Wandering Jews

The Tifereth Israel/Sharis Israel synagogue in Alliance, NJ was built in 1889. Although some sources say the building has not been used in 1996, when the WanderingJews visited in August 2019 there were signs that it was still being maintained. The synagogue was one of four in the area during the late 1800s and early 1900s. In May 1882, 43 Jewish families that had fled the pogroms in Russian left New York and settled in Alliance. Over the course of the summer other Jews followed and by the end of the summer there were approximately 70 families living in the area. The towns of Alliance, Norma, and Brotmanville comprised what would come to be known as the Alliance Colony (currently part of Pittsgrove, NJ). The Jews were supported by France’s Alliance Israelite Universelle, an organization supported in part by Baron Maurice de Hirsch, which inspired the name of their settlement. They were also paid by HIAS. When they first arrived, the Jews lived in army tents that local politicians arranged as temporary housing. By 1901 there were 78 farms, 151 adults, and 345 children living in the Alliance Colony. The Jewish agricultural colonies of South Jersey experienced a resurgence with the arrival of Holocaust survivors, many of whom shifted from growing produce to chicken farming, but eventually these communities mostly faded away.

Jews first arrived in Fall River in 1875 and continued to settle there during the 1880s and 90s. Temple Beth El (originally Congregation Beth El), founded in 1924, was one of seven synagogues established in Fall River between 1884 and 1926. In 1926, the congregation initially met in a music hall on Franklin St. In 1927 they purchased a wooden church and converted it into a synagogue; five months later the building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1928. Members of the congregation ran into the building and saved some of the Torahs and the menorahs that are on display on either side of the current bima. In March 1928, the congregation purchased the lot of its current location at the corner of High and Locust Streets from Abraham Zais. The house on the lot was razed, the cornerstone was laid on October 28, 1928, and the building was dedicated on September 22, 1929. Land was subsequently purchased for the Temple Beth El Cemetery. In the 1950s, the synagogue built a school and auditorium to accommodate the membership of 600 families and 450 Hebrew school students. Large numbers of Jews and non-Jews attended the synagogue’s Adult Education Series, which featured internationally-recognized scholars and public speakers. Fall River’s textile and other businesses declined in the 1960s and 70s, and the Jewish population followed. The congregation, although much smaller, is still active today and has recently revived its Hebrew School. Although Temple Beth El is now an independent Conservative synagogue, for most of its existence it was affiliated with the United Synagogue and was among the first Conservative congregations in the country to call women up to the bima for aliyot, to allow women to read from the Torah, to celebrate b’not mitzvah, and to count women in a minyan.

he Taunton Jewish community dates to 1883 when Moses Goldstein arrived from Russia. Later that decade, he was joined by his brothers Simon and Levi. Together, they established a dry goods and clothing store in the Whittenton section of Taunton. The Taunton Hebrew Fraternal Association was established in 1905, followed by Mt. Nebo Cemetery in 1907. The Taunton Jewish community initially met in peoples’ homes, the Polish Hall on Bay Street, and the Eagles Hall on Galligan’s Block (later known as Jones Block). In 1910 and 1911 Congregation Agudath Achim was formed in Taunton (a congregation of the same name was formed in Attleboro, MA around the same time). On July 13, 1913, the cornerstone for the synagogue was laid at 36 Winthrop St. Thirty families attended the celebration; Hearn’s Orchestra played and the Torah was carried from Eagles Hall to the site of the new building. In the mid-1950s the congregation purchased a house at 133 High Street that was renovated to include a large social hall, kitchen, and lobby, which houses the congregation’s offices and religious school.

From its inception, Temple Emanu-El was intended to address the inability of the existing Orthodox congregations in Providence to attract and retain younger Jewish American adults. The Conservative congregation was formed in 1924 with the support of leaders of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. A section of the Brown University Botanical Gardens was purchased as a building site and construction of a large, domed sanctuary was completed in 1927. In 1953, a new school building was completed containing a large second sanctuary and in 1959 a final additional wing allowing for social events, celebrations, and large scale programs was completed. Temple Emanu-El has played, and continues to play a prominent role in Rhode Island life and in the life of the national Jewish Community as evidenced by the prominent roles played by its religious and secular leaders. In addition, it is the religious home of many Rhode Island past and current leaders. The synagogue continues to flourish with a membership of more than 770 households.

Eastern European immigrants fleeing anti-semitism arrived in Bristol, Rhode Isand, as early as the 1890s and formed the Young Men’s Hebrew Association in 1896. A second community of blue collar workers from Long Island moved to Bristol from 1897 to 1907 to work for the National India Rubber Company. The two groups combined to form United Brothers Synagogue or Chevra Agudas Achim on June 11, 1900. The first services were held in the home of one of the members. The present location, with its stained glass Star of David, was built in 1916. Only 40 families were members of the community, so they could not afford to hire a Rabbi. Because the community was so small and had limited resources, they relied heavily on the support of the local Christian church leadership and community. By the 1930s, the Synagogue held regular Shabbat services and the Young Judaea Sunday School was created in 1934. Gradually the Synagogue began to transition to less Orthodox practices and by 1935 women and men sat together. During the latter part of the 1930s, the Synagogue formed a bowling league. By September 1946, the bowling league had evolved into the Bristol Jewish Community Center and a new community center was organized. The Synagogue became Conservative, but by 1966, due to low membership the United Brothers Synagogue was forced to close. The building was not sold and the Leviten family cared for it. In the early 1970s efforts to rebuild the community were initiated. Thanks to combined efforts of Jewish groups and local churches, the Synagogue re-opened on April 4, 1975. In 1984, the by-laws of the Synagogue were amended to give women the right to participate in religious ceremonies and other traditional activities. In the spring of 2015 the Synagogue celebrated a double anniversary: the 115th anniversary of its founding and the 40th anniversary of it re-opening.

Sons of Jacob Synagogue, in the Smith Hill area of Providence, is the remaining symbol of a once-thriving Jewish Community. The Congregation was founded in 1896 by a small group of Russian Orthodox Jews. In the first 10 years, they held services in a small room above a shop at the corner of Shawmut Street and Chalkstone Avenue. After the turn of the century, the Congregation bought land on Douglas Avenue. Led by a marching band and 300 Hebrew School students, the Torah Scrolls were transferred from the old location to the partially constructed Douglas Avenue building on September 17, 1906. The main Synagogue, designed in the Orthodox tradition by Harry Marshak, was finally completed and dedicated on August 27, 1922. Over the next 25 years, membership increased and Sons of Jacob was able to offer a greater variety of religious and social services to its members. By the mid-1940s, while some members remained peddlers, junk dealers and small shopkeepers, others had become lawyers, retail store owners, and small manufacturers. However, by the late 50s and early 60s, the children and grandchildren of the original congregants moved to the suburbs and beyond. The Jewish population of Smith Hill declined and Congregation Sons of Jacob’s membership fell. In addition, urban renewal and the construction of two new limited-access highways contributed to the destruction of the neighborhood. The Sons of Jacob Synagogue was certified by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Although the building still stands, when the WanderingJews visited in November 2019, from the outside it appeared to be in severe disrepair.

The Golden Rose Synagogue in Lviv was the oldest synagogue in Ukraine until it was destroyed by the Nazis in 1942. Yitzhak ben Nachman, a financier to King Stephan Batory, bought the land in 1580 and founded and funded the synagogue in 1581. Paulus Italus, a master builder known by his guild name, “Paul the Fortunate,” from Tujetsch, Switzerland built the synagogue in 1582. In 1595, he built a vestibule and a women's gallery in the synagogue. Men prayed in a hall that was spanned by a cloister rib vault with pointed lunettes above the windows. The building had a sanctuary with an alabaster renaissance-style ark along the eastern wall, a bimah in the middle, and a Mannerist-style attic. In 1606, the Jesuits confiscated the building, but returned it to the Jewish community in 1609 after a ransom was paid. The Center for Urban History of East Central Europe created the Space of Synagogues project (pictured here). The initiative aims to commemorate the history of the Jewish community in Lviv by creating new memorial and educational spaces with a focus on the sites of destroyed synagogues. On September, 4, 2016, the first phase of the project was opened to the general public, which includes conservation of the remains of the Golden Rose synagogue, marking the foundations of the Jewish House of Learning (Beth Hamidrash) and an art installation called “Perpetuation,” with a series of tablets depicting images of prewar life and inscriptions from former Jewish Lviv residents.

Temple Emanu-El dedicated the building at 515 N. Ewing St. in Helena, MT in 1891, which still has the original cornerstone bearing the Hebrew Calendar year 5651. It was the first Jewish Synagogue constructed between St. Paul, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon. In 1890, then Montana Governor Joseph K. Toole laid the cornerstone for the building. Two large onion-style domes capped the towers on either side of the front entrance and welcomed as many as 500 people into a sanctuary with a 30 foot high ceiling. Hundreds of German and Eastern European Jews moved to Montana during the Gold Rush and, in 1866, they formed the United Hebrew Benevolent Society. By 1867 Jews owned 17 of Helena’s dry goods stores and, in 1877, 20% of Helena’s Board of Trade members were Jewish. By the 1930s Helena’s Jewish population was in decline and the congregation sold the organ and pews to Seventh-Day Adventists. The State of Montana bought the building for $1, promising to use it for “a good and social purpose.” The State remodeled the building and made a number of changes including adding a second floor above the former sanctuary and removing the onion domes and most of the exterior religious symbols, but the stained glass windows were preserved. The building was used for various state and local government purposes until the Catholic Diocese of Helena purchased it in 1980 for approximately $83,000. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and a plaque outside the building lists members of the Jewish Community and descendants of local Jewish pioneers.

