Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley
    Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley
    Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley
    Ebook183 pages50 minutes

    Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley

    By Julian H. Preisler

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In 1740, Nathan Levy one of the first Jewish residents of
    Philadelphia requested a plot of land to give his child a Jewish burial. This plot on Spruce Street became the first Jewish communal cemetery and marked the beginning of organized Jewish life in the colonial city. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, floods of Jewish immigrants came to the United States from Europe and settled in Philadelphia and throughout the Delaware Valley. As a result, hundreds of synagogues were organized and flourished. Today, Philadelphia s myriad synagogues are like living museums of architectural history. From small wooden structures that evoke Eastern Europe to the sharp angles, modern lines and soaring sanctuary space envisioned by Frank Lloyd Wright, these synagogues reflect changing trends in style, design and function. With this comprehensive collection of images, Preisler helps record the region s unique religious and cultural history and captures in time its architectural treasures.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe History Press
    Release dateDec 10, 2008
    ISBN9781614235347
    Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley
    Author

    Julian H. Preisler

    Julian Preisler is a researcher, genealogist, and author residing in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. A graduate of the University of Florida and Mary Washington College, he has a broad background in archives and history and has been a professional genealogist and researcher for over 18 years. The son of Holocaust Survivors from Germany and the Czech Republic, Preisler is a native of Detroit, Michigan and has had an interest in Jewish history/genealogy and synagogue architecture for over 25 years. He has published several books and has written articles for a variety of Jewish and non-Jewish newspapers. Preisler has also been in involved in photographing and indexing U.S. Jewish cemeteries for many years.

    Related to Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & the Delaware Valley - Julian H. Preisler

      appreciated.

      INTRODUCTION

      As a researcher, genealogist and archivist, I have always been fascinated by synagogue architecture and the documentation of our Jewish-built environment here in the United States. As far back as I can remember, I have had a keen interest in American synagogues and the variety of architectural styles and designs they reflect. For the past twenty or so years, I have photographed synagogues as a hobby. I have been fortunate to have lived in a variety of cities and states, and I have also had the opportunity to travel to many small towns and cities, especially in the Eastern United States. In 2006, I began to assemble my photographs for a CD-ROM book. The original intent was to share my vast collection of photographs with those interested in synagogue architecture and American Jewish history. What started out as a rather small project grew into an immense collection of synagogue photographs comprising all fifty states and Washington, D.C. The result became volume one of American Synagogues: A Photographic Journey.

      During this work, I was contacted by The History Press to see if I would be interested in doing a print book of some of my photographs. We chose Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley because of the area’s long Jewish community history and variety of synagogue structures. In this book, you will find a unique collection of both current and former synagogues from urban areas and the various suburbs. I had originally hoped to include photographs of as many synagogue buildings as possible, but because of space and time limitations, I had to limit the number featured. Despite this fact, this is probably one of the largest such collections in a book to date. It represents a varied look at all types of synagogues in the area.

      This book is not an exhaustive photographic or historical catalogue, but rather a relaxed, informal look at the various styles, sizes and types of synagogues that can be found in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The book covers the city and county of Philadelphia; Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania; Southern New Jersey, including the city of Camden, Cherry Hill Township and Burlington, Camden, Cumberland and Salem Counties; and Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County in Northern Delaware. The focus of this book is the photographs and the buildings they represent, both past and present. Basic historical information on each congregation and building is included to assist the reader in knowing more about a particular building. In many cases, if known, the name of the architect is also included. The historical information on the Jewish communities presented in the following pages is designed to give the reader a brief background and is not meant to present an exhaustive history. There are many excellent local Jewish history books and articles available for those who wish to delve deeper into the Jewish history of the region.

      The historical information found in this book comes from my vast collection of synagogue books, Jewish community history books and local history books. Local history, Jewish community and synagogue websites were also helpful to me as I assembled the dates and information about the various buildings and congregations. Many synagogues also took the time to provide information when I requested it. I had hoped for greater participation on the part of local synagogues, but I was grateful for the replies that I received. Particularly helpful with data for the smaller, older Philadelphia congregations was a synagogue history guide created from the research of Allen Meyers, Bunny Kolinsky, Aaron Roetenberg and others. It serves as a sort of genealogical guide to the history of Philadelphia-area synagogues. The resource was created through research at the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center and is made available through the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia. There are many varied sources of information available regarding local synagogue history, and the data is often contradictory, but every effort was made to provide as accurate a description as possible.

      LOCAL JEWISH COMMUNITY HISTORY

      A Short Introduction

      PHILADELPHIA AND SUBURBS

      Philadelphia boasts one of the largest Jewish communities found in the United States today. Its history is varied and storied, and it has the distinction of being one of the six original Jewish communities that were established in the American colonies. A number of Jewish traders were operating in southeastern Pennsylvania as early as 1703, and there were several Jewish families residing and doing business in the city of Philadelphia by the 1730s. These early Jewish settlers were of Sephardic, and also German, origin. Prominent early Jewish family names included Franks, Gratz, Levy, Salomon and Simon.

      The Jewish community’s official origins date to 1740, when one of the earliest documented Jewish residents, Nathan Levy, applied to Thomas Penn for a plot to bury his child according to Jewish religious customs. The grant was approved on September 25, 1740, and the plot on Spruce Street between Eighth and Ninth Streets became the first Jewish communal cemetery in Philadelphia—the beginning of organized Jewish life in the colonial city. The first Jewish congregation in Pennsylvania, Congregation Mikveh Israel, traces its beginnings to the establishment of the cemetery in

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1