In the past 10 years, the Stamford Orthodox Jewish community has experienced geometric growth.  Several new kosher restaurants have opened, Torah learning has expanded, and youth activities at both Orthodox synagogues are bursting at the seams.

And while it’s infinitely more comfortable now to live a full and vibrant life as an observant Jew in Stamford than it was a generation or two ago, it’s important to point out that there has been an Orthodox community in Stamford dating back more than a century.

The Stamford Orthodox Jewish narrative is the story of early traditional roots, mid-century stabilization, and significant late-20th-century growth.  Stamford can now brag about being one of New England’s most vibrant Modern Orthodox communities … but it didn’t happen overnight.

In 1889, Congregation Agudath Sholom was founded.  Established by Eastern European Jewish immigrants, it served as a traditional Orthodox synagogue for a small but growing Jewish population.

The shul’s first building was erected in 1908 on Atlantic Street in the heart of the downtown merchant community.  The Orthodox population at that time consisted largely of small business owners and shopkeepers, who lived in tenements along Pacific Street.

Jewish life centered around the shul, but there were also several kosher butcher........

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