This building, the home of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, was built in 1921 by Temple Beth Israel, Phoenix’s first permanent Jewish congregation. The synagogue was designed in the style of a Spanish mission and, unlike other synagogues, is aligned on a north-south axis. At the time of the building’s construction, there were only 120 Jews in the Phoenix area who raised $14,000 to build the synagogue. By the late 1940s the congregation grew to approximately 300 families and moved to the suburbs. In 1949 the building was sold to the Southern Baptist Convention and was used by the First Chinese Baptist Church and then the Iglesia Bautista Central. In 2002 the Jewish community purchased the building for $540,000. In 2007 the Arizona Jewish Historical Society raised funds to restore the building, which now houses a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Temple Emanuel of North Jersey, originally located in Paterson, NJ worshipped in this building from 1929 until 2005. The building is located at the corner of Broadway at East 33rd Street in the Eastside Park neighborhood of Paterson. In 1904 a group of Austro-Hungarian Jews formed the First Austrian-Hungarian Benevolent Association. They worshipped in a number of locations and eventually built their first synagogue on Van Houten St. in downtown Paterson in 1907. As the congregation became more prosperous - thanks in part to Paterson’s transition into a major textile manufacturing center - the families migrated to from downtown to Eastside Park. Jacob Fabian, president of the congregation and vaudeville and movie theater mogul, provided $400,000 in funding and hired architect Frederick W. Wentworth to design the art deco building in the same style as his movie theaters. The synagogue featured an octagonal sanctuary with bronze doors, 21 stained glass windows depicting Biblical scenes, a marble ark, 1,000 orchestra seats, 252 balcony seats, a 10,000sf theater and an 8,000sf ballroom. The synagogue thrived for 40 years until the 1970s when Paterson’s industrial economy declined and the Jewish community continued its migration go the suburbs. Although there were 30,000 Jews in Paterson in the 1940s, by the late 1990s there were fewer than 1,000. In the late 1980s Temple Emanuel merged with the Oakland Jewish Community Center. In 1995 the congregation constructed a new building in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Eastern State Penitentiary opened on October 25, 1829 and closed in 1971. The prison pioneered the “Pennsylvania system” or “separate system” of incarceration, where each prisoner was separately confined with the goal of rehabilitation and repentance - hence the name “penitentiary.” The “Pennsylvania system” was abandoned in the early 1920s and the president of the prison’s board of trustees, Alfred Fleisher, spearheaded the efforts to construct a synagogue for the Jewish inmates. In 1924, the exercise yards of the prison’s cell block seven were converted into the synagogue. The synagogue space features a separate room in the rear that was used to prepare kosher food as well as a wooden ark and a gold-trimmed Star of David on the ceiling. It was the only space in the prison where inmates were allowed to congregate without the supervision of a guard. Although the Penitentiary is on a number of historic registries, and is now a museum, the synagogue is the only space in the entire Penitentiary that has been restored. There were up to 80 Jewish inmates at any given time dating back to 1845 until the prison closed. On August 29, 1851 a bris, or Jewish circumcision ceremony, was held for the baby of a female Jewish inmate. Many of the Jewish inmates had been convicted of crimes related to bootlegging and organized crime. After the end of Prohibition the number of Jewish inmates declined sharply.

Shana Tova from Butte, MT!!! The WanderingJews experienced their first-ever White Rosh Hashanah while celebrating with Congregation B’nai Israel thanks to a rare early snowstorm in MT this year. We deeply cherish our time spent with @neogeobutte and thank her for her supreme hospitality and brisket! The Congregation B’nai Israel synagogue is located at 327 W. Galena St. It was built in 1903, dedicated in 1904, and has been in continuous use since. The three-story masonry building features a corner bell tower with an onion dome roof, an ornately corbelled front gable with rosette window beneath, and semicircular brick arches. It is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Montana. There are currently 18 members of the congregation, most of whom are descendants of families who lived in Butte for generations and operated local stores. The first Jewish organization in Butte, the Hebrew Benevolent Association, began in 1878 (some sources say 1881). A year later, in 1879, Butte City was incorporated and Henry Jacobs, a Jewish immigrant from Germany, was elected as its first mayor. In 1892 the Baron de Hirsch Lodge of the B’nai Brith was formed. They met at the Mountain View Methodist Episcopal Church in 1893, and after Congregation B’nai Israel was organized they met in various places, including a boarding house on West Granite east of the present Carpenter’s Union Hall. A few years later, Butte’s Jewish community split into one Reform and two Orthodox groups. In 1969, the two Orthodox congregations merged into Congregation B’nai Israel.

This building in Somerville, NJ was the home of the now defunct Congregation Anshe Chesed, and was dedicated sometime between July 1, 1910 and June 30, 1911. The first Jew in Somerville, Simon Weil, arrived in 1864. In 1892, Weil, along with others, organized the Anshe Chesed Cemetery Association, which evolved into Congregation Anshe Chesed in 1907. The Orthodox synagogue had approximately 40 members at that time. In the early 1950s, some of the congregants left and founded Temple Beth-El, a Reform congregation presently located in Hillsborough, NJ. In 1966, Anshe Chesed merged with Temple Beth Israel to form Temple Sholom, a Conservative congregation (where the WanderingJews grew up and were Bar/Bat Mitzvahed).

Beacon Hebrew Alliance was founded in 1921 in Beacon, NY. At first, services and events were held in the Mechanics Savings Bank building and then in the Odd Fellows Hall over Schuman's Army and Navy Store. In 1929, the community built their current home, pictured, at 331 Verplanck Avenue. The sanctuary features 10 ornate stained glass windows. Each window features a verse from the Torah as well as the name of the window’s benefactors or, in some cases, the name of an individual whose memory is honored by the window.

This building, located at 5001 Washington Ave. in St. Louis, was constructed in 1907 and served as the second home to Temple Israel. In 1931, Temple Israel House, an education buiding was erected next door at 5011 Washington Ave. The congregation worshipped here until 1962 when they moved to Creve Coeur. The Roman-style building features Corinthian columns. The former synagogue, along with four other houses of worship in the immediate area, are central to the “Holy Corners Historic District.” All five buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The Missouri Historical Society’s library and research center, located at 225 S. Skinker in St. Louis, MO, originally housed United Hebrew Congregation. The congregation dedicated the synagogue in 1927 and used the building until 1989. The Byzantine revival building was, at the time of its opening, one of the three largest synagogues in the nation. It was designed by the architectural firm of Maritz and Young with consulting architect Gabriel Ferrand. The building has maintained many of the synagogue’s design and architectural features including the sanctuary ceiling, stained glass windows, and markings on the outside of the building.

This building, located at 2432 N. Teutonia Ave. in Milwaukee, WI, was built in 1925 by Congregation Beth Israel. The building was used by the congregation from its construction until 1960, when they migrated to the suburbs and built a new synagogue. On March 5, 1992 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is currently home to a church. Congregation Beth Israel traced its roots to Congregation B’ne Jacob, which was incorporated in 1884. Between 1884 and 1901 the congregation went through a number of iterations, including splitting, re-merging, and bankruptcy, until finally re-organizing as Congregation Beth Israel. The congregation has continued to evolve over its time and continuing through its move to the Milwaukee suburbs. In 2012 Congregation Beth Israel and Congregation Beth El Ner Tamid merged to become Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid.

Capernaum, founded as a small fishing village, is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The remains of the Capernaum synagogue date to sometime between the 4th and 5th centuries. The synagogue was constructed almost entirely out of white, calcareous stones brought to Capernaum from distant quarries. The white building stones contrast starkly against the black basalt stones used for the village’s other buildings, most of which were residential. The remains feature inscriptions in Greek and Aramaic thanking the building’s benefactors as well as carvings of palm trees and five- and six-pointed stars.

Gamla, which means “camel” in Aramaic, was an ancient city in the southern part of the Golan Heights built on a steep hill shaped like a camel’s hump overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Archaeological excavations on the site of Gamla have shown that the city dates back to the Early Bronze Age, and possibly even as far back as the Copper Age. The archaeological finds have included evidence of long-term use of sickles, evidence that the earliest settlements were likely agricultural. Throughout its history, Gamla was inhabited by various groups in the regions, and even abandoned at times. Archaeological evidence indicates that the city of Gamla was founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars in the 3rd century BCE, and later became a civilian settlement. Josephus Flavius, Commander of Galilee, provided a very detailed description of the city in his writings, and fortified Gamla (which he referred to as Gamala), as his main stronghold on the Golan in 66 CE During the Jewish Revolt against Rome. Today, the area that was once the ancient city is located within the Gamla Nature Reserve.

Oskar Schindler’s grave is in the Catholic cemetery on the southern slope of Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Schindler was a member of the Nazi party who saved approximately 1,200 Jews from being sent to concentration camps during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories in Krakow, Poland and Brünnlitz, Czechoslovakia and bribing Nazi party officials. His story is memorialized in the 1982 novel Schindler’s Ark and the 1993 movie Schindler’s List. Schindler was an ethnic German and a Czech citizen who joined the Nazi party, helped develop the German strategy for the invasion of Poland, and worked as a counterintelligence agent for the Nazi armed forces. He used his connections as a member of the Nazi party to protect the Jewish employees in his Krakow enamelware factory. In 1944 he convinced Amon Göth, commandant of the nearby Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp, to let him move his factory to Brünnlitz, Czechoslovakia. In October 1944, the 1,200 individuals on “Schindler’s List” moved to the factory in Czechoslovakia and were saved from certain death. Members of the WanderingJews’ family lives were saved thanks to Oskar Schindler, and their names appear on the List. Schindler continued to deplete his entire fortune through bribes to Nazi party officials to protect the Jewish factory workers until the end of WWII in Europe in May 1945. After WWII, Schindler lived in Germany and Argentina, mostly relying on financial support from “Schindler Jews.” He died in 1974 at the age of 66 in Germany and was buried in Jerusalem on his own wishes.

The Beit Alfa synagogue is located in the Gilboa mountains near Beit She’an, Israel. Aramaic inscriptions on the remains indicate that the synagogue was built between 518-527 CE during the reign of the Roman Emperor Justinus. The synagogue is known for its mosaics, including one that depicts the Binding of Isaac and another of a Jewish adaptation of the Greco-Roman zodiac. Six mosaic zodiacs have been discovered throughout the Galilee region dating to this time period, and the one at Beit Alfa is the best-preserved. The synagogue’s ruins were discovered in 1928 by members of nearby Kibbutz Hefzibah when they were performing irrigation construction and found the mosaic floors.

