coffee bar, a patio for outdoor events, and new technology, while the lower level now has an updated Early Childhood Center.
Membership is once again on the rise, the nursery school is at capacity, the religious school is flourishing, both Reform and Conservative religious services are well attended, social and educational activities of all kinds abound, and Temple Beth Abraham is set on a steady and positive course, we pray, for the next 125 years.
