The Southern Tour

I rarely go to a synagogue here in Philadelphia, but whenever I visit a city with a synagogue worth visiting, i.e., an old, historic one, I always make it a point to check it out. It’s a paradox, huh?

So it was with my recent swing down south. I was heading to Charleston, S.C. and Savannah, GA, and was eager to visit the historic synagogues in those cities. Because I work in a Jewish history museum, and because the museum shares its location with historic Congregation Mikveh Israel, one of the original colonial congregations and historic in its own right, I had a passing familiarity in, and a professional interest, the two southern sites. Plus, as noted before, I like going to synagogues when I don't have to pray.

Charleston’s Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (sanctuary below) was established in 1749, but the current structure was dedicated in 1841. The congregation’s first synagogue was destroyed in a fire, a fate that apparently befell many a structure in Charleston. It seemed that every historic building in Charleston had the same prologue: “The original church … synagogue …outhouse … you name the structure, burned down and what you are seeing is the one that replaced it.”

Kahol Kadosh was impressively old and southern, or so it seemed to me, and it included an excellent, small exhibition about the history of Jewry in Charleston.

Savannah’s Congregation Mickve Israel (below) was the more impressive structure. As its website declares, it is America’s only gothic style synagogue. Its first synagogue, a small wooden structure was destroyed by – yep, you guessed it, fire in 1829. The current building was consecrated in 1878. Mickve Israel also had a nice exhibition.

The synagogue was on Monterey Square, one of many wonderful squares that Savannah is known for by everyone, apparently, in the United States and more than a few Belgians and no doubt some Burkina Fasoians. But not me. I hadn’t had time to research the city before I went there. It is an exceptionally beautiful city.

But the real treasure for me was the synagogue (below) I stumbled upon in Beaufort, S.C., on the way to Savannah. I was driving around, looking for historic homes in Beaufort, and spotted a building that looked interesting. It was an arsenal, and right behind the arsenal was a synagogue. It didn’t have the grandness of the Charleston or Savannah synagogues. It was a simple structure and reminded me of the roadside churches – and there are lots of them – that dot the road from Charleston to Savannah.

According to the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina website, congregation members at one time rented a room on the second floor of the arsenal (on right in front of synagogue). The white clapboard synagogue was dedicated in 1908.

It was locked up, so I couldn’t go in. But it was a delightful find and, best of all, as far as I know, it has never caught on fire.

Happy Hanukkah

It's Hanukkah and I thought I'd show a cool artifact from our collection.

This compact and very portable Hanukkah lamp, whose eight oil reservoirs can be concealed within its sofa-shaped case when not in use, has survived a lot. It dates back to the early 1700s, from a Sephardic Jewish family. They lived on the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. Many islands in the Caribbean during this time were home to Jews who were involved in the shipping trade.

Curacao, like New Amsterdam where the first Jews settled in North America in 1654, was a Dutch colony and therefore undoubtedly friendlier to Jews than other places, given the greater religious tolerance practiced by the Dutch at home and abroad. The lamp’s portable and inconspicuous design speaks to the itinerant nature of the Jewish people and also perhaps to the tradition of practicing Judaism in secrecy, especially after the Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and then scattered.

I'm scattering out of here to my brother's for a Hanukkah celebration at his house.

Hope your holiday is nice.

Thanksgiving

My aunt Sara used to live in a building called the Mayflower. That's about as close as a connection I can make to Thanksgiving and the Jews.

Maybe not.

If I have my history right, sometimes a dubious proposition, the Pilgrims emigrated from England seeking religious freedom. (And, sometimes when you say the word freedom, don't you just want to shout it out like Mel Gibson did as William Wallace in Braveheart: FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM.) And, Jews, of course, have immigrated to America for years, seeking freedom of all sorts, such as religious, economic, and artistic.

So, Jews have a lot in common with those Pilgrims. (Although I have to say American Jews, collectively, are snappier dressers.) All Americans who came here from someplace else seeking freedoms that were not allowed in their countries of origin have something in common with the Pilgrims.

The main theme of the new Museum is, in fact, freedom. The core exhibition will illuminate the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all Americans by exploring the life experiences, struggles and triumphs of American Jews. It will question freedom's blessings and costs.

The postcard below, from the Museum's collection, illustrates in a small way one of the costs of freedom. The cost of life borne by our country's soldiers.