The Ramchal synagogue has been in multiple locations in Akko (also known as Acre) dating back to the 16th century. From the 16th-18th centuries there were two synagogues on Akko. The Ramchal synagogue - the larger of the two - was named after the Rabbi who lived Akko from 1743-1747. In 1758, the Bedouin ruler of Akko, Dahar el-Omar, commandeered the synagogue and built the el-Mualek Mosque on top of it. As a substitute, the Jews were given a small building north of the el-Mualek Mosque, which is where the Ramchal synagogue is today. A large space that once housed a mikve is located in the same alley.

Baron Edmond James de Rothschild built the Ohel Ya’akov Synagogue in 1886 in memory of his father, Jacob Mayer de Rothschild. The synagogue is located in Zikron Ya’akov, a town near Haifa. The walls and ark are built from white marble.

Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, GA laid the cornerstone for this building on March 1, 1876 and completed its construction in 1878. The building was designed by New York architect Henry G. Harrison and is the only neo-Gothic synagogue in the United States. The congregation had two previous structures, one wooden and one brick, at Liberty and Whitaker streets. The congregation traces its roots to a group of 42 Jews who arrived in Savannah on July 11, 1733, aboard the William and Sarah from London, shortly after the founding of the Georgia colony. 34 of the Jews were of Spanish and Portuguese descent, and many of them had been members of the Bevis Marks Synagogue. On special occasions, the congregation still uses a Torah that was brought from London around that time. In 1772 the Sephardic Jews briefly fled Savannah during a Spanish invasion for fear of being burned at the stake, but returned by 1774.

Temple B’nai Israel, in Natchez, MS, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the state of Mississippi. The synagogue was dedicated on March 25, 1905 and over 600 people attended. The building is an example of classical architecture featuring round domes and stained glass windows and was designed by H.A. Overbeck of Dallas, TX. The sanctuary can seat up to 450 people and has an Italian marble ark and a large organ, which congregants played at most services, as well as additional seating in a balcony. The congregation was ready to build a synagogue in 1861, but the outbreak of the Civil War delayed the plans for several years. A previous synagogue was dedicated on the same site in 1872 to great fanfare as, “Jews and Gentiles filled the temple beyond its capacity and great crowds stood upon the sidewalks and street.” The original building burned to the ground on November 21, 1903 due to faulty wiring. The history of B’nai Israel and the Jewish community of Natchez dates back 175 years. German Jewish immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine and Bavaria arrived in Natchez in the 1840s. In 1840 a group of merchants purchased land for a Jewish cemetery. In 1843 they formed a Jewish burial society, Hevrah Kadishah, which evolved into the B’nai Israel congregation. Temple B’nai Israel is a charter member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism). The congregation reached its peak membership in 1906, shortly after the dedication of its second (and current) temple. The unfortunate arrival of the boll weevil in 1908 ushered in an economic decline that led to a slow but steady exodus from Natchez of members of the Jewish community. In 1991, Temple B’nai Israel deeded its building to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) to ensure its preservation. The WanderingJews would like to thank the Jewish community of Natchez for their warmth and hospitality when they hosted us for Rosh Hashanah.

Temple B’nai Shalom, located at the corner of Chickasaw and South Church Streets in Brookhaven, MS, was deconsecrated in 2009. The building now houses the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society, which includes an exhibit on the history of the Brookhaven Jewish community and artifacts from the synagogue. The white clapboard building was constructed in 1896 and features Moorish Revival Horseshoe arch windows, stained glass windows, and a bell-less steeple. For the duration of the building’s use as a synagogue, there were no signs or markings on the outside that indicated it was a synagogue. The building now features a prominent Temple B’nai Shalom sign. Jews began settling in Brookhaven as early as 1852 and for more than a century were integral to the local commerce and economy, including three Jewish mayors. The Ladies’ Hebrew Society organized the campaign to build the synagogue. Fundraising letters were sent to the trading partners of local merchants and Jews and non-Jews contributed. Jews from nearby towns without a synagogue, including Hazlehurst, Wesson, and Crystal Springs, would also worship at Temple B’nai Shalom. The Brookhaven community never numbered more than 100 people, and the synagogue never had a full-time rabbi, yet the congregation owned two Torahs (including a Holocaust Torah from Prague) and weekly services were held from 1896 until the 1970s. A Jewish cemetery in Brookhaven also still stands off E. Monticello St.

Anshe Chesed Cemetery in Vicksburg, MS, is located at the end of Grove St. within Vicksburg National Military Park. The tract of land where the cemetery is located was deeded to the Board of Trustees of Anshe Chesed Congregation on August 23, 1864, to establish a burial ground for members and their families. A man named Mayer was buried in Grave Number 1 in May 1865, believed to be the first burial in the cemetery. The Jewish history of Vicksburg dates back 1820 when families arrived in the area from Alsace-Lorraine, Baden and Bavaria. Congregation Anshe Chesed (People of Loving Kindness) was chartered in 1862 with 50 families. Although the location is unknown, the congregation had another Jewish cemetery that predated this one. Bodies from the first cemetery were relocated to this one. The land that the cemetery was built on was once part of the Second Texas Lunette, an area of heavy fighting during the siege of Vicksburg.

This BB Club, at 721 Clay Street in Vicksburg, MS, was built and dedicated in March 1917 for the B’nai B’rith Literary Club. The Club had 650 members at the time of the building’s dedication and enjoyed a reputation for its lavish affairs that spread from Memphis to New Orleans. Design features that have survived include marble stairs and a carved limestone exterior that incorporates various symbols related to the B’nai B’rith Literary Club, as well as the first indoor swimming pool in Vicksburg, in the building’s basement, and a ballroom on the top floor. During the building’s use as a Club it also had a poker room and restaurant. The Club was initially established in 1871 as the Young Men’s Hebrew Benevolent Association “for the intellectual and social advancement of its members” and met in private homes. In 1887, around the time the name was changed to the B’nai B’rith Literary Stock Company, they established their first location at Cherry and Crawford Streets. In 1905 an original building was constructed out of wood, which burned down around 1915. Between 1917 and 1967, the Jewish population in Vicksburg declined. The city of Vicksburg purchased the building in 1967 and converted it into a police station by covering up the ballroom, building offices, installing paneling over the mahogany walls and an eight-foot drop ceiling and fluorescent lights in the ballroom. In 1996 the police department moved to another location. Laurence Leyens, a local businessman whose family had been in Vicksburg since around 1860 and went on become mayor, purchased the building with Dan Fordice in 1999. They restored the building and discovered that many of the original features were intact. Although the Vicksburg Jewish community only has about 10 remaining members, a gala for the 100th anniversary of the building on March 25, 2017 had about 120 guests.

The Temple Israel synagogue building still stands at 201 West 4th St and is now a museum that chronicles the pioneer Jews of Leadville. The history of the Jewish community in Leadville, which dates to the founding of the town, is well-documented in the Leadville Daily Herald. An August 8, 1884 article details the formation of a temple association and plans to build the synagogue. The land was purchased earlier in the summer, on July 13 for $1 and it cost $4000 to erect the building. The synagogue was built over two months and dedicated on Rosh Hashanah, September 19, 1884. In 1892 the congregation split into two when some Orthodox members founded a new congregation, Kneseth Israel. In 1893, the U.S. abandoned the silver standard, which led to a decline in the Colorado mining industry that had a direct impact on the Jews of Leadville. Lay led services were held regularly at Temple Israel until 1908. By 1914, the building was no longer in use. The building changed hands a number of times and was altered to be used for a number of purposes, including as a private residence, from 1937 to 1992 when it was purchased by the Temple Israel Foundation. The Foundation, which also maintains the Leadville Hebrew Cemetery, began to restore the building through grants and private donations, but a 2006 electrical fire caused extensive damage. The synagogue reopened in 2008.

This marker stands at the corner of South State St. and South St. in Jackson, MS where Temple Beth Israel built its first synagogue in 1867. This was also the first synagogue in the state of Mississippi. The congregation was originally established in 1861 by German Jews and in 1867 they constructed a wood frame building that was used for services and a schoolhouse. In July 1874, the building burned down and was replaced by a stone and brick structure in the same location in 1875. The Gothic Revival structure was designed by architect Joseph Willis, who had previously designed or remodeled several significant buildings in Mississippi, including the Old Mississippi State Capitol. The design included pointed-arch windows and two curved staircases leading to an auditorium on the second floor. In later years one straight staircase replaced the two curved ones and the exposed brick walls were covered by stucco. In 1941, when the synagogue was the oldest religious building in Jackson and the congregation had built another synagogue in a new location, it was demolished.

The Old Pearl Street Temple was the third synagogue built by the Temple Emanuel congregation in Denver, Colorado. The building, an example of Eastern-Islamic design, is located at 1595 Pearl Street. It was dedicated in January 1899 and expanded to twice its original size in 1924. In 1987 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. By 1960 the congregation moved again. Temple Emanuel is the oldest congregation in Colorado and the largest congregation between Kansas City and the West Coast. The congregation was officially incorporated in 1874, two years before Colorado became a state. The building is currently owned by the Denver Community Church.

The B’nai B’rith Infirmary building, built in 1927, is located in Denver, CO on the eastern side of Colorado Blvd. between E. Colfax and 14th Avenues. The building features gargoyles and friezes and is part of National Jewish Health, originally known as National Jewish Hospital. It is currently used for offices, although it originally housed patients. In 1899 the Denver Jewish community opened National Jewish Hospital to treat tuberculosis. The building also includes sun porches and rooftop terraces - at the time of its construction, sunshine was the preferred treatment for tuberculosis. National Jewish Hospital was founded by Frances Wisebart Jacobs, the "Mother of Charities,” and the only woman featured in the stained glass windows of Colorado’s Hall of Fame in the State Capitol Rotunda. National Jewish Health is the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to groundbreaking medical research and treatment of patients with respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders. The motto of the organization, which adorns the entry to the B’nai B’rith Infirmary building, states, “None May Enter Who Can Pay -- None Can Pay Who Enter.”

