Congregation Beth Israel – also known as The Orchard Street Shul – will host a Gala Reception and Concert on Sunday, June 11 at 2:30 p.m. The gala will feature a performance by the internationally renowned Andy Statman Trio, who play klezmer, jazz and bluegrass.

The evening will also honor The Honorable Judge Guido Calabresi, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals and Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law at Yale University, and Persian-American poet, author and scholar Roya Hakakian, who will both receive the Orchard Street Heritage Award. In addition, the acclaimed visual artist Cynthia Beth Rubin, whose acclaimed Jewish-themed work has documented remnants of Jewish life over the ages, will receive the synagogue’s Woman of Valor Award.

Prior to the concert and awards ceremondy, an hors d’oeuvre buffet will be served, and Chinese and silent auctions will be held.

Founded in 1913, Congregation Beth Israel, the present-day Orchard Street Shul, located at 232 Orchard Street, was built in 1926. The only structure of its kind in the region, the Colonial Revival-style traditional Orthodox synagogue is listed on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

Proceeds from the gala will benefit the synagogue’s active religious and cultural life, and help to preserve, maintain, and improve our historic building, including ongoing efforts to improve accessibility.

For more information visit orchardstreetshul.org.

CAP: Roya Hakakian