Society Hill Synagogue

Last updated
Society Hill Synagogue
Society Hill Synagogue.jpg
The synagogue in 2013
Religion
Affiliation Judaism
Rite Unaffiliated
Ecclesiastical or organizational status
Leadership
  • Rabbi Nathan Kamesar
  • Rabbi Avi Winokur (Emeritus)
StatusActive
Location
Location418 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
Street map of Philadelphia and surrounding area.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Philadelphia
Geographic coordinates 39°56′42″N75°08′58″W / 39.94494°N 75.14946°W / 39.94494; -75.14946
Architecture
Architect(s)
Type Church
Date established1967 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1829 (as a church)
  • 1910 (as a synagogue)
Direction of façadeNorth
Website
societyhillsynagogue.org

Society Hill Synagogue is an unaffiliated Jewish congregation and synagogue located in the Society Hill section of Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.

Contents

The synagogue is home to a 300-household congregation with Shabbat and holiday services, a playschool for children 18 months to 5 years old, a Hebrew school for early childhood learning through high school students, adult education, social and communal activities, impactful social action, and engaging intergenerational programs.

History

Society Hill Synagogue is located at 418 Spruce Street. The building was designed by architect Thomas Ustick Walter in 1829 to serve as the home of the Spruce Street Baptist Church. Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Nusach Ashkenaz purchased the building in 1910. Within three years, the synagogue's official name was changed to the Roumanian American Congregation, also known as "Or Chodash-Agudas Achim" (New Light-Union of Brethren). That congregation was succeeded by Society Hill Synagogue, which continues to operate in the historic property and built the synagogue's adjacent Paula Kline Learning Center in 2021. The historic building is located within the Society Hill Historic District, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1971. [1]

Spruce Street Baptist Church

Former members of First Baptist Church commissioned Thomas Ustick Walter to design the building at 418 Spruce Street in 1829. Walter also served as clerk of the church and superintendent of the Sunday school. [2] In 1851, the church was enlarged, and a new façade with an attic story was designed by Walter with cupolas over the side bays of the façade. The congregation made additions to the rear of the building in 1871 and 1877.

Spruce Street Baptist Church moved to 50th and Spruce Streets in 1908, and in 1963 to Newtown Square [3] where it continues as an active congregation.

Great Roumanian Shul

The building was sold at auction in 1910 and was purchased by the Roumanian American Congregation, which represented the merger of Or Chodash and Agudas Achim Congregations. Or Chodash was organized in 1886 as a beneficial society with daily services held in the second floor at 512 S. Third Street. [4] Agudas Achim was organized in 1905. [5]

The synagogue became commonly known as the Great Roumanian Shul (Hebrew : דיא גרויסע רומענישע שוהל). It served the Philadelphia Jewish Quarter's Eastern European Jews in general, and was the center for the city's Roumanian Jewish community and fraternal organizations, hosting meetings and speakers. The Roumanian synagogue hosted Dr. Wilhelm Filderman for a mass meeting during a visit to Philadelphia in March 1926. [6]

Society Hill declined in the years following World War II. Immigrant Jewish communities assimilated, moved to suburbs, membership declined, and by the 1960s, the synagogue building had fallen into disrepair. [7]

Society Hill Synagogue

Society Hill Synagogue 20160519.jpg

In the 1960s, a new community of Jews in the Society Hill neighborhood were looking for a spiritual home. This new congregation purchased the building in 1967. [8]

Restoration began in 1968 [9] under the supervision of architect Henry J. Magaziner. The restoration cost $300,000 and included updates to the 1829 building, repair of Walter's façade, and the addition of air-conditioning, a contemporary kitchen, and a new social area. There were approximately 100 member families at the time. [10]

Additional work in 1971 was directed by Cauffman, Wilkenson & Pepper, with John Milner. The building is listed as a Philadelphia City Landmark and is on the state and National Registers of Historic Places. In 1985, architect James A. Oleg Kruhly designed a new addition. In 2005, the synagogue completed more than $80,000 worth of interior work, which included adding a permanent Beit Midrash. [11]