Naburiya was a Jewish village in the Galilee during the First and Second Temple periods. The synagogue was first built in the 2nd century CE and existed until 640 CE, making it one of the oldest in the Galilee. The original structure on the site was destroyed in an earthquake in 363. The final, and much larger, synagogue building was constructed in the late 6th century reusing stones from the earlier building. The year of its construction is known from the inscription over the main door, now displayed at the Israel Museum: “Built four hundred and ninety four years after the destruction of the Temple under the leadership of Hanina ben Lizar and Luliana bar Yuden.” Two major archaeological finds were the main lintel decorated with a menorah inside a wreath containing a long Hebrew inscription and the lintel over the Torah Shrine. The façade was partially reconstructed by the Jewish National Fund and the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Temple of Israel of Dunmore Synagogue was completed in 1925 for $33,000 and seats 100 people in the sanctuary and another 24 in the balcony. The only changes to the building since its construction were the installation of an oil-burning furnace in 1948 and a gas-fired furnace in 1970. The Jewish community in Dunmore, PA dates back to 1909 when Congregation Ohabath Israel was established. The congregation conducted services in a grocery store at 710 East Drinker St. and held high holy day services at the Odd Fellows Lodge in the 100 block of Chestnut St. In 1914 the congregation bought land in the 500 block of E. Drinker St. from Lackawanna County for $500. Construction began in 1924. The synagogue ceased hiring rabbis during the Great Depression when it was focused on paying off the mortgage, and although the congregation is still active, there has not been a rabbi since 1938.

The Kfar Bar’am synagogue is located in the Galilee and has similar architectural features to others in the same area also built in the Talmudic period. According to archaeologists, the building was constructed sometime around 232-235 CE. Various writings indicate the synagogue has a connection to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The synagogue is made of basalt stone with three doorways in the front entrance that all face Jerusalem. There were originally eight columns in front of the entrance that supported a porch. An inscription under the right window on the facade reads, “Elazar bar Yodan built it.” The interior of the synagogue was divided by rows of columns and has a carved frieze featuring images of animals and possibly, human figures and a sculpture of a pair of stone lions - an unusual feature for a synagogue that was also found in a neighboring Galilee town, Chorazin. The building is preserved up to the second story and has undergone a restoration.

Temple B’nai Brith’s Byzantine Revival synagogue is located at 201 Central Street in Somerville, MA and was completed in 1922. The sanctuary features one of the oldest arks in New England, which is made of hard-carved mahogany and was salvaged from a synagogue in Boston’s North End that was razed in 1920. Eastern European immigrants founded the congregation in 1904. Over time, members of the congregation migrated to the suburbs and by the late 1970s only a small contingent of elderly members remained. The congregation experienced a revitalization in the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2010 hired its first full-time rabbi in 32 years. Today, Temple B’nai Brith serves 180 families.

Congregation Ezrath Israel, better known as The Actors’ Temple, is located at 339 W. 47th St. in New York City. The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in 1923 and originally called, “The West Side Hebrew Relief Association.” Congregants and attendees include a long list of famous entertainers including Sophie Tucker, Shelley Winters, Milton Berle, Al Jolson, Jack Benny, several of the Three Stooges, and Sandy Koufax. Today, the congregation has 120 dues-paying members and the sanctuary also serves as an off-Broadway theater space.

The Gemiluth Chessed Synagogue in Port Gibson, Mississippi, is the oldest surviving synagogue in the state. The Moorish-style building cost $12,000 and features keyhole doorways, windows, and a Russian-style dome. Congregation Gemiluth Chessed, which roughly translated means House of Kindness, was formed in 1859 by 22 Jewish immigrants from Germany and Alsace-Lorraine who met at the Odd Fellows Hall and Masons Lodge. In 1887 the congregation purchased the plot of land on Church Street. On January 3, 1892 the cornerstone was laid. The congregation had six rabbis between 1892 and 1908, after which they relied on lay leadership. The last services were conducted in the synagogue in 1978 and in 1986, when there were only two Jews left in Port Gibson, the congregation closed. The synagogue was slated to be torn down to build a parking lot until Bill and Martha Lum, a local non-Jewish couple, purchased the building and saved it from destruction. When the synagogue closed the religious artifacts were donated to the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. On October 20, 1991, there was a celebration of the building’s 100th anniversary. The building is currently used by a messianic congregation affiliated with the ministry of Congregation Beit Lechem in Jackson, MS.

The Gates of Heaven Synagogue is currently located in James Madison Park in Madison, WI. The synagogue was designed by August Kutzbock, the architect of Wisconsin’s second state capital building, and built in 1863 for a total cost of $4,000. By the 1870s the building fell into disuse and was rented out to other groups and organizations. In 1916 the congregation sold the building to a couple for $7,000, and it continued to be used for a diverse array of purposes including as a funeral home, wartime storage facility, dental office, and congressional office. In 1970, the Fiore Coal and Oil Company was planning to demolish the synagogue and build offices on the site. Local citizens raised $60,000, including a Historical Preservation Grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development Commission, to move the building. The synagogue was rolled through the streets on 96 aircraft wheels from its original location at 214 West Washington Avenue to the park on July 17, 1971. On May 20, 1974, the synagogue was recognized by the Madison Landmarks Commission. For pictures of the synagogue being moved, see: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/get-to-know-the-historic-madison-synagogue-where-a-monument/collection_739a6e8c-496f-5eee-b47c-7f7392cac321.html

Poile Zedek Synagogue was located at 145 Neilson Street in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The congregation was founded on November 18, 1901, originally named the Independent Laborers' Benefit Association. The congregation purchased its current location in 1905. The cornerstone ceremony was held for a new building on August 19, 1923. In 1924 the building was completed and the congregation changed its name to Poile Zedek, which means "Workers of Righteousness.” In 1995 the building was placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. On October 23, 2015, a fire gutted the synagogue, destroying everything but the exterior of the building. Only one Sefer Torah was saved by Rabbi Abraham Mykoff, who ran into the burning building before the roof collapsed. Religious documents and artifacts damaged by the fire were buried in the congregation’s cemetery. In March 2018, the building was put up for sale.

Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, the fourth Jewish congregation founded in New Jersey, was established in New Brunswick on October 11, 1859. Since 1930 the congregation’s synagogue has been located in this building on Livingston Avenue designed by local architect Alexander Merchant. It is the oldest synagogue in Middlesex County and the oldest synagogue in NJ that is still located in the same city where its congregation was founded. Originally named Congregation Anshe Emeth, the congregation was formed in 1859 and met in a small storefront on Peace Street. In 1897 they built their first synagogue on Albany Street before moving to their current home and changing their name to Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple to honor the “Jewish dead of New Brunswick.”

Tifereth B'nai Jacob (Splendor of the Sons of Jacob, aka TBJ), founded in 1890, was one of 11 Orthodox synagogues founded in Minneapolis between 1884 and 1905. Jewish immigrants from Europe joined with fellow Jews from the same region or town to worship according to familiar practices. Tifereth B'nai Jacob's founders were from the town of Filishter in Bessarabia, a borderland between Romania and Russia. Originally named Tiferes B'nai Israel, the congregation first met in a private home in North Minneapolis. In 1897, the congregation built a synagogue at 910 Emerson Avenue North. In 1920, the name was changed to Tifereth B'nai Jacob. The congregation built this brick synagogue in 1926 at 808-810 Elwood Avenue North atop one of the few hills in North Minneapolis. The hilltop location fulfilled a Jewish tradition that a house of worship should have the highest roof in its neighborhood. TBJ became known as the "Elwood shul" (synagogue). The building featured corner stair towers leading to the women's balcony and a Star of David formed by patterns in the exterior brick. Inside, the curved wooden balcony was decorated with images of the zodiac. In 1957, TBJ sold the building to the First Church of God in Christ, an African American congregation. A 2011 documentary, “Cornerstones: A History of North Minneapolis,” includes footage showing that many features of the synagogue still remain, including the Torah ark, pews, and curved wooden balcony with its zodiacal images.

This synagogue was built in 1926 on Oliver Avenue North in Minneapolis by a faction of Mikro Kodesh. The Minneapolis Jewish community first organized itself socially and religiously by country of origin; Mikro Kodesh, when founded in 1890, was named Anshei Russia (Men of Russia). It was one of 11 Orthodox synagogues founded in Minneapolis between 1884 and 1905. In 1949, Mikro Kodesh was the largest Orthodox congregation in the Upper Midwest, with some 500 dues-paying families. But by the late 1960s, North Side Jews were joining the millions of Americans moving to the suburbs. The synagogue's membership dropped by half between 1967 and 1969. In 1969, Mikro Kodesh merged with a Conservative congregation, and the merged congregation soon joined with yet another in the wake of the year’s volatile summer, including the destruction of the commercial district on Plymouth Avenue. The congregation was renamed B’nai Emet and located in St. Louis Park. In 2011, the congregation merged again with Adath Jeshurun. The building remained vacant for a decade until it was purchased by the African American Disciples Ministry Church.

Sharei Zedeck, the last Minneapolis Orthodox congregation established during the immigrant era, formed when a group of Lithuanian Jews broke away from Kenesseth Israel in 1906 and called their new congregation Bet Ahron (House of Aaron). By 1920, they had changed its name to Sharei Zedeck. Its synagogue at 726 Bryant Avenue North was known as the "greener shul" (green synagogue). The origin of the nickname is unknown, but two theories are because the building was painted green or because the members were "greenhorns,” recent arrivals to the United States. The Bryant Avenue building was razed in 1936 to make way for the Sumner Field housing project on Sixth Avenue North (now Olson Memorial Highway). A new synagogue (pictured) was built at 1119 Morgan Avenue North. A St. Paul architectural firm, Frenzel and Bernstein, designed the simple yet monumental brick building. The nickname "greener shul" stuck. By now, it was also known as the "Morgan shul." In 1969, Sharei Zedeck sold the Morgan Avenue shul to St. Paul's Missionary Baptist Church and merged with Gemelus Chesed. The new congregation was known as Gemelus Chesed Sharei Zedeck Congregation until 1973, when the name was shortened to Sharei Chesed.

