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.
ABOUT THE RABBI
Currently, Michael Rascoe serves as rabbi of Congregation Sons of Abraham in Lafayette, IN and of Temple B'nai Shalom in Benton Harbor, MI. He comes most recently from Waukegan, IL, and has served a few pulpits in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and in Grand Rapids, MI.
The rabbi has been active in interfaith dialogue, minority relations, and prison religious policies, among other activities. In addition, he has served as a consultant on academic and governmental projects, and been an advisor on counseling and medical issues. Rabbi Rascoe also has taught elementary- to college-level classes. Ordained from The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has an MA and a BA in Jewish Philosophy from JTS and a BA from Columbia University in Political Science.
We invite you to read Rabbi Rascoe's sermons. They are downloadable as PDF documents.
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 Renovation—Improving the building's accessibility; renovating and beautifying the synagogue's interior and exterior; enhancing the building's safety.
- Membership Growth—Promoting congregational growth in numbers by developing this new Web site, brochures, etc.
- Jewish Education—Implementing a multifaceted program of Jewish education for preschoolers, children, teens, young adults, families, and senior adults.
- History and Archives—Locating, organizing, cataloguing, and sharing with the larger community the congregation's rich historical archives that include oral histories, photographs, and documents.
- KinderKorner—Further developing an activity center specifically designed for Jewish families with children.
- Community Outreach—Programming 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.
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
