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.

I've been making an effort to be more active on my "professional" Facebook page and have posted some interesting new synagogue photographs. There are several from Western Pennsylvania that show simple and clean design on Mid-Century Modern synagogues in small towns outside of Pittsburgh. Please take a look https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julian-H-Preisler/122194607887961 and do click "like" if you feel so inclined. As you can tell by many of my posts, I have a great interest in small town synagogues and especially those that were built in the 1950's and 1960's.

Three Beautiful West Virginia Synagogues

A quick posting of photographs of three historic West Virginia Jewish Congregations. While the state's Jewish Community is small in size, there are active and historic Jewish congregations. Here are just three from Charleston and Wheeling. Temple Shalom in Wheeling is the oldest Jewish congregation in the state having been established in 1849. Formed as Congregation L'Shem Shomayim, the present congregation resulted from a merger of the Synagogue of Israel (Conservative) and L'Shem Shomayim (Reform). Known today as Temple Shalom, the congregation has been located in their beautiful Mid-Century Modern synagogue on Bethany Pike since the late 1950's. It is the only domed synagogue in West Virginia. It is beautifully maintained and has wonderful stained glass windows.

 

Photos by Julian H. Preisler 2009

Temple Israel (Congregation B'nai Israel) in Charleston was formally chartered in 1873 though it was informally organized in 1856. It is the largest Reform congregation in the state and located just steps from the Capitol building on Kanawha Boulevard. The present Mid-Century Modern temple was dedicated in 1960 and is an imposing structure. There is a large main sanctuary, library, school and auditorium. The small chapel contains artifacts from the old Virginia Street Temple building and the synagogue lobby contains stained glass from the old temple. You can learn more about the congregation at www.templeisraelwv.org

Photo by Julian H. Preisler 2009

B'nai Jacob Synagogue in Charleston is the largest Jewish congregation in West Virginia and also the only "traditional" synagogue to be found in the state today. It was established in 1894 as an Orthodox congregation. Located near the Capitol building, the large synagogue complex contains a very spacious sanctuary, daily chapel, library, gymnasium, school building and also an extensive congregation archives and memorabilia room. Built in 1950, the synagogue was designed in a more restrained Mid-Century Modern style compared to that of Temple Israel and Temple Shalom. The stained glass windows on the facade of the synagogue are known throughout the area for their dramatic beauty. It is a very active congregation along with Temple Israel in Charleston. For more information please see: www.bnaijacob.com

Photos by Julian H. Preisler 2009

For more information on the synagogues of West Virginia, Jewish history in the state and vintage images please see my book: "Jewish West Virginia" published by Arcadia Publishing http://jpreisler.com/JewishWestVirginiaBook.htm





Temple Beth El - Bradford, Pennsylvania

This is the first in a series of posts I plan to write regarding the subject of synagogue downsizing, the closing of many synagogues and the increase in synagogue mergers taking place. The economy, demographic changes, shifting populations and, in many cases, an aging congregational membership base, all have led to changes in the American synagogue landscape in the past few years. While these phenomena are certainly not new within the American Jewish Community, it is my opinion that the frequency of these changes is increasing steadily. One example out of several that I will be talking about is Temple Beth El located in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Bradford is a small city in rural northern Pennsylvania, about 78 miles south of Buffalo. The area was once a large manufacturing and oil producing area. Established in 1958 through the merger of Temple Beth Zion and Congregation Beth Israel, Temple Beth El ultimately traces its beginnings to 1879 when the Bradford Hebrew Congregation was established as the first Jewish congregation in the city. A new Mid-Century Modern style synagogue for Temple Beth El was dedicated in 1961. It featured simple, modern lines, but had a very unique stylized menorah sculpture on the exterior wall with small colored windows to simulate candles on the menorah. The congregation peaked in the 1960's, and by the 1980's the Jewish population had begun to decline in Bradford. In 2000 the congregation made plans to become a lay-led congregation and find smaller, more suitable quarters. In 2006, Temple Beth El moved to a remodeled former church building on Clarence Street in Bradford. Temple Beth El continues to serve five counties, providing a place for Jewish worship and cultural activities . Despite its reduced size, Temple Beth El took the steps to adapt and change in order to remain a viable Jewish institution in a decidedly non-Jewish area of Pennsylvania. For a more detailed history and an image of their current temple, please visit Temple Beth El's website: http://pa002.urj.net/