Temple Israel is Minneapolis’ oldest synagogue. The congregation was founded in 1878 and originally named Shaarai Tov. At first, the congregation hoped to include both Orthodox and Reform traditions in its worship services. The effort did not succeed, and Shaarai Tov soon became a Reform congregation. By the early 1910s, Shaarai Tov members were moving west from their original downtown neighborhood toward Lyndale and Hennepin avenues, as were the Eastern European Jews of South Minneapolis. The congregation grew to about 225 families. In 1914, Shaarai Tov purchased a large house at the corner of West Twenty-Fourth Street and Emerson Avenue South. This "Temple House" was used for classrooms, meetings, and offices. In 1920, Shaarai Tov changed its name to Temple Israel. A fire at Temple House in 1925 led to plans to build a new synagogue on the site (pictured). Jack Liebenberg, a member of the congregation and the first Jewish architect in Minnesota, and Seeman Kaplan designed the Neoclassical Revival-style building, which was dedicated in 1928. By 2012, over two thousand member families belonged to the temple, making it one of the largest Jewish congregations in the United States.

The history of Jews in Gibraltar dates back to 1356, but they were expelled from Gibraltar beginning in 1474. Jews began to return in the mid-1700s when the British and the Sultan of Morocco entered into an agreement permitting sultan’s Jewish subjects to legally reside there. In 1749, the Jews in Gibraltar were given the right to permanent settlement. Isaac Nieto, the community’s first rabbi, moved to Gibraltar from London and established congregation Sha’ar HaShamayim (aka the Great Synagogue), the oldest synagogue in Gibraltar. At that time there were 600 Jews in Gibraltar, one third of the population. In 1781 Nefutsot Yehuda (aka the Flemish Synagogue) and Ets Hayim (the Little Synagogue) were built followed by the Abudarham Synagogue in 1820. All four synagogues (as well as kosher restaurants and day schools) are still in use today by the approximately 700-person Jewish community.

After the inquisition ended in Portugal in 1821, Jews from Morocco and Gibraltar started to migrate to Lisbon and other parts of Portugal. By the end of the 19th century, there were enough Jews living in Lisbon to commission the building of a synagogue. Shaare Tikvah Synagogue (now also referred to as the Lisbon Synagogue) was inaugurated on May 18, 1904, the first synagogue to be built in Portugal since the late 15th century. The synagogue is located in an urban landscape and somewhat obscured. The main facade of the synagogue faces an inner courtyard, since Portuguese law in the 19th century forbade non-Catholic religious temples from facing the street. During WWII, many Jews sought refuge in Portugal since the country remained neutral. As a result, the synagogue expanded during this period: a second balcony was added, the bima was moved forward, closer to the ark to add more seats. The synagogue acted as place to get information, find out about families and get transfer documents. Many Jews were spared from the Nazis due to the efforts of the community here. Currently there about about 150 Jews in Lisbon and a total of 1000 Jews in Portugal. Recently, the community has experienced an influx of French Jews seeking economic growth and an escape from anti-semitism.

The Portuguese Synagogue, or the Esnoga, in Amsterdam was built between 1671 and 1675. It is one of the two oldest functioning synagogues in the world (the other is the Old-New Synagogue in Prague). In the early 1600s three Sephardic congregations were founded in Amsterdam by Spanish and Portuguese Jews, many of whom were Marranos or conversos. In 1639 the three congregations merged to form Talmud Tora, later known as the Portuguese Jewish community. The building was designed in the classicist style by Elias Bouwman and inspired similar buildings in New Amsterdam, London, and Curacao. The interior of the Esnoga in Willemstad (which the WanderingJews visited in December 2017) is almost an exact copy of the Portuguese Synagogue. The inscription above the synagogue entrance refers to 1672, the anticipated date of completion. However, due to the Dutch War and “The Year of Disaster,” it was not completed until 1675. The interior of the synagogue has never been updated - there is no heating or electric lighting. During services, two brass chandeliers with 1000 candles provide light in the synagogue.

This location and its accompanying ruins are believed to be the Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona, the Sinagoga Major de Barcelona, one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. Since 2002 the building has served as a museum, although its historic use as a synagogue cannot be verified. Medieval Barcelona had several synagogues, including a main synagogue in the immediate area of the museum. The foundation of the building dates to the third or fourth century and it was expanded during the 13th century. In 1987, research began to determine the location of the synagogue based on documentation of a 13th-century tax collector whose route ended at the Sinagoga Major. This research led to the realization that this building featured design elements consistent with a synagogue - it faces Jerusalem and has two windows - and its orientation did not align with the rest of the neighborhood.

This memorial to the Holocaust in Tromso, Norway commemorates the 17 Jews that were deported from here to Auschwitz in 1942. The memorial is located in the Central Square, about 100 feet off the main coastal shipping boat dock, near a statue of explorer Roald Amundson.

This monument stands on the corner of Rossio Square in Lisbon, Portugal in memory of those lost in the Lisbon massacre. It reads: "In memory of the thousands of Jews who were victims of intolerance and religious fanaticism, killed on the massacre that started on

19 April 1506, on this square." The base has a verse from the Book of Job etched onto it: "O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place." The Lisbon massacre (also known as the Lisbon pogrom or the 1506 Easter Slaughter) involved a crowd of Catholics, as well as foreign sailors who were anchored in the Tagus River, who persecuted, tortured, killed, and burnt at the stake hundreds of people who were accused of being Jews and, thus, guilty of deicide and heresy. The massacre took place thirty years before the establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal and nine years after the Jews were forced to convert to Roman Catholicism in 1497, during the reign of King Manuel I.

The Great Synagogue of Stockholm is located on a small street called Wahrendorffsgatan, close to the park Kungsträdgården in Norrmalm, Stockholm and listed on the Swedish registry of national historic buildings. The building was dedicated in 1870, the same year the Jews of Sweden were granted full emancipation. According to designs dating to 1862 from the architect, Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander, construction lasted three years and the building’s design was inspired by “the oriental lands.” The ceiling looks like a Viking ship and the organ is designed to resemble an open Sefer Torah.

The synagogue was Reform in the 1870s but now they follow a Conservative service and all denominations pray under the same roof. There are 20,000 total Jews in Sweden today. The organ is only played on holidays. The basement of the building houses the Judiska biblioteket, the Jewish Community Library and a new mikvah that opened in October 2017.

Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel, located on the island of Curacao, is the oldest surviving synagogue in continuous use in the Western hemisphere. The building is referred to as the Snoa, short for esnoga, an old Portuguese and Ladino word for synagogue and also houses the Jewish Historical Cultural Museum. The Snoa was consecrated in 1732 and was the sixth synagogue built to serve the Jewish community of Curacao. Like other congregations in the Carribbean and South America with Sephardic routes, the synagogue floor is covered in sand. The Snoa features azure stained glass windows and an ornate mahogany Ark that holds 17 for the 21 Torah scrolls in the synagogue’s possession. One of the scrolls, now housed in the Museum, was brought to Amsterdam during the Spanish inquisition and made its way to Curacao. The congregation traces its routes to the first Jewish settlers on the island who were of Spanish and Portuguese descent and arrived in 1651 from the Netherlands and Brazil. In 1863 some members broke away to form Temple Emanuel, a Sephardic Reform congregation. Then, in 1964 the two congregations re-merged. Today the synagogue has 250 congregants and is affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement.

Although no longer in use as a synagogue, this building is a Willemstad, Curacao landmark located on Hendrikplein. In 1863, some members of Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel, the island’s Orthodox synagogue, broke away to form Temple Emanuel, a Reform congregation. On December 17, 1865, Abraham Jesurun laid the first foundation stone and the building was dedicated on September 12, 1867. It is one of the first purpose-built Reform synagogues in the Western hemisphere. The facade features a large tower over the portal with a golden ball at the top that once included a Star of David. Today, it houses government offices and its interior was completely renovated.

Beth Haim Cemetery, in Curacao, is possibly the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Western Hemisphere. Records indicate the cemetery was first used in 1659. Some of the tombstones feature detailed engraved Biblical images including Rachel’s tent for women who died in childbirth, a scene depicting Jacob’s Ladder, an hourglass running out, a skull and crossbones, and a tree being cut down by the Angel of Death where an individual died before the age of 50. Today, it is overshadowed by a refinery dating back to 1916, which emits sulfur dioxide that is rapidly eroding the tombstones. Over time, the tombstone bases eroded, slipped, and cracked. In 1930 many of the tombstones were elevated on concrete slabs, but that did not preserve the tombstones from additional wear and tear.

Although there are approximately 5,000 graves in the cemetery, only half have visible tombstones and less than 100 are still legible. Researchers, scientists, and chemists have tried varied solutions over the years to preserve the tombstones, but to no avail.

These are the ruins of Beracha ve Shalom, or Blessing and Peace – the first brick synagogue in the New World. The building was consecrated in 1685. Although the architect remains unknown, the descriptions and ruins indicate that he was inspired by the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. Unlike that and other Sephardic synagogues, the women sat apart from the men on the same level, like an audience. The bricks used to build the structure were shipped from Europe slowly, over time. You can still see the difference among the shapes, sizes, and coloring of the bricks today. Most of the Jodensavanne residents left for Paramaribo during the first half of the 18th century, but would return for major Jewish holidays. On October 12, 1785, there was a celebration for the synagogue’s 100th anniversary with almost 1600 participants, 300 different dishes served, and a thousand Chinese lanterns. In 1832 a massive fire burned down the synagogue and almost all of the houses in Jodensavanne. During WWII, Jodensavanne was used as an internment camp for people brought over from Indonesia who were suspected of collaborating with the Germans.

Philadelphia’s Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel traces its roots to three separate congregations: Temple Beth Israel, founded in 1840; the Neziner Congregation, founded in 1896; and Temple Beth Zion, founded in 1945. In 1954 Temple Beth Zion purchased a Gothic church built in 1894, located at 18th and Spruce Streets near Rittenhouse Square. Architect Beryl Price transformed the building into a “jewel of a synagogue,” with raw silk and gold thread curtains surrounding the ark, mosaics, murals, and stained-glass windows with early Biblical themes designed by Vincent Filipone.