The synagogue purchased the building next door, to its west, to add classrooms in 2007, and in 2009 secured a grant for repairs to the envelope of the 19th century sanctuary and annex. [12] Between 2007 and 2019, Society Hill Synagogue raised more than $4 million in order to purchase its neighoring building and undertake major construction and renovation throughout its two buildings. Construction began in 2020 and was completed in 2021. In June 2021, the synagogue opened its new adjacent three-story Paula Kline Learning Center, which is connected to the historic synagogue building by a multistory gallery annex. The construction and space improvements expanded the historic building's Social Hall, renovated the Beit Midrash, built six new classrooms, developed a large private courtyard behind the two properties, and added an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant elevator and ADA-compliant restrooms. [13]

The congregation is independent, and its services are based on Conservative liturgy while incorporating influences from the Reconstructionist, Renewal, and Reform movements, and beyond. Society Hill Synagogue embraces its diverse membership, including interfaith couples and families, LGBTQ+ individuals and families, people of color, and people of all abilities.

Ivan Caine served as Rabbi from the congregation's founding in 1967 until 2001. In the mid-1970s, Rabbi Caine also served as a part-time Rabbi to Congregation Kesher Israel around the corner in the neighborhood. [14] Cantor Alan Cohn served the synagogue from 1974 through 2000. [15]

Avi Winokur served as Rabbi from 2001 to 2020. Nathan Kamesar was hired as Associate Rabbi in 2018 and succeeded Rabbi Winokur as Rabbi in July 2020. [16] Hazzan Jessi Roemer has served as Cantor since 2018. The congregation now has more than 300 member households, almost 70 children ages 18 months-5 years enrolled in its Playschool, and over 80 children from ages 4-16 enrolled in its Hebrew School.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Ustick Walter</span> American architect

Thomas Ustick Walter was the dean of American architecture between the 1820 death of Benjamin Latrobe and the emergence of H.H. Richardson in the 1870s. He was the fourth Architect of the Capitol and responsible for adding the north (Senate) and south (House) wings and the central dome that is predominantly the current appearance of the U.S. Capitol building. Walter was one of the founders and second president of the American Institute of Architects. In 1839, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.

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">Society Hill</span> United States historic place

Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 6,215 as of the 2010 United States Census. Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia. After urban decay developed between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an urban renewal program began in the 1950s, restoring the area and its many historic buildings. Society Hill has since become one of the most expensive neighborhoods with the highest average income and second-highest real estate values in Philadelphia. Society Hill's historic colonial architecture, along with planning and restoration efforts, led the American Planning Association to designate it, in 2008, as one of the great American neighborhoods and a good example of sustainable urban living.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Roumanian-American Congregation</span> Synagogue in Manhattan, New York

The First Roumanian-American Congregation, also known as Congregation Shaarey Shomayim, or the Roumanishe Shul, was an Orthodox Jewish congregation that, for over 100 years, occupied a historic building at 89–93 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Mikveh Israel</span> Synagogue in Philadelphia

Congregation Mikveh Israel, is a Sephardic Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 44 North Fourth Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The congregation traces its history from 1740. Mikveh Israel is a Spanish and Portuguese congregation that follows the rite of the Amsterdam esnoga. It is the oldest synagogue in Philadelphia, and the longest running in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid (Milwaukee)</span> United States historic place

Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 6880 North Green Bay Road in Glendale, a suburb north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 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, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Emanuel (Denver)</span> Reform Jewish congregation and historic synagogues in Denver, Colorado, US

The Temple Emanuel, also known as Congregation Emanuel, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 51 Grape Street, in Denver, Colorado, in the United States.

<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.

Agudas Achim Congregation is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 2908 Valley Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. The synagogue was founded in 1914, and its cemetery was founded in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron-Ezras Israel</span> Unaffiliated Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US


Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel is an unaffiliated Jewish congregation and synagogue located in the Pennsport neighborhood of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The congregation moved to its current location in 1909 and had purchased the building by 1917. It is South Philadelphia's oldest continuously active synagogue building and congregation. Religious services are lay led and conducted in the Ashkenazi rite. The congregation offers cultural events and tours open to the public.