Photo from temple archives, Courtesy of Todd Halpern

Photo by Linda Perlman 2004, Courtesy of Todd Halpern

Image from Temple Beth El website

Beth Israel in Gadsden, Alabama has closed

I recently learned that a wonderful small Jewish congregation in Gadsden, Alabama closed their doors due to a continued decline in the local Jewish population. Beth Israel was one of the synagogues featured in my cd-rom book, "American Synagogues: A Photographic Journey". Their house of worship was a beautiful classical style synagogue built in 1922 and maintained beautifully through the years. Established as a formal congregation in 1908, Beth Israel closed in 2010 bringing to an end another chapter of Alabama Jewish history and small town American jewish history. The leaders of the congregation decided to give the temple building to the city of Gadsden for use as a cultural and historical venue.

Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & The Delaware Valley

I posted a short photograph slideshow video to YouTube with a selection of images from my book, "Historic Synagogues of Philadelphia & The Delaware Valley" published by The History Press. The book features present-day and vintage images of current and former synagogues with detailed photo captions. The book covers Philadelphia, the suburbs and also Delaware and much of Southern New Jersey. I look forward to your comments and feedback. http://www.youtube.com/user/mimofan63

American Synagogues Slideshow

I created a short slideshow of 59 assorted images taken from my cd-rom, American Synagogues: A Photographic Journey. The slideshow provides a nice sampling of the over 1400 synagogues featured on the cd-rom. You can also view it in full screen. If you would like to find out more about this cd-rom, order a copy of the cd-rom or learn of my plans for the second edition (expanded & revised) please visit my website: http://www.americansynagoguearchitecture.com/. I will be starting the process of acquiring photographs for the second edition, so if you would like to take some photos of synagogues in your town or city, or if you are a member of a synagogue and would like to have images of your congregation in the book, please e-mail me at jhp1963@yahoo.com - As always I welcome your comments.

Welcome Readers

Welcome to my blog. My blog is intended to be an informal look at the topic of American synagogue architecture and its associated congregational histories. The range of postings will cover both current and former synagogues as well as those that, unfortunately, have been demolished over the years. All sizes, locations, styles and time-periods will be touched upon. Though not formally trained in architecture I have studied synagogue architecture and history for many years and consider myself well-versed on the topic. I look forward to sharing images and history and welcome photos, information and suggestions/comments from readers.

The synagogue pictured in the blog heading is that of Shaarey Torah Synagogue in Canton, Ohio. It is a classic example of the 'Mid-Century Modern' style of architecture. The Conservative congregation was established in 1890 and their current synagogue was built in 1958. Their domed sanctuary was a typical design element of the period and gives the building a somewhat "Jetson Space-Age" feel. The synagogue of Congregation Ohav Zedek in nearby Youngstown, Ohio is of a similar design and was most likely designed by the same architecture firm. Shaarey Torah is one of three synagogues (Orthodox, Reform and Conservative) in Canton and is an active congregation. The previous building still stands and I will post photos of it as well as Temple Israel in Canton in a later posting. Canton's Jewish Community has declined in size over the years but still includes a Jewish Community Center, Jewish newspaper and several local Jewish organizations. There currently are plans to consolidate the JCC, Temple Israel and Shaarey Torah at a remodeled and greatly expanded Shaarey Torah location. The JCC and Temple Israel would be sold and each entity would have space at the new remodeled location creating a small Jewish Community Campus.