The oldest Jewish cemetery in Suriname is hidden in the woods of Cassipora. To access it, we had to walk 2km on foot behind a guide who used a machete to hack our way through the bushes and trees. It’s possible the second wood-frame synagogue in Suriname was located here. Records indicate that there are 216 headstones in the cemetery, with the oldest dating to 1666 and the newest from 1873, but most are difficult to see or find due to the overgrowth. The inscriptions are in Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, Aramaic, and Dutch. Our tour guide, Marina da Costa, with @SurinameJewishHeritageTours passed down a new trick on reading faded headstones from her mother – pour flour on them! During the end of the 17th century, the communities of Cassipora and Jodensavanne existed simultaneously and both cemeteries were maintained as active burial sites. In the late 18th century, the Jewish Cassipora residents moved to the prospering village of Jodensavanne.

There are currently three cemeteries in Paramaribo, all on the Kwattaweg in the middle of the city. The old Sephardic and Ashkenazi cemeteries were in use from around 1700 to 1847 and had between 800 to 1000 graves in each. The land of the old Sephardic cemetery was sold about a decade ago. The remains were moved and re-interred at the existing new Sephardic cemetery and the tombstones were relocated for display in the courtyard of the Neve Shalom Synagogue. The two currently operating cemeteries, the Ashkenazi and the Sephardic, use dates to 1847. In 2011 the Jewish community erected strong, tall, decorative fences around each of the cemeteries to protect them against unauthorized access. Pictured here is The Old Ashkenazi Cemetery.

In 1735 the Sephardic Jewish community of Paramaribo, Suriname, sold their building to the Ashkenazi community and built this new synagogue, Zedek v' Shalom (Justice and Peace in Hebrew). The Synagogue was active until the Ashkenazi and Sephardic congregations merged in 1999. The building went through extensive renovation and is now leased by the community to an computer sales and IT support business. All the contents of the synagogue were leased to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which built a replica of Zedek v’Shalom using all the original contents including six Torah scrolls, silver Rimonim, silver Torah pointers (Yads), the Aron Kodesh (Torah Ark), the Bimah and benches.

The Neve Shalom Synagogue in Paramaribo, Suriname, is located at Keizerstraat 82. The plot of land was acquired in 1716 by Sephardi Jews. The original building was completed in 1723 and replaced the first Surinamese synagogue in the Jodensavanne, originally built between 1665-1671. Paramaribo had an Ashekenazi and Sephadric community and in 1735 the Sephardic community sold the synagogue to the Ashkenazi community, and the Sephardim formed a separate community known as Zedek v’Shalom. The two communities have since merged. The current building, designed by architect J.F. Halfhide, was completed in 1842. The recently rebuilt Mosque Keizerstraat is adjacent to the synagogue.

The Great Synagogue of Copenhagen was built from 1830-1833 and includes unique architectural features. The building’s design incorporates Egyptian elements in the columns, ceiling, and surrounding the Ark. The building has been the site of two terrorist attacks in the past few decades. On July 22, 1985, Palestinian terrorists bombed the synagogue. No one was injured at the synagogue, but a second bomb placed by the same group destroyed the American Northwest Orient Airlines office, killing one person and injuring 26. Several people were convicted for these and other attacks. On February 15, 2015, a shooting outside the synagogue killed a member of the Jewish community serving as a security guard and wounded two Danish Security and Intelligence Service police officers .

Congregation Beth Jacob was founded in 1913 in Montpelier, Vermont. It was named after a youth who died in a tragic accident in 1908 named Jacob Yett. The Yett family was instrumental in purchasing the building for the congregation in 1914 located at 10 Harrison Avenue. There are no records that document the conversion of the house at 10 Harrison Avenue, but it became the house of worship for the Jews of Montpelier and Barre. It also housed living quarters under the eaves for a rabbi when the congregation could afford one. The location of a former mikvah in the backyard is still marked by two chunks of concrete. The building has undergone a number of expansions and renovations since it was first purchased by the congregation and is still in use today.

This is the original building of Congregation Ohavi Zedek, Vermont’s oldest and largest congregation, that was founded by 18 Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. The synagogue was built in 1885 and was originally finished in wood. It is located at the corner of Archibald and Hyde Streets in Burlington’s old north end neighborhood, which at the time was also referred to as “Little Jerusalem.” During a 1902 expansion a brick outer layer was added. There was another expansion in 1928 that included the building of an ark. In 1952 Ohavi Zedek moved to its current location on North Prospect Street and sold the building to Congregation Ahavath Gerim. The original building in still in use by other Jewish congregations.

The Rutland Jewish Center is located at 96 Grove Street in Rutland, VT. The building - the former H.H. Baxter Memorial Library - opened to the public in 1895 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The history of Jews in the Rutland area began in 1906 when congregation Anshei Sholom was established in West Rutland. In 1910 some members of the community migrated to Rutland and formed Adath Israel. In 1919 Adath Israel rented space in the Verder Block at the corner of Merchants Row and West Street, now a Citizens Bank. In 1924 the congregation purchased its first building at West and Elm Streets. Then, in 1927 the congregation purchased the library building for $12,500. The building was enlarged in 1956.

Congregation Beth El in Bennington, VT, traces its roots to the founding of the Hebrew Congregation of Bennington in 1909. The Congregation disbanded for a while but reformed in 1917 and focused on raising funds and building a synagogue. On July 29, 1923 the new synagogue was dedicated at the corner of North and Adams Streets. Many non-Jewish people donated towards the construction of the synagogue and came to the dedication, evidence of the community’s and the state’s support. Use of the synagogue tapered off in the late 1970s and 1980s and the building fell into disrepair. Over the High Holy Days in 1988 no services were held and three members of the community were so upset by the state of the synagogue that they began working together to restore the Jewish community and the synagogue. Over time, the building was restored and the congregation is currently flourishing.

Congregation Rodeph Shalom of Philadelphia is the oldest Ashkenazic synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. The Congregation was founded in 1795 and built its first dedicated sanctuary in 1871 at Broad and Mount Vernon Streets. The original building was razed and a Moorish Revival building was constructed at the same location in 1927, which still stands today.n Rodeph Shalom of Philadelphia is the oldest Ashkenazic synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. The Congregation was founded in 1795 and built its first dedicated sanctuary in 1871 at Broad and Mount Vernon Streets. The original building was razed and a Moorish Revival building was constructed at the same location in 1927, which still stands today.

The Bevis Marks Synagogue, officially Kahal Kadosh Shaar Asamaim, which means “Holy Congregation The Gates of Heaven,” is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom. The synagogue was dedicated in 1701 and is the only synagogue in Europe which held religious services continuously for more than 300 years. Prior to this building, the congregation held services at a small synagogue in Creechurch Lane as early as October 1663. After a considerable influx of Jews, it became necessary to find larger quarters, leading to the construction of the current building. The interior design of the synagogue reflects the influence of the great Amsterdam Synagogue of 1677. The roof was destroyed by fire in 1738 and repaired in 1749. During the London Blitz the synagogue suffered only minor damage and its silver, records and fittings were removed to a place of safety. The synagogue suffered some collateral damage from the IRA in 1992 and the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing, but was restored.

This historic marker stands in Philadelphia, PA on Cherry St. between 3rd and 4th Sts. Known as the “Synagogue of the American Revolution,” Congregation Mikveh Israel is the oldest congregation in Philadelphia and traces its history to 1740 when Jews were originally meeting in private homes. Prominent Philadelphians such as Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris contributed to the building fund for the Congregation’s first synagogue in 1782. The original building was relocated because of concerns that its proposed site next to a church would offend the Dutch Reform Protestant congregants. In September 1782, the congregation dedicated the new building on Cherry Street near Third Street. The building seated 200 persons and had accommodations for the clergy adjoining it.

Congregation Beth El in Traverse City is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in Michigan. Julius Levinson, Julius Steinberg, and Solomon Yalomstein were the original Jewish settlers in Traverse City. They became prosperous merchants and the first trustees and officers of the Hebrew Congregation in 1882. Two years later, Julius Steinberg purchased five acres of land as a cemetery for its members. In 1885, Perry Hannah, a local lumber magnate and philanthropist, donated the land where the synagogue is still located. By the turn of the century there were over 40 Jewish families in the region although the population began to decline throughout the 1920s and 30s. In 1939 the congregation supported efforts by the Joint Distribution Committee to resettle Holocaust survivors in small towns.

Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1849 in Honesdale, PA and dedicated its building in 1856. The Colonial meeting house-style building is the second oldest synagogue building in the U.S. still occupied by it’s original congregation and was for many years was the smallest synagogue in the United States, and possibly

the world. The building is constructed of white clapboard, holds 50-85 people, and features a gold Star of David at the tip of its spire. The sanctuary is decorated with a chandelier and Tiffany globe sconces. The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company built the synagogue to attract Jewish merchants to the area. The land and funding for the building were donated by a non-Jew. The Company built the synagogue with kneelers in the pews. Although Jews don’t kneel in prayer, the congregation retained the kneelers in a gesture of recognition since they were installed in good faith.

The Stanton Street Shul, also known as Congregation Bnai Jacob Anshei Brzezan, is located at 180 Stanton Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. It was constructed in 1913 by a landsmanshaft from the town of Brzeżany in southeast Galicia. One of the few surviving tenement-style synagogues, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. In 2012 its membership stood at about 100 congregants, representing a wide, inter-generational mix. Since Rabbi Aviad Bodner became Rabbi of Stanton in 2014, the congregation has started to grow again. The Stanton Street Shul was founded as a traditional, or Orthodox, house of worship and remains so today.

Congregation Kesher Israel is located at 412 Lombard St. in Philadelphia. The building was constructed in 1796 for the first Independent Church of Christ and extended 80 feet along Lombard Street and was 50 feet deep with a passageway that led from Lombard Street to a graveyard at the rear. The building was purchased and converted to a synagogue in 1889. As a condition of the sale, the graves were moved from the cemetery and reinterred at Fernwood Cemetery. Congregation Kesher Israel was formed in 1894 by the merger of B’nai Jacob, founded in 1883, and Rodephe Tzedek, founded in 1887 and dedicated the synagogue’s building on January 24, 1897. Later that same year Kesher Israel hosted one of the first large Zionist meetings in the United States after Theodor Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in Basle Switzerland. Kesher Israel became a central meeting hall for early Zionists in Philadelphia.

