B'nai Jacob Synagogue (Ottumwa, Iowa)

Last updated

B'nai Jacob Synagogue
BNaiJacobOttumwaSouthView.jpg
The synagogue during Hanukkah, in 2010,
prior to its closure
Religion
Affiliation
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
  • Synagogue (1915–2010)
  • Meeting and performance space (since 2019)
OwnershipAmerican Gothic Performing Arts Festival
Status
  • Closed(as a synagogue);
  • Repurposed
Location
Location529 East Main Street, Ottumwa, Iowa
CountryUnited States
USA Iowa relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the former synagogue in Iowa
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
B'nai Jacob Synagogue (Ottumwa, Iowa) (the United States)
Geographic coordinates 41°0′50″N92°24′25″W / 41.01389°N 92.40694°W / 41.01389; -92.40694
Architecture
Architect(s) George M. Kerns
Type Synagogue architecture
Style
FounderOttumwa Hebrew Association
General contractor L.T. Chrisman, and Co.
Date established1898 (as a congregation)
Completed1915
Materials Red brick
B'nai Jacob Synagogue
B'NaiJacobOttumwaInteriorFromNorth.jpg
The sanctuary as seen from the northern corner
Arealess than one acre
MPS Ottumwa MPS
NRHP reference No. 04000815
Added to NRHPAugust 10, 2004
[1] [2] [3]

B'nai Jacob Synagogue is a former Conservative synagogue in Ottumwa, Iowa. The originally Orthodox congregation was established in 1898, and it constructed the E. Main Street synagogue building in 1915, and joined the Conservative movement in the 1950s.

Contents

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The synagogue closed as a space of worship in 2010 and the building is now preserved as a meeting and performance space.

History

The first Jewish settlement in Ottumwa in the 19th century was dominated by German Jews, and in the early 1880s, there was an organized German congregation. By 1884, this had dissolved as most of the original German pioneers died out and their children left town. In 1886 there were about 20 Jewish families in town. [4] The Ottumwa Jewish cemetery, founded by the Ottumwa Hebrew Association in 1876, was the lasting legacy of this period of Ottumwa's history. [5]

Edna Ferber lived in Ottumwa as a child in the 1890s. Her father operated The Fair, an Ottumwa department store. At the time, Ottumwa was a coal mining town, and the antisemitism of the town had a lasting influence on Ferber. She wrote of her years in Ottumwa: "I don't think that there was a day when I wasn't called a sheeny." [6] [7]

By the turn of the 20th century, Ottumwa had fewer than 50 Jewish families, immigrants from Germany and across eastern Europe. Most were "in the junk and second-hand business", but there were also laborers, shoemakers, tailors and one prominent merchant. Some families were extremely observant, "wearing two types of phylacteries", while others believed "in no Judaism at all." One local Jew had a personal Torah scroll and a private mikvah, but there was no organized community. [8]

In the early 1900s, many people called the area around the 300, 400 and 500 blocks of Main Street "Jew Town" because the stores in the neighborhood were mostly owned by Jewish families, many of whom lived above their stores. [9] The B'nai Jacob congregation was organized in 1898. In 1907, the congregation was located at 404 E. Main St., and had 15 members out of an estimated Jewish population of 150. The Hebrew school had 15 pupils and met once per week. By 1919, the Jewish population of Ottumwa had risen to 412 and the congregation had moved one block into the current building. The school still only had one teacher on staff, but there were 21 pupils and the school met daily. [5] [10] The B'nai Jacob congregation numbered around 250 in the 1930s and 1940s. The synagogue affiliated with the Conservative movement in the 1950s.

The Jewish population of Ottumwa was 231 in 1951. [11] By 1960, the Jewish population was estimated at 175, [12] and by 1962, 150. [13] For the next two decades, through 1983, the population estimate remained unchanged. [14] [15] [16] By 2010, the congregation on a typical Saturday morning had shrunk to seven or so, and by 2018, as few as two. [9] [17] [18] In August of that year, the congregation donated its Torah scroll "to a new synagogue forming in South America", and ceased functioning. [19]

Building

B'nai Jacob's Renaissance [1] or Deco Vernacular [2] synagogue building at 529 East Main Street (at Union Street) was constructed in 1915. The architect was George M. Kerns and L.T. Chrisman and Company was the contractor. The exterior is brick, with an addition in the back holding a kitchen and social hall, built some time in the 1950s.