<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">Vilna Congregation</span> Synagogue in Philadelphia

The Vilna Congregation is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Society Hill section of Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The synagogue was traditionally home to an active Hasidic Ashkenazi congregation that held Shabbat and holy day services, was affiliated with Lubavitch of Center City. In more recent years, the synagogue became the home of an Orthodox women's mikvah run by the Lubavitch Hasidic community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Kesher Israel (Philadelphia)</span> Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Congregation Kesher Israel is a Conservative Jewish congregation and synagogue located in the Society Hill section of Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The synagogue is home to an active congregation with Shabbat and holy day services, a Hebrew school, adult education, and community programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adath Shalom (Philadelphia)</span>

Adath Shalom was a Conservative synagogue located at 607 W Ritner Street, in the Whitman neighborhood of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The synagogue opened in 1922 and closed in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neziner Congregation</span> Former Philadelphian synagogue

The Neziner Congregation was an unaffiliated Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Southwark neighborhood of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1896 by immigrants from the city of Nizhyn, Ukraine who met in members’ homes. The congregation purchased the building at 771 S 2nd Street in 1905 and held services and community events there until 1984 when it closed and merged with Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Anshai Emeth</span> Reform synagogue in Peoria, Illinois, United States

Congregation Anshai Emeth is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5614 North University Street, in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States. Established in 1859, the synagogue is the second oldest Jewish congregation in Illinois, and as of 2019 has the largest membership of any Jewish congregation in Peoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Adath Israel of the Main Line</span> Synagogue in Pennsylvania

Temple Adath Israel of the Main Line is a Conservative synagogue located in Merion, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The synagogue offers religious services, pre-school, Hebrew Sunday school, adult education, and community programming. It was founded in 1946 and moved to its current location in 1953. The congregation serves approximately 800 families. Rabbi Eric Yanoff has served as senior rabbi since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel</span> Synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded in 1946

Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel is a Conservative synagogue located in the Center City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Inventory - Nomination Form". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 23, 1971. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ Cathcart, William (1883). The Baptist Encyclopædia. L. H. Everts. p. 1208.
  3. ↑ "History of the Church". Spruce Street Baptist Church. Retrieved 19 May 2016. For over 50 years SSBC has ministered to the spiritual needs of Newtown Square and the surrounding communities. Previous to this time, the Church met at 50th and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia from 1908 - 1963. Before that, the Church met at 418 Spruce Street for about 70 years. During this time the Church became Spruce Street Baptist, having originally been First Baptist Church of Philadelphia.
  4. ↑ Klein, Esther M. (1965). A Guidebook to Jewish Philadelphia. 1530 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Jewish Times Institute. p. 32.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ↑ Adler, Cyrus; Szold, Henrietta (1919). "Philadelphia". American Jewish Year Book. American Jewish Committee. 21. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Banquet Dr. Filderman". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. February 28, 1926. p. 17.
  7. ↑ Traditions in Transition: Jewish Culture in Philadelphia, 1840-1940. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. October 1, 2006. p. 50. ISBN   1422358291.
  8. ↑ Low, Setha; Taplin, Dana; Scheld, Suzanne (May 21, 2009). Rethinking Urban Parks: Public Space and Cultural Diversity. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. 168. ISBN   978-0292778214.
  9. ↑ "Society Hill Synagogue Undergoing Preservation". Preservation News. National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States. October 1968. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Restoration Is Set For Old Synagogue". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. June 17, 1968. p. 10.
  11. ↑ Schwartzman, Bryan (September 22, 2005). "Touching Up the Jewish Centers of City Life". Jewish Exponent. Philadelphia. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Gruber, Samuel D. (March 9, 2009). "USA: Philadelphia's Society Hill Synagogue Receives Preservation Grant". Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Rogelberg, Sasha (April 6, 2022). "Society Hill Synagogue To Celebrate Long-awaited Expansion". Jewish Exponent. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  14. ↑ Dubin, Murray (December 8, 1974). "Orthodox Jews Fade Away in Society Hill". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. pp. 1B, 10B.
  15. ↑ Dubin, Murray (September 12, 1999). "Giving voice to an annual tradition". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. p. G7.
  16. ↑ Bernstein, Jesse (June 18, 2020). "Society Hill Synagogue Rabbi Avi Winokur to Retire". Jewish Exponent. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.