Society Hill Synagogue is located at 418 Spruce Street in Philadelphia. The building was designed in 1829, originally home to the Spruce Street Baptist Church. In 1910, the building was sold at auction to the Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Nusach Ashkenaz. In 1916, the synagogue was named the Romanian American Congregation and later became known as the Great Roumanian Shul. The Romanian American Congregation included members from two merged congregations: Oir Chudas, organized in 1886, and Agudas Achaim Congregation, organized in 1905. By the 1960s the building had fallen into disrepair. In 1967 a new, growing congregation - the Society Hill Synagogue - purchased the building and began restoration in 1968. In June 1971 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

B'nai Abraham, the "Russian Shul," was established in 1874 and officially incorporated in 1882 as Chevra B’nai Avrohom Mi Russe. According to an 1881 almanac the name was Beth Hamedrosh Hagadol B'nai Abraham Anshe Russe. Over the years the congregation has been referred to as: B'nai Abraham Anshe Russa, Congregation B’nai Abraham, the B’nai Abraham Congregation, and later as Historic Congregation B’nai Abraham. In 1909, B'nai Abraham retained the services of contractor Samuel Lashner & Co. to construct a new building for $28,000, designed by architect Charles W. Bolton & Co. in the Byzantine Revival style. Located at 521-527 Lombard, it is the oldest Philadelphia purpose-built synagogue still in use, currently as a Chabad. The congregation was previously located in a building it purchased in 1885 for $3000 at 521 Lombard Street. That building, the Wesley Church, was completed and dedicated in 1820 by an AME Zion Congregation and eventually demolished in 1909.

The Adas Yisroel Anshe Mezritch Synagogue, or Congregation Mezritch Synagogue, was founded in 1888 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In 1910 a building at 415 E. 6th Street was converted into the Congregation Mezritch Synagogue for $15,000, which is still in use by the congregation today. In 2008, Congregation Board Members reached an agreement with real estate developers to demolish the building and build residential apartments in its location. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and the East Village Community Coalition, supported by long-time congregants and the community, submitted the building for landmark status, which was granted in 2012 and protected it from demolition. Congregation Mezritch was able to strike a deal with East River Partners to repair the deteriorating synagogue, construct condos on the top floor, and add an additional level to the building. The lower level will be retained for use by the synagogue. The condos are now for sale and the congregation has started to meet again.

The present facade features some of the original decorations including round-arched windows with stained glass in the center of the top story flanked by two rectangular windows with round-arched transoms; the engaged stone pilasters with Corinthian capitals and carved stone keystones over doors and windows and the engraved plaques with name and dates of the building.

The Temple Israel congregation was founded in Tulsa, OK, in December 1914. In 1919 the congregation moved into their first building at 1306 South Cheyenne, possibly the oldest synagogue building in OK. The building was eventually abandoned and fell into disrepair. On January 27, 2009 the building was damaged by a fire set by a homeless person living inside the building. The fire left the building’s original stained-glass windows damaged beyond repair and caused the roof and floors to collapse. The building is currently being redeveloped into residential units.

Ohel Leah Synagogue was built in 1902 and is the oldest synagogue in Hong Kong, a staple of the Jewish community for over a hundred years. It was designed by the architects Leigh & Orange as an example of Colonial Sephardic architecture. The name Ohel Leah commemorates Leah Sassoon, the mother of the Sassoon brothers Jacob, Edward, and Meyer who donated the land for building the Synagogue. The Sassoons were among the earliest Sephardic merchants from India to settle in Hong Kong during the mid to late 19th century. Originally the community was mostly Baghdadi and the synagogue was under the superintendence of the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation of London: it is now fully independent and has members from across the Jewish diaspora and the congregation is Modern Orthodox.

OLS has been in continuous use since its completion with the exception of a short period during World War II when Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese. During that time all formal Jewish activities were temporarily suspended as the Japanese had seized control of OLS and many community members were interned. Next door is the only JCC and Jewish Recreation Club in Hong Kong and once included tennis courts and outdoor fields. Those had to be sold off over the years, so the complex now shares its land with high rise apartments. The beautiful building isn't visible from the street - visitors have to go through the guarded JCC out to the courtyard that houses the synagogue. It received historic preservation in 1990.

This is the oldest surviving synagogue building in New Jersey. Congregation Adas Emuno was founded in 1871 by German-Jewish immigrants and erected this synagogue in 1883 in Hoboken, NJ. The small building is a mix of Gothic and Romanesque styles. In 1974, the congregation moved to Leonia, NJ. The building was used as a church for a period of time and was later renovated into residential apartments.

Synagogue Kadoorie - Mekor Haim ("Fountain of Life"), located in Porto, Portugal, is the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula. Ground was broken for the construction of the building in 1929 but it was not completed until 1938. The design of the sanctuary features traditional Portuguese azulejos, painted tiles. Today, the synagogue serves a community of 200 members and houses a mikveh and a small museum on the history of the Jews of Portugal. The community is eager to hear from Jews who can trace their ancestry to the pre-Inquisition communities of Portugal: http://www.comunidade-israelita-porto.org

Congregation B'Nai Israel was founded in 1873 and built B'Nai Israel Temple, its second building, in 1890 at 249 S. 400 East in Salt Lake City. The congregation was mostly from Germany and original plans for the building were to create a mini replica of Berlin's Fasanenstrasse Synagogue, but plans were changed during construction. The building is in the Romanesque revival style and was designed by Philip Meyer and supervised by architect Henry Monheim. In 1978 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it houses an architecture and design firm that has preserved some of the building's original features.

Rabbi Moses P. Jacobson led the congregation when the building was completed and helped it more than double in size. In 1972 Congregation B'Nai Israel merged with Congregation Montefiore and created Congregation Kol Ami, which still exists today.

This building at 833 S. 200 East in Salt Lake City was erected in 1920 for Utah's third Jewish congregation, Sharey Tzedek. The congregation was a splinter group from Congregation Montefiore, composed mostly of immigrants from Russia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. The congregation was disbanded in the 1930s. In 1948 the building was sold to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and in 1985 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today it houses an architecture and design firm.

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol is an Orthodox Jewish congregation in New York City. For over 120 years the congregation was located in a historic building at 60–64 Norfolk Street between Grand and Broome Streets and one of the largest synagogues on the Lower East Side. It was the first Eastern European congregation founded in New York City and was the oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in the United States until it closed in 2007. The congregation was founded in 1852 by Rabbi Abraham Ash as Beth Hamedrash. In 1859 the congregation split with the rabbi and most of the members renaming their congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagodol. The congregation's president and a small number of the members eventually formed the nucleus of Kahal Adath Jeshurun, also known as the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Rabbi Jacob Joseph, the first and only Chief Rabbi of New York City, led the congregation from 1888 to 1902. Rabbi Ephraim Oshry led the congregation from 1952 to 2003.

The congregation's building, a Gothic Revival structure, was built in 1850 as the Norfolk Street Baptist Church. In 1885 it was purchased by Beth Hamedrash Hagodol. In 1999 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the late 20th century the congregation dwindled and was unable to maintain the building, which had been damaged by storms. Despite obtaining funding and grants, the structure was critically endangered.

After the building was closed in 2007, the congregation, reduced to around 20 regularly attending members, was sharing facilities with a congregation on Henry Street. The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy was trying to raise an estimated $4.5 million for repairs of the building, with the intent of converting it to an educational center. In December 2012 the leadership of the synagogue under Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum filed a “hardship application” with the Landmarks Preservation Commission seeking permission to demolish the building to make way for a new residential development. This application was withdrawn in March 2013, but the group Friends of the Lower East Side described Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's status as "demolition by neglect."

Built in 1915 for Congregation Kochov Israel, this is the only synagogue in use in Hoboken. The building was designed by Hoboken architect Max J. Beyer. The building exemplifies traditional European 19th century synagogue architecture with eastern architectural details, copper onion domes, and stained glass windows with colorful scrollwork. The synagogue is now used by the United Synagogue of Hoboken, organized in 1947. The synagogue, referred to as the "Star of Israel" building, was only open during the High Holy Days in the 1970s. It was derelict and the leaking roof let water and bits of debris fall on the congregation during services. As the congregation dwindled, the building was nearly sold. However, it was saved by that small congregation and its leadership, and years later it was restored to its former glory and rededicated in Hanukkah 2011. In addition to restoring and updating the whole building, gorgeous stained glass windows are slowly being installed.

In 1912 at the peak of its popularity, the Forward newspaper erected a ten-story office building at 175 East Broadway on the Lower East Side. The building was designed by architect George Boehm. It was a prime location, across the street from Seward Park. The building was embellished with marble columns and panels and stained glass windows. The facade features carved bas relief portraits of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, (who co-authored, with Marx, The Communist Manifesto) and Ferdinand Lassalle, founder of the first mass German labor party. A fourth relief portrays a person whose identity has not been clearly established, but is thought to be Wilhelm Liebknecht, Karl Liebknecht, or August Bebel. In the real estate boom of the 1990s, the building was converted to condominiums.

The first written record of Jews in Třebíč occurred in 1338. The original medieval Jewish burial ground is located near the wall of the Benedictine monastery. Burials were discontinued there in 1468 and at the same time a new cemetery was founded beyond the hill at the edge of town. In 1888 it was expanded and today it sits on three acres. It is enclosed by massive walls, contains around 11,000 graves, and nearly three thousand gravestones. It contains examples of late Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist tombstones, while the oldest tombstone that can still be read is from 1625. The very good condition of the cemetery is credited to a local man named Pavlík and his friends and pupils, who at their own initiative tended it from 1981 to 1998.

This synagogue in Trebic, Czech Republic is known as the "rear" synagogue as well as the "New" (Neuschul) synagogue and dates from 1669. After 1837, a new part of women's gallery was added to its northern part. Since 1925, the synagogue has not been used for religious purposes and was converted into a storehouse. Due to lack of maintenance the structure fell into disrepair in the 1980s. The complex and expensive full renovation was completed in 1997 and the synagogue was reopened that year.

The synagogue is located in Třebíč's historic Jewish Quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although at one point there were as many as 1500 Jews in Třebíč, by the 1930s there were only 300 remaining, all of whom were deported to concentration camps during WWII. Ten Jews returned to Třebíč after the war.

