Uniontown synagogue building hits market
Amanda Steen | 缅北禁地
The Tree of Life Synagogue exterior fronts Uniontown鈥檚 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Amanda Steen | 缅北禁地
Tree of Life Synagogue interior
Amanda Steen | 缅北禁地
Tree of Life Synagogue interior basement
For more than half a century, the Tree of Life Synagogue in Uniontown has served as a religious landmark for the city鈥檚 once-thriving Jewish community.
Built in 1925, the 3,520-square-foot brick, two-story structure on Pennsylvania Avenue was home to about 400 families at its peak.
There are currently 20 members, according Myrna Giannopoulos, the congregation鈥檚 active president.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still a viable congregation,鈥� she said.
But, as aging and changing demographics have made it a financial struggle to maintain, the congregation recently decided to sell the building.
It is listed with SWC Properties at $235,000 and includes a large balcony inside the prayer area and an extra lot on the building鈥檚 north side.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so hard to see it empty,鈥� said Giannopoulos, who also heads the synagogue鈥檚 kosher kitchen.
Member Milt Kronick, 87, of Uniontown, said his family attended the synagogue before he was born.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of history there and a lot of memories,鈥� said Kronick.
鈥淲e had weddings and bar mitzvahs.鈥�
The congregation鈥檚 name, 鈥淭ree of Life,鈥� dates to 1902 after its founding members were issued a charter of incorporation by the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.
The need for a building arose in 1922 after membership grew and services held at places such as various public halls became inadequate.
Giannopoulos said the synagogue also served as a place where the Hebrew language was taught downstairs to children after school, which she and her two brothers attended.
Irving J. Rockoff, a former rabbi of the synagogue, noted in a 50th anniversary program that the building reflected an influence of tradition.
Such tradition is depicted throughout the synagogue beginning with a stained glass window located above the arched entrance of the building with the Star of David.
On the front doors is the menorah, designed by Kronick鈥檚 late sister-in-law and former local artist, Harriet Kronick.
Inside, there are five arched stained glass windows that stretch to the 45-foot ceiling in the congregation.
The windows are etched with the Star of David, the priestly blessing hand sign, the Ten Commandments, a menorah and a set of torah scrolls.
A set of two additional stained glass windows are situated on opposite sides of the foyer in the stairwells.
There is also original mahogany woodwork throughout the congregation and pulpit area that includes built-in storage and a set of glass doors to the case that holds the scrolls, which also feature Kronick鈥檚 design.
Downstairs is a kosher kitchen, with members still meeting for lunch once a month.
鈥淲e used to feed 300 to 500 people,鈥� said Giannopoulos.
There is also a sabbath service each Saturday.
David Sarnat of the Jewish Community Legacy Project in Atlanta, Georgia, said synagogues in smaller communities across the country are closing.
As a girl, Giannopoulos recalled other synagogues in the area, including Masontown, Connellsville and Brownsville.
鈥淓very little town had one, and they were all independent,鈥� added Giannopoulos.
鈥淎s they closed, people came here,鈥� she said.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as congregations consolidate or die off, abandoned houses of worship have proliferated in many communities, but are often adaptable to residential and other reuses.