Temple Adas Israel (Sag Harbor)

Temple Adas Israel grew out of Jewish immigrant communities that settled in Sag Harbor in the late nineteenth century. The congregation was established in 1896, while JewishGen associates its early Polish and Russian community with the establishment of a local cemetery.[1][3] A second community of Hungarian Jews established a separate burial ground through the Independent Jewish Cemetery Association.[3]

The two communities merged in 1918 to create Congregation Adash Israel, uniting their distinct immigrant traditions under one congregation.[3] The congregation changed its name to Temple Adas Israel in 1948, the form by which it has since been known.[3]

One account from the congregation's early history concerns President Theodore Roosevelt. Rabbi Daniel Geffen said that Roosevelt donated the congregation's first Torah after Roosevelt's soldiers sought a synagogue to attend following quarantine near Montauk.[1] The World Jewish Congress presents the story specifically as part of Rabbi Geffen's account of the synagogue's history.

Rabbi Paul M. Steinberg served as the congregation's spiritual leader for twenty years before being named rabbi emeritus. His papers at the American Jewish Archives contain a dedicated Adas Israel section dated 1978–2001.[2]

Temple Adas Israel presents itself as an inclusive congregation serving Jews from across the denominational spectrum. Rabbi Daniel Geffen has said its history includes Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Jews, calling it "a home for all Jews, regardless of background."[1]

Hebrew Union College describes a lasting institutional relationship with the congregation, which is led by HUC alumnus Rabbi Geffen.[4] Current and former HUC cantorial students Dana Bederson, Will Brockman, and Carly Levin Santalone have each served as cantorial interns at Temple Adas Israel.[4]

Temple Adas Israel is a member of Kulanu: Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism.[5] An active-synagogue list updated in March 2025 also places the congregation in its New York—Long Island section.[6]

In August 2026, Hebrew Union College and Temple Adas Israel held a milestone weekend in Sag Harbor celebrating the congregation's 130th anniversary and its longstanding relationship with the college. The event also reflected Hebrew Union College's 150-year history and included worship, learning, music, conversation, and Havdalah.[4]

A cantorial concert titled "From the Bima to Broadway" served as a centerpiece of the celebration. Current and former HUC cantorial students Dana Bederson, Will Brockman, and Carly Levin Santalone — each a current or former Temple Adas Israel cantorial intern — performed with HUC pianist and adjunct faculty member Scott Stein.[4] Cantor Jill Abramson and Cantor-Rabbi Shani Ben-Or led the concert.[4]

Rabbi Geffen welcomed the Hebrew Union College community, and the weekend's programming emphasized relationships among teachers and students, clergy and congregants, and successive generations of Jewish life.[4] Three generations of the Golden family attended, illustrating the transmission of Jewish values and traditions across generations.[4]

In the week after the Israel-Hamas war began following the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, Rabbi Geffen participated in the East End Jewish community's response.[7][8] He joined Rabbi Josh Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons and Cantor Debra Stein in leading a rally in solidarity with Israel attended by elected officials, interfaith colleagues and communities, and the wider Jewish community.[7]

At a Shabbat service during the war, Rabbi Geffen — described as a pacifist and visibly emotional — urged the congregation to stay strong and uphold the teachings of the Torah. He warned against a "slippery slope of rage" and told worshippers, "Do not abandon our people."[9]

In the following months, Rabbi Geffen reported that attendance at services was much higher than normal for that time of year and that the synagogue's Hebrew school had almost doubled in size.[8] He said many parents felt differently about their Jewish identity after October 7 and considered it especially important for their children to attend Hebrew school and remain connected to a Jewish community. He added that he had not observed a specific increase in religious observance or belief in God.[8]

The cemetery associated with Temple Adas Israel is recorded as the Jewish Association of United Brethren Cemetery, with Temple Adas Israel listed as one of its sections.[3] Located on Route 114 in Sag Harbor, it has 195 recorded burials and 195 corresponding photographs in the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry. The record was last updated on July 10, 2011.[3]

The burial ground was established by Sag Harbor's Polish and Russian Jewish community, while Hungarian Jewish immigrants established a second cemetery through the Independent Jewish Cemetery Association.[3] Although the communities merged in 1918, their cemeteries remain adjacent but distinct areas.[3]

Two prominent historical statements have limited corroboration in the reviewed sources. The account of President Theodore Roosevelt donating the synagogue's first Torah is presented as Rabbi Daniel Geffen's historical narrative.[1] The American Jewish Archives describes Temple Adas as Long Island's oldest congregation, but the other reviewed sources do not independently confirm that superlative.[2] Both are therefore best understood as attributed historical claims.