Today, the synagogue is used for exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events and visitors can see murals in the interior dating from the early 18th century

In 1908, Ludwig Spiro, one-time rabbinical student and successful Jewish paper mill owner, along with a group of other successful Jewish businessmen, funded the building of Český Krumlov’s Nouveau-Romanesque Synagogue for a small Jewish community. In 1909, the building was completed and over the next thirty years the community doubled in size.

The synagogue was built to face the direction of Jerusalem and featured deep azure arched ceilings and colorful windows decorated with the Star of David. Directly outside, there was a beautifully landscaped park and Sukkah. The synagogue also housed a perfectly tuned harmonium for theater productions that accompanied the accomplished chorus singers and their choir master.

In 1938, the Sudeten German movement and Nazi politics invaded Český Krumlov. Nazis confiscated the synagogue's decorations and converted the building into a Hitler’s Youth Club. Most of the Český Krumlov Jews were sent to Terezín and other concentration camps. Between the end of WWII and the 1980s the building served other purposes, including as a church and as storage for the Český Krumlov Baroque Theatre.

In the early 1990s, a rich Israeli woman came to Český Krumlov, announcing that she wanted to see the interior of the synagogue, promising to invest some of her capital towards its repair. The Town Hall provided her keys, but she never returned them, leaving instead huge holes in the wall as a reminder of her visit. The secret caches she opened probably held Torah, jewels, or religious artifacts, but their actual contents will remain forever a mystery. Today, the synagogue continues to dilapidate, and until only recently provided a residence to squatters and drug-users.

In 1997, Český Krumlov returned the Synagogue to its rightful owner, the Jewish Community of Prague, who oversees the operation and upkeep of all Jewish sites in the Czech Republic. The Jewish Community of Prague formed a partnership with the Český Krumlov Development Fund (an independent entity owned by the Town of Český Krumlov) to create a renovation plan. It now is a museum and café.

Jewish presence in Charlottesville, VA dates back to colonial times but in 1870 land for the Hebrew Cemetery was deeded to the Charlottesville Hebrew Benevolent Society. Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) was built in 1882 and is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Virginia. In 1883 the congregation brought Rabbi William Weinstein from Alabama who served as a lay leader until 1979, when CBI hired its first full-time rabbi. In 1904, the Federal Government purchased land where the original building was located to build a Post Office and building materials were moved from the site to its present location. The design of the new building was modified and improved by a local architect, George Wallace Spooner, in the Gothic Revival Style. The design incorporates fleur de lis on the exterior of the building, which are sometimes mistaken for crosses. The building has been renovated and expanded a number of times since its founding, including following a fire in 1946 and for a new kitchen in 2016.

Lexington had an Orthodox Jewish community at the turn of the century consisting of 8-10 families. They gathered in downtown stores for minyans, a practice that lasted for 50 years until Abie Grossman's store on Water Street closed in the late 60s. Traditionally, the Odd Fellows hall on West Short Street was rented for the High Holy Days.

They bought the former Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church, auctioned of pews to raise redecoration funds, and modified it to become a synagogue, including removing the organ. Ohavay Zion dedicated the building in 1914. The congregation was nominally Orthodox but had three seating sections: men, women, and mixed seating in the center. This compromise seating arrangement reflected the religious diversity within Lexington’s Orthodox congregation.

For a number of years there was no full-time Rabbi. Although there are no records, it is generally agreed Rabbi Jacob Lowenthal arrived in 1919 to serve as Ohavay Zion’s first full-time, salaried Rabbi. He stayed for six years and also served as Shochet and Mohel.

Ohavay Zion outgrew its small synagogue by 1940. The building was remodeled twice: in 1941 to add a social hall and kitchen and in 1964 to add a building for a nursery school in addition to the religious school. In 1962 Rabbi Bernard Schwab was hired and became the congregation’s first rabbi to stay longer than five years. Schwab was an Orthodox rabbi, though most of the members were more Conservative in orientation. By 1971, Ohavay Zion had 140 families and still held daily minyans. In 1983, Ohavay Zion officially joined the Conservative movement. Soon after Rabbi Schwab’s death in 1985, Ohavay Zion voted to give women equal status within the congregation.

In 1987, Ohavay Zion moved to a new building in the suburbs with a big Torah procession from their old synagogue. Their old building was sold and became an Italian restaurant, which is still open today and referred to as the Pizzagogue. by the WanderingJews and friends.

Temple Adath Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Lexington. From its beginning it has been affiliated with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now known as the Union for Reform Judaism. Formally established in 1904, the Temple was chartered “for the purpose of religious services, a Sabbath school and other matters pertaining to the moral elevation among the Jewish people of Lexington and Central Kentucky.” Toward the end of 1903, a small group of Jewish men living in Lexington recognized the need to organize a Reform Temple in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1904, Samuel Goldenson was hired as the Temple’s first full-time rabbi, beginning after his ordination at Hebrew Union College. Within a month of Rabbi Goldenson’s move to Lexington, the group formally incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as "Adath Israel Congregation" for the purpose of "conducting and maintaining religious institutions and religious worship, teaching and training according to the customs of American Israelites.” The congregation purchased a building on Maryland Avenue for its first permanent sanctuary in 1905. Members worshipped there until the present sanctuary on Ashland Avenue was dedicated in 1926. This is a picture of the current synagogue building on Ashland Ave.

Temple Adath Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Lexington. From its beginning it has been affiliated with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now known as the Union for Reform Judaism. Formally established in 1904, the Temple was chartered “for the purpose of religious services, a Sabbath school and other matters pertaining to the moral elevation among the Jewish people of Lexington and Central Kentucky.” Toward the end of 1903, a small group of Jewish men living in Lexington recognized the need to organize a Reform Temple in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1904, Samuel Goldenson was hired as the Temple’s first full-time rabbi, beginning after his ordination at Hebrew Union College. Within a month of Rabbi Goldenson’s move to Lexington, the group formally incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as "Adath Israel Congregation" for the purpose of "conducting and maintaining religious institutions and religious worship, teaching and training according to the customs of American Israelites.” The congregation purchased a building on Maryland Avenue for its first permanent sanctuary in 1905. Members worshipped there until the present sanctuary on Ashland Avenue was dedicated in 1926. This is a picture of the first synagogue building on Maryland Ave. It is currently in use as a church.

The only remaining synagogue in Bratislava is located on Heydukova Street, not far from the historic city center. It was constructed in 1923-1926, decades after restrictions on Jewish residence were lifted, enabling them to move out of the Judengasse district and settle throughout the city. The synagogue exterior has a towerless, seven-pillared colonnade facing the street. The interior includes a large sanctuary in which modern steel-and-concrete construction and contemporary Cubist details are combined with historic elements, such as the arcade of the women’s gallery, a metallic bimah, and the ark. It was designed by the local Jewish architect Artur Szalatnai. The architecture fulfills traditional religious requirements, such as separation of men and women and placement of the bimah in the center, but it also features modern facilities: Cloak-rooms, toilets, and an array of additional rooms for study and social gatherings that cluster along the western façade of the building. The synagogue still serves as an active Jewish house of worship.

Historically there were three synagogues in Bratislava but the other two were demolished in the 20th century. The synagogue is an important example of Slovak religious architecture of the 20th century and it is listed as a Slovak National Cultural Monument. It is one of only four active synagogues in Slovakia. The building also houses the Bratislava Jewish Community Museum, installed upstairs, with a permanent exhibition “The Jews of Bratislava and Their Heritage” which is open to the public during the summer season

Jewish presence in Bath, ME began in 1886 when one of the children of the Mikelsky family, on their way by train from Rockland to Boston, became ill. A Bath druggist gladly helped the sick child. That kindness and the welcoming atmosphere of Bath led the Mikelsky family of eleven to decide to remain in Bath.

During the next several decades more Jewish families moved into the Bath region until by 1919 the burgeoning Jewish community founded Beth Israel Congregation. The 39 founding members included many whose names have become an integral part of Bath's history: Greenblatt, Gediman, Povich, Brown, and Petlock. For the first few years, services were held in various halls in town while funds were raised for a building. The supportive non-Jewish Bath community assisted in the fund-raising effort, contributing $2400.

Finally, the synagogue building at 862 Washington Street was ready. On January 29, 1922, Congregation President Solomon Greenblatt led a parade from the music hall at Center and Washington Streets where many had gathered for the ceremony. Carrying the Torah, the American flag, and lighted candles, the founding members marched to the new building and opened its doors for the first time.

Kahal Shalom Synagogue in Rhodes, Greece was built in 1577 and is the oldest synagogue in Greece. Most features of the Kahal Shalom Synagogue are typical of Sephardic and Ottoman synagogues. The tevah, or podium, from which the Torah is read, is in the center of the sanctuary, as in most Sephardic houses of worship. The floor is a mosaic with the same black and white local stones used in pavements around Rhodes. An unusual feature of the temple is the fact that there are two hekháls (Torah arks), on either side of the door leading into the interior courtyard. There is also a fountain in the courtyard used for handwashing by the Kohanim before reciting the priestly blessings. Today, there are about 10 Jews left on the Island.

The Millinery Center Synagogue is located at 1025 6th Ave. in New York City. In the years following World War I there were 600 hat firms with 15,000 employees, many of whom were hard-working Jewish immigrants, in a five block area near the site where the synagogue now stands. The Jews who commuted into the city for work needed a synagogue for daily prayers. In 1935 some of the hat-makers founded the Millinery Center Synagogue congregation, which worshipped in a second-floor loft. Moe Brillstein, father of film producer Bernie Brillstein, became president of the congregation and started a building fund. By 1945 they had raised $150,000 and commissioned architect H.I. Feldman to design and build the new synagogue. Feldman is primarily responsible for designing the Art Deco-style apartment buildings that line the Grand Concourse in the Bronx and, at the time of his death in 1981, had designed 2,500 apartment homes in the New York City area. The limestone-faced building, which even features air conditioning, was completed in 1948 with seating for 128 worshippers and the space was also used for social activities. From 1998 until as recently as October 2015 the cantor sold bedsheets out front on 6th Ave. to raise funds for the synagogue.