On February 7, 1887, a Jewish congregation in Burlington was formally incorporated. It was the first such congregation in Vermont, and had been in operation since 1885.

On this day, the original members of the congregation met at the home of Isaac Perlman on Champlain Street, to begin planning for the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue. It was a daunting task for working class men, eager to contribute labor, but with little or no money to spend.

Their perseverence has seen The Ohavi Zedek Synagogue grow from these original 18 men, to a religious community numbering hundreds of families.

Image courtesy the book Burlington International Airport: A Pictorial History by the Board of Airport Commissioners.