In the United States, a synagogue is not just a building, but a representation of a community. While, in Israel, a synagogue is a place of prayer in the mornings and on Shabbat, but in the United States, it's a gathering point that unites an entire community. Biblical interpretations, holiday observance, common customs and shared values are all determined in the synagogue lending itself to create a community's identity and sense of character.
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To that end, the Ruderman Family Foundation's Synagogue Project looks at these ancient and beautiful buildings across the country and aims to help tell their unique stories.
San Francisco's Sherith Israel Synagogue is considered one of the most impressive buildings in the city and was even recognized in 2010 as one of the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. The congregation was established in 1849, when Jewish Gold diggers built a structure to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during the Gold Rush. In the early days, the congregation consisted of European immigrants and Jews from the East Coast who wanted to escape the crowded cities back home and were in search of ways of getting rich quickly.
The original building burned down in San Francisco's notorious fire in 1851 which destroyed large parts of the city. The temporary structure was built to serve the community while the original building was being repaired burned down to the ground as well.
By the end of the 1950s, many Jewish immigrants came from Germany, with Jews eventually comprising 10% of the city's total population. During that time, the congregation erected its first permanent building on Stockton Street downtown to the tune of some $10,000 (about $300,000 today). Over time, however, the community continued to grow rapidly, and they needed to build a structure that could accommodate all its members. Thus, in 1903 construction began on California Street downtown which still serves the community today. When it was built, 2,000 people attended its grand opening.
The synagogue was built in a fusion of Byzantine and Romanesque architectural styles and cost roughly $250,000 ($17.6 million today). The building is 43 meters high and towers above most of the other structures surrounding it. In fact, its 18-feet wide dome can be seen from a variety of vantage points throughout the city's skyline. The synagogue covers 1,900 square meters, houses an organ with 3,500 pipes, 1,385 seats for worshippers, 1,109 decorative lights and 89 stained glass windows.
Sadly, this modern structure was still not exempt from natural disasters that befell the city: The building was able to withstand two earthquakes, one in 1906 and another in 1989.
Still, despite damage sustained from those events, in 2005, the building was named one of the most beautiful synagogues in America by the San Francisco Chronicle.
When was the last time you visited a synagogue that had a sand floor? The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands boasts this unusual sight. This synagogue, located on the small Caribbean Island overlooking azure waters and white sandy beaches, is one of the two oldest synagogues in the United States and its territories.
The synagogue's history dates back to the 17th century when the Kingdom of Denmark ruled the islands. Like the Dutch that ruled the islands before them, the Danes also had a liberal outlook on religious freedom and allowed both Catholics and Jews to worship freely.
During that time, many Jews lived on the island, but no official community was established.
In the middle of the 18th century, the transatlantic sugar cane and fruit market made the area a thriving economic hub prompting Jewish immigrants of Spanish-Portuguese descent to descend on the island. The arrival of these Jewish merchants brought about the need for a Jewish cemetery and eventually, the Jewish population totaled some 400 people.
The community began to take shape in 1796 and referred to themselves as "the Holy Congregation of Blessings and Giving Grace." Today, it's more simply known as the "Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas." Their first synagogue was built in 1803 but burned down a year later. It was restored only to burn again in 1806.
The land where the synagogue now stands was purchased in 1813. Initially the land housed a small synagogue, which was later destroyed in order to build a bigger one that could accommodate the growing community. Bad luck followed that structure as well, as it was ravaged by the fire of that year which destroyed 800 buildings in Charlotte Amalie. Luckily, the two Torah scrolls, and an eternal light candle survived the fire.
In 1833, a new synagogue was built on the same plot of land and still stands to this day, serving the small Jewish community on the island. The building is the second oldest synagogue in the US, second only to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island. The St. Thomas' structure consists of natural resources abundant on the island: stones, sand and molasses.
The facade of the building is inspired by the Greeks and has rounded, Gothic windows and columns made of Tuscan stones and has thin wooden partitions that separate the men and women in the synagogue.
The historical importance of the building landed it on the Register of Historic Places in the United States - an honor bestowed on a limited number of historic sites and buildings in the country - and it is one of the three national historic landmarks in the Virgin Islands. In 2000, the building underwent a massive renovation where parts of the original building were restored and preserved.
Despite the many natural disasters that occurred on site, the building is still where the Jewish community continues to pray today. In September 2017, a massive hurricane hit the island, with the synagogue suffering severe damage. Yet still, it continued to serve its community and today even functions as a museum depicting the community's rich history.
Baltimore's Lloyd Street synagogue is one of the three oldest in the United States that still stands today and is probably the first in North America to display a Star of David on its front. So why is it worth getting to know this pink synagogue inspired by Greek design that is now used as a Jewish Museum in Maryland?
Lloyd Street Synagogue was built in 1845 by two local architects, who were inspired by a Baptist church nearby. The structure is the first synagogue in Maryland and the third one in the US.
Built in a Greek Revival style, the four pillars in front of it were painted light pink and has a prominent window in the front in the shape of a Star of David. This was unusual at the time, as many opted to not prominently display Jewish symbols in public places.
At the end of the 19th century, alongside the great waves of immigration from Eastern Europe, the population of Baltimore changed and so did the synagogue. In 1899, the structure was sold and was transformed into a Baptist Church that served the local Lithuanian Christian community.
In 1905, the building was back in the possession of the Jewish community, when Eastern European immigrants purchased the synagogue from the Lithuanian community. The Shomrei Mishmeres Hakodesh Congregation (Guardians of the Holy) used the structure until the 1960s when the building was then abandoned and was in danger of being demolished. However, the Jewish Museum of Maryland purchased the building and saved it from destruction. In 2008, the building underwent a $1 million renovation to restore the building to its original appearance in 1846.
During an excavation conducted under the structure, researchers discovered an ancient mikveh (ritual bath) that was thought to be the oldest in the United States. Based on the history of the Baltimore Jewish community, it is thought that the mikveh belonged to the small German Jewish community that lived in Baltimore in the early 19th century. They believe that the mikveh existed when the synagogue was originally built on Lloyd street, but was then demolished when the building went through its massive expansion work in 1860.
Jay Ruderman, the president of The Ruderman Family Foundation explains the significance of this illuminating initiative, "We're pleased to share with the public a project which depicts these fascinating stories from a diverse array of countries, cities and communities. Social media provides a central distribution platform that can reach new audiences quickly, especially those from younger generations so they can connect to the rich historical, cultural, and religious life of Jewish communities in the United States. Thus, this project also takes a significant step in strengthening ties between Israel and Jewish communities."
Other compelling information about other robust communities can be found on the Ruderman Family Foundation's Facebook page.
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