I'm please to add information about my two newest published books. The Synagogues of Eastern Pennsylvania: A Visual Journey, was just published by Fonthill Media and Arcadia Publishing. It features 128 pages and 195 images of current and former synagogues in the 4 regions of Eastern Pennsylvania. A brief history of each Jewish Community is presented as well. This new book is a companion volume to my earlier work, The Synagogues of Central & Western Pennsylvania: A Visual Journey. America's Pioneer Jewish Congregations: Architecture, Community & History was published last year also by Fonthill Media. The book features the oldest existing Jewish congregation in each of the fifty US states plus Washington, DC; Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. As with most of my books, this books is also heavy with beautiful images nearly half in color. All of my books are available on Amazon.

Here are the front and back covers of my new book, "The Synagogues of Central & Western Pennsylvania: A Visual Journey", just published by Fonthill Media. I have signed copies available for purchase for $19.99 plus $3.50 s/h - If interested contact me at jhp1963@yahoo.com - Feel free to share the news about this book. It features 198 b&w and 32 color photographs of current, former and some demolished synagogues.

Please visit my Facebook Page where I am now posting articles, links and photographs relating to American synagogue architecture, Jewish Community history, Jewish genealogy & related topics. I post there several times a week and include many wonderful photographs. While I will not be updating this blog, there are a lot of great synagogue photographs here that I will leave "up & running". Thanks to everyone who visited the page in the past and those who may visit it in the future. Be sure to click "like" when visiting my Facebook Page. Many thanks.

Julian H. Preisler, Author - Facebook Page

To those of you that are following my Blog I would like to say thank you for your interest and support. I have decided to close down my blog and concentrate on my postings and photos on my professional Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jhpreisler and my Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/Researcher25419. I encourage you to visit these two sites and click "like" and "Follow" to keep up with my posts. I am working on several projects now and will be postings photos and updates on both Facebook and Twitter. I have one book in the works that will be published by Fonthill Media later this year and it will be a book of photographs and history relating to the synagogues of Central and Western Pennsylvania. I am also researching the existence of Holocaust memorials and museums throughout North America and hope to put together an eBook with the results. I have also started work on two eBooks of synagogue photographs and history. One will cover the "Buckeye State" of Ohio where I used to live and the other will cover synagogues in small towns located all over the USA. Again thanks to everyone for your interest in my blog. I do hope that you will consider following me on Facebook and Twitter.

It has been a while since I've posted on my blog mostly because I've been posting photographs and short articles on my Facebook Page. Have a look and click "like" to follow my posts. Topics include American synagogue architecture, Jewish genealogy, local American Jewish history, historic preservation and other architecture & history related topics. https://www.facebook.com/jhpreisler - I'm currently working on two books. The first will be published by Fonthill Media and will be a book of photographs and history of synagogues in Central and Western Pennsylvania. Focus will be on Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and the many small cities and towns that either currently have synagogues or those that once had a Jewish Community and synagogue. My other project is to identify and collect images of Holocaust memorials, museums and educational centers all across North America. Covering the USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, so far I have indentified 310 memorials, etc. and have about 150 more to add, mostly for "town specific" memorials in NY and NJ. I plan to self-publish when the research is completed.

Since it has been too long since I posted any photos here, I will include a few related to the new Pennsylvania book. First is a photograph of the former Congregation B'nai Israel in Pittsburgh dedicated in 1923. The photo was taken some years ago when the building was still used as a Jewish house of worship. It is now the Urban League of Pittsburgh Charter School. Due to a decline in the Jewish population of the neighborhood, the Conservative congregation merged with a few other Jewish congregations in the area and formed a new congregation, Adat Shalom, in the suburb of Fox Chapel. Here is their website: http://www.adatshalompgh.org/ Their former synagogue is one of the two most beautiful synagogues in Pittsburgh. The other one being Rodeph Shalom Congregation which is a large and very active Reform congregation located in the Oakland section of the city.

 

Now on to Altoona, Pennsylvania. There are two active congregations in the city. One of them is Temple Beth Israel, a Reform congregation formed in the late 19th century as the Mountain City Hebrew Reformed Congregation. Their present synagogue dates to 1927. The congregation became Temple Beth Israel in 1922. You can learn more about the congregation here: http://templebethisrael.net/



Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Synagogues

Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania and while not a large city (city population around 50,000), there is a large and historic Jewish Community. The metro area has 7 synagogues, a Jewish Community Center, several Jewish cemeteries, all the various Jewish organizations as well as a moving Holocaust Memorial located along the riverfront. Two synagogues, Beth El and Ohev Sholom, maintain historic structures along Front Street a short distance from the downtown core. Temple Ohev Sholom is a Reform congregation founded in 1853. Their present Neo-Classical Revival synagogue was built in 1920. It is a handsome edifice facing the river. Additions have been made to the synagogue campus over the years always in harmony with the original temple building. Ohev Sholom is the largest Reform synagogue in South Central Pennsylvania and the oldest Jewish congregation. http://ohevsholom.org/

 

 

Photographs By Julian H. Preisler - 2012

Beth El Temple is a Conservative congregation established in 1926. Located just up the street from Ohev Sholom, their structure is a striking combination of Moorish-Revival and Byzantine-Revival architecture. Dedicated in 1928, additions have beenmade in 1952 and 1981. Beth El Temple is the largest Jewish congregation in the area. http://www.betheltemplehbg.org/

Photographs By Julian H. Preisler - 2012



In 2009 a tragic fire destroyed the entire interior of the synagogue of Congregation Chisuk Emuno, also in Harrisburg. Located a short distance from Beth El Temple, the congregation was established in 1883 and dedicated their Mid-Century Modern synagogue in 1956. That building stands boarded-up awaiting either re-use or demolition. The congregation broke ground in late 2011 on their new synagogue which will be located a short distance away from the former building. A future blog post will include photographs of their new building once it is completed. http://www.chisukemuna.org/

 

Photographs By Julian H. Preisler - 2012

Harrisburg also has an Orthodox congregation, Kesher Israel, established in 1902. Their Mid-Century Modern synagogue is located in the vicinity of Beth El Temple and the former Chisuk Emuno synagogue. I will post photos of their building when I make another trip up to Harrisburg. Jewish congregations also exist in Carlisle, Mechanicsburg and Middletown, all in the metro Harrisburg-Hershey area. Mechanicsburg's Temple Beth Shalom is the only Reconstructionist Jewish congregation in Central Pennsylvania. http://tbshalom.org/

New Synagogue Photos on My Facebook Page

Lately, I have been posting more and more synagogue photographs and history on my Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/jhpreisler - I invite you to visit the page and take a look at the images and accompanying historical data. More to come.