As originally built, the bimah was in the center of the sanctuary, but in an earlier modernization of the building, the central bimah was removed. The woodwork around the ark is original, as is the 7-branched menorah in front of the ark. The ark doors and interior, however, are not original.

The sanctuary features a woman's gallery against the south-west wall, built over the front entrance foyer and classroom, although it is rarely used. In traditional Judaism, women were seated separately from men, separated by a mechitza which frequently took the form of a balcony. The separation of men and women at B'nai Jacob ended when one woman's health problems prevented her from climbing the stairs to the balcony.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2004, [3] and a major historic restoration was completed during 2004–2005. [9] [17]

In February 2019 the building was donated to the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival and renamed Temple of Creative Arts, to be used as meeting and performance space. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synagogue</span> Place of worship for Jews and Samaritans

A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It has a place for prayer where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, choir performances, and children's plays. They also have rooms for study, social halls, administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious and Hebrew studies, and many places to sit and congregate. They often display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork alongside items of Jewish historical significance or history about the synagogue itself.

Jews in Philadelphia can trace their history back to Colonial America. Jews have lived in Philadelphia since the arrival of William Penn in 1682.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West London Synagogue</span> Grade II listed Reform synagogue in City of Westminster, London, England

The West London Synagogue, abbreviated WLS, and fully the West London Synagogue of British Jews is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located near Marble Arch, at 34 Upper Berkeley Street, in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England, in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Emanu-El (Victoria, British Columbia)</span> Jewish synagogue in British Columbia, Canada

Congregation Emanu-El is a Conservative synagogue located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The congregation is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Abraham Synagogue (Brenham, Texas)</span>

The B'nai Abraham Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and former congregation from Brenham, Texas, in the United States. The congregation was organized in 1885.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percival Goodman</span> American architect

Percival Goodman was an American urban theorist and architect who designed more than 50 synagogues between 1948 and 1983. He has been called the "leading theorist" of modern synagogue design, and "the most prolific architect in Jewish history."

Congregation Am Tikvah is a combined Conservative and Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 625 Brotherhood Way in San Francisco, California, in the United States. The congregation was formed in 2021 as the result of the merger of the Conservative B'nai Emunah and the Reform Beth Israel Judea congregations, with the latter formed in 1969 through a merger of the Conservative Congregation Beth Israel and the Reform Temple Judea. The congregation is affiliated with both the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Heights Synagogue</span> Synagogue in Wawarsing, New York, USA

Ulster Heights Synagogue, formally known as Congregation Knesset Israel of Ulster Heights, is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at the corner of Beaver Dam and Ulster Heights roads in the Ulster Heights section of the town of Wawarsing, in the Catskill region of New York, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Jeshurun (Manhattan)</span> Synagogue in New York City

B'nai Jeshurun is a non-denominational Jewish synagogue located at 257 West 88th Street and 270 West 89th Street, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Włodawa Synagogue</span> Former synagogue in Włodawa, Poland

The Włodawa Synagogue in Włodawa, Poland is an architectural complex consisting of two historic synagogues and a Jewish administrative building, now preserved as a museum. The complex includes the Włodawa Great Synagogue of 1764–74, the late 18th century Small Synagogue, and the 1928 community building. It is "one of the best-preserved" synagogues in Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheltenham Synagogue</span> Orthodox synagogue in Cheltenham, England

The Cheltenham Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Synagogue Lane in St James's Square of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, in the United Kingdom. The congregation was formed in 1820 and worships in the Ashkenazi rite.

B'nai Israel is an architecturally notable Conservative Jewish congregation and synagogue in Millburn, Essex County, New Jersey, in the United States.

Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3100 East Broad Street, in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. Founded as the Orthodox Bene Jeshurun congregation in 1846, the congregation is the oldest Jewish congregation in Columbus, and a founding member of the Union for Reform Judaism. Its first religious leader was Simon Lazarus, a clothing merchant who founded what would become Lazarus department stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Agudas Achim (Livingston Manor, New York)</span> Reform synagogue in New York (state), US

Agudas Achim Synagogue, formally known as Congregation Agudas Achim, is a Reform Jewish synagogue located on Rock Avenue in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County, New York, in the United States. The stucco-sided wooden building was erected in the 1920s to serve the growing Jewish community in that area of the Catskills. It served the large summer population of Jews from the New York City area who vacationed at family resorts in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Israel (Tulsa, Oklahoma)</span>

Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 2004 East 22nd Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States. Founded in 1914, the congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1915, and constructed its first building on the corner of 14th and Cheyenne Streets in 1919. Early rabbis included Jacob Menkes, Charles Latz, Samuel Kaplan, Jacob Krohngold, and Benjamin Kelsen.

