JHC01. Synagogues

Abstract

Temple Emanuel was founded in 1920 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. It began by serving a small immigrant Jewish community that has since grown to an affluent and lively congregation of about 600 families. This growth occurred largely under the tenure of Rabbi Harry A. Roth, who lead the congregation from 1962 until 1990 and oversaw the temple’s move to Andover, Massachusetts. This collection includes correspondence, photographs, and sermons.

Abstract Temple Israel was founded as Congregation Adath Israel in 1854 when a group of German Jews broke from Congregation Ohabei Shalom. The congregation was also known as the Pleasant Street Synagogue. In 1859, the congregation purchased cemetery land in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The synagogue was, and remains, a Reform congregation, and has been home to well known Rabbis, including Joshua Loth Liebman and Roland B. Gittelsohn. This collection contains flyers, newsletters, pamphlets, sermons and a...

Abstract Temple Israel of Swampscott and Marblehead was founded in 1946 by former members of Temple Beth El in Lynn. The new congregation purchased land at 837 Humphrey Street in Swampscott in 1947, and the synagogue and school stood at this location until the unification of Temple Israel and Temple Beth El in 2005. The collection contains administrative documents, records from the Brotherhood and Sisterhood organizations and the Hebrew School, publications, photographs of the synagogue and its...

Abstract

Temple Ner Tamid was founded in 1959 by local Jewish families who wanted a conservative synagogue in their home town of Peabody, Mass. Following its inception the congregation was able to buy a tract of land and raise money for construction of the temple, which was completed in 1965. Included are correspondence and other mailings, event programs, seating charts, temple by-laws, a Landscaping Committee record book, meeting and expense reports, and membership lists.

Abstract Temple Ohabei Shalom was founded on February 26, 1843 by several Boston Jewish families, and is the first synagogue established in Massachusetts. After meeting in the homes of both a founding congregant and the first elected Rabbi, Abraham Saling, Ohabei Shalom dedicated its first building on Warren (now Warrenton) Street in Boston in 1852. In 1855, the German Jewish congregants left Ohabei Shalom and founded Congregation Adath Israel (now Temple Israel in Boston.) The Polish Jewish...

Abstract

Temple Shalom is an Egalitarian Conservative Synagogue in Salem, Massachusetts, formerly called the Sons of Jacob. The congregation was formed by European Jewish immigrants in the Salem area in 1898. This collection includes photographs of congregation members and activities, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, meeting minutes, and various publications.

Abstract

Temple Sinai was founded in 1953 and became a hub of vibrant Jewish life on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Rabbi Meyer Strassfeld served as the congregation's spiritual leader from 1965-1989, and during this time he involved the community in the Soviet Jewry movement and led the dedication of a Torah scroll saved during the Holocaust. The collection contains many event flyers, booklets, and newspaper clippings that illustrate Temple Sinai's active community.

Abstract

This collection contains photographs and architectural drawings depicting 14 of the aron kodesh, or holy arks, created by early 20th century Russian woodworker Sam Katz. Also included are dedication programs, 3 snapshot portraits of Katz, and newspaper clippings relating to several congregations which feature Katz's holy arks.

Abstract Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, is the nation’s oldest synagogue. The Jewish community of Newport was founded in 1658 by a small group of Sephardic Jews seeking religious freedom. In 1758, Isaac Touro, a Dutch Jew, became the community’s spiritual leader. Shortly after, the congregation purchased land and hired Peter Harrison to design the Synagogue. The building was dedicated in 1763, and has continued to serve Newport’s Jewish community. This collection consists of addresses,...

Abstract

The Vilna Shul is the last immigrant-era synagogue building in Boston and currently operates as a cultural center. This collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, proposals, photographs, notes, publications, financial records, legal documents, architectural plans, and audiovisual materials relating to the activities, internal proceedings, finances, early history, building renovations, and legal disputes of the Vilna Shul.