The postcard, according to its back (below), was published by the Jewish Welfare Board in Boston and depicts Thanksgiving dinner for 150 soldiers and sailors stationed in the Boston area.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, the Jewish Welfare Board was organized shortly after America’s entry into World War I, consolidating religious groups in the Jewish community to become an official agency to work with the War Department through its Commission on Training Camp Activities.

The JWB built buildings and stocked libraries on army installations and distributed books, articles, Bibles, and prayer books supplied through its affiliation with the Jewish Publication Society. It established community branches in the “second line of defense,” by supporting Jewish workers in the shipyards, arsenals, and other military plants and factories, as well as hospitals and universities where the government had taken over under military regulations.

Enjoy American freedom this Thanksgiving. Enjoy your holiday. And to all the troops serving on the country's behalf, stay safe.

The Opposite Point of View

Our friend, Jeff Holder, took this photograph of the Museum site, from the west side of Independence Mall. (Click on it for a larger view.)


The building being demolished is on the site of the new Museum. There are two interesting projects going on on Independence Mall that are visible.

The circular area will be a rest area with seating. Next to the circular section, on the left, a space is being designed that celebrates the First Amendment and will provide a highly visible area for public assemblies.

Between 5th and 6th Streets will be open landscaping, with pedestrian walkways and some seating areas. The Museum is on 5th Street and will face west.

To the northeast is the Ben Franklin Bridge, which takes you to New Jersey. And back to Philadelphia, of course, depending on which way you are driving.

Geography lesson is now over.

Dig it! The Museum had a Groundbreaking

We did it. After years of what seemed like one step forward, two steps back, the Museum became more of a certainty, more of a reality, with our September 30 groundbreaking. It was a ceremonial groundbreaking, as demolition of the building on our site had already begun, but nonetheless it was a fantastic, exciting day.

Once again, you can see the view from the Museum is going to be spectacular.

The view above, looking southwest, shows Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, and some of the approximately 400 people who attended the ceremony.

At the groundbreaking were (from left) Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell; Museum Co-Chairman Ron Rubin; Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street; Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna of Brandeis University, who is leading the team of scholars designing the new Museum; James S. Polshek, the Museum's architect; Patrick Gallagher, whose Gallagher & Associates is designing the core exhibition; and Emmy award-winning filmmaker David Grubin, who is helping to create the Museum's narrative.

Also there (from left) were Ruth Sarner-Libros, the Museum's president emerita; D. Walter Cohen, the Museum's chairman emeritus; Gwen Goodman, the Museum's executive director; U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter; Lyn M. Ross, a Museum trustee and former president; and George M. Ross, the Museum's co-chairman.

The Museum's fearless leader Gwen Goodman and her husband Alan dug the groundbreaking.

I got into the act with some of the stuff I shoveled in my press releases.

And, of course, what would be a ceremonial groundbreaking without Star of David-shaped pretzels given to all the people who attended?

Construction of the Museum is scheduled to begin in December.

The New Year

Man, who knew that being involved with building a $150 million museum would take up so much time? Between work, buying Springsteen tickets, visiting the doctor and visiting the dentist, the latter symbolically represented by the artifact below from the Museum's collection, it was hard to find time to write.

I do want to wish all of Jewish, etc.'s faithful readers -- who are you anyway? Write, would ya'? -- best wishes for the New Year, on behalf of myself and the Museum staff, Board of Trustees and volunteers. I hope to be more diligent in the year ahead. I'm not sure if that will get me written in the Book of Life, but that's my resolution.

Please enjoy these postcards from the Museum's collection.

CREDITS, descending order.

Painted metal business sign, “Dr. Saul Cohen / Dentist,” early twentieth century. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Peter H. Schweitzer Collection of Jewish Americana. Photograph by Jeffry E. Holder.

Rosh Hashanah postcard, ca. 1912. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schimmel Purchase Fund.

Rosh Hashanah postcard, ca. 1910. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia.

Rosh Hashanah postcard, ca. 1910. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Weinberg Trust Purchase Fund.

Groundbreaking is Nigh

Groundbreaking for the new Museum is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30, at 11 a.m at 5th and Market streets on Independence Mall. The public is invited to this event, which will be a historic one for Jews locally and across America, and for the Greater Philadelphia region.

The public is invited so if you're in the area, or are thinking about visiting, come by.


I'll be writing more about the groundbreaking as it approaches, and afterward, but this will be the only time I will use the word "nigh." That's my guarantee.

The fantastic Save the Date card, by the way, was done by Debbie Schafer, a good friend of the Museum.