B'nai Jacob may refer to the following Jewish synagogues:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Israel Synagogue (Council Bluffs, Iowa)</span> Synagogue in Council Bluffs, IA

B'nai Israel Synagogue is a synagogue in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name Chevra B'nai Yisroel Synagogue in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Congregation B'nai Abraham</span> Historic Orthodox synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Historic Congregation B’nai Abraham, officially B’nai Abraham Chabad, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 523-527 Lombard Street, in the Society Hill neighborhood of the Center City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Established as a congregation in 1874 and the current synagogue building completed in 1910, worshipers can access daily, Shabbat, and holy day services in the Ashkenazi rite. B'nai Abraham is home to a Jewish Preschool, as well as Lubavitch of Center City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East London Central Synagogue</span>

The East London Central Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation synagogue, located on Nelson Street in the East End of the City of London, England, in the United Kingdom. When founded in 1923, its name was the Nelson Street Sfardish Synagogue. It has "an unassuming exterior and a stunningly beautiful interior". The congregation worships in the Ashkenazi rite.

References

  1. 1 2 "B'Nai Jacob Synagogue, Ottumwa Iowa". Archiplanet. December 5, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Preisler, Julian H. (2007–2010). "Congregation B'Nai Jacob". American Synagogues, A Photographic Journey. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010.
  3. 1 2 NRHP Weekly list, August 20, 2004
  4. Goldenberg, Bertha (June 1886). "The Sabbath Visitor: Letter". Cincinnati. p. 127.
  5. 1 2 Szold, Henrietta, ed. (1907). "American Jewish Yearbook 5668". Ottumwa: Jewish Publication Society. p. 180.
  6. Watts, Eileen H.; Avery, Edna Ferber (2007). "Jewish American Writer: Who Knew?". In Avery, Evelyn Gross (ed.). Modern Jewish Writers in America. pp. 41–42.
  7. Lemberger, Michael W.; Michaels, Leigh (2007). Ottumwa. Arcadia. p. 40. ISBN   9780738550831.
  8. Glazer, Simon (1904). "Ottumwa". The Jews in Iowa. Des Moines: Koch Brothers. pp. 314–315. ISBN   9780722247921.
  9. 1 2 3 "B'nai Jacob Synagogue in Ottumwa Turns 90". Ottumwa Courier. September 13, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  10. Schneiderman, Harry, ed. (1919). "Ottumwa". American Jewish Yearbook 5680. Vol. 21. Jewish Publication Society. p. 374.
  11. Fine, Morris, ed. (1951). "Jewish Population Estimates" (PDF). American Jewish Yearbook. Jewish Publication Society of America. p. 18.
  12. Rosenthal, Erich (1963). "Studies of Jewish Intermarriage in the United States" (PDF). American Jewish Yearbook. American Jewish Committee. p. 35.
  13. Fine, Morris; Himmelfarb, Milton, eds. (1963). "American Jewish Yearbook: Appendix" (PDF). American Jewish Committee. p. 71.
  14. Jelenko, Martha; Fine, Morris; Hillelfarb, Milton, eds. (1973). "American Jewish Yearbook: Appendix" (PDF). Jewish Publication Society. p. 311.
  15. Jelenko, Martha; Fine, Morris; Hillelfarb, Milton, eds. (1976). "American Jewish Yearbook: Appendix" (PDF). American Jewish Committee. p. 234.
  16. Hillelfarb, Milton; Singer, David, eds. (1984). "American Jewish Yearbook: Appendix" (PDF). American Jewish Committee. p. 168.
  17. 1 2 Buhrman, Matt (July 6, 2010). "Historic Places: B'Nai Jacob Synagogue". Kirksville, Missouri/Ottumwa, Iowa: KTVO.
  18. "Dwindling membership challenges Ottumwa synagogue". Ottumwa Courier. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Milner, Matt (June 17, 2019). "Performing arts festival celebrates new home", Ottumwa Courier .