Temple Aaron in Trinidad, CO is the oldest continually operating Jewish Synagogue in CO and the mountain west. It was named one of Colorado's most endangered historic places in 2017, and in December 2023, Temple Aaron became one of Colorado's two newest National Historic Landmarks. The city of Trinidad even designated December 22 as Temple Aaron Day!
On May 20, 2024, Colorado Preservation, Inc. honored Temple Aaron by presenting it with the Endangered Places Progress Award based on the progress it has made:
Today, Temple Aaron holds in-person services intermittently throughout the year as well as monthly learning sessions and Torah Studies on Zoom. The board is excited to be expanding its programming both in person and on Zoom for members who live afar.
A small but dedicated board has been working to preserve Temple Aaron for future generations and is focusing its efforts on two primary areas of focus:
This year, Temple Aaron is honored to be receiving an important grant from the State Historic Fund of more than $237,000. This funding will allow for Phase I of a complete roof replacement, but to receive this, Temple Aaron needs to provide a match of almost $80,000. Approximately $42,000 of this match has already been raised, so the focus of this Colorado Gives Day campaign is to raise the remaining $38,000! This is happening not a moment too soon, because despite some emergency roof repairs in the last few years, the roof is once again leaking badly - and the only solution is a full replacement.
We thank all of you who contributed to last year's very successful campaign, and we know we can count on you this year as well! Together we can make this happen!
Temple Aaron of Trinidad, Colorado, a Colorado non-profit organization, aims to:
Nurture an active, growing Jewish congregation for all who consider Temple Aaron a special place;
Hold Jewish and appropriate secular events so that Temple Aaron remains a place of Jewish worship connected to its community;
Preserve Temple Aaron for future generations.
The most historic synagogue in the Mountain West (that portion of the United States between the Dakotas and the West Coast) sits not in any big city but on a quiet street in the small town of Trinidad, Colorado. Trinidad is about 200 miles south of Denver and 15 miles north of the New Mexico border. The town was founded in the 1860’s as a stop on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail and has been home to Jews ever since. In fact, when the town incorporated in 1876, its first mayor, Sam Jaffa, was Jewish. The local Jewish community founded Congregation Aaron (named after Sam’s father) in 1883. Six years later in 1889, for the princely sum of approximately $12,000, the congregation built the magnificent red brick structure that still graces 407 South Maple Street today- Temple Aaron. It is one of less than two dozen original structures that have continuously been synagogues since the 19th century in the United States, and the third oldest such structure west of the Mississippi River.
For the next century, Temple Aaron not only served its immediate congregation, but warmly welcomed the entire Trinidad community by hosting concerts, dinners, and other public events. The temple was the spiritual and cultural home to many Jewish families who raised their children there.
After 140 years, Trinidad has undergone many changes, and a relatively small congregation found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the costs of maintaining the building. In 2016, the temple’s parent foundation, the Alfred Freudenthal Memorial Foundation, made the agonizing decision to close the temple’s doors.
But the story does not end there. Concerned individuals and foundations have united to preserve Temple Aaron as a Jewish landmark. Colorado Preservation, Inc, named Temple Aaron as one of its Most Endangered Places in 2017. In December, 2023, the temple was honored to receive designation as a National Historic Landmark, one of just 16 in the nation that year.
At this time, the community of Temple Aaron has grown to include over 80 member families and over 1500 individuals across the country who support the synagogue. The temple offers monthly Torah studies online as well as periodic in-person services and events in the sanctuary.
Organization name
Temple Aaron of Trinidad Colorado
1883
Tax id (EIN)
82-4838982
Category
Religion-Related
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
407 S. Maple St.CO, US
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