Congregation Shearith Israel

The Congregation Shearith Israel (Hebrew: קהילת שארית ישראל, romanized: Kehilat She'arit Yisra'el, lit. 'Congregation Remnant of Israel'), often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 2 West 70th Street, at Central Park West, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Established in 1654 in New Amsterdam by Jews who arrived from Dutch Brazil, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. Until 1825, when Jewish immigrants from Germany established a congregation, it was the only Jewish congregation in New York City. The Orthodox congregation follows the Sephardic rite, and has occupied its current Neoclassical building since 1897. Founding and synagogue buildings The first group of Spanish and Portuguese Jews were twenty-three refugees from Dutch Brazil, who arrived in New Amsterdam in September 1654. After being initially rebuffed by the Director of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, Jews were given official permission to settle in the colony in 1655. This year marks the founding of the Congregation Shearith Israel. Although they were allowed to stay in New Amsterdam, they faced discrimination and were not given permission to worship in a public synagogue for some time (throughout the Dutch period and into the British). The Congregation did, however, make arrangements for a cemetery beginning in 1656. It was not until 1730 that the Congregation was able to build a synagogue of its own; it was built on Mill Street (now South William Street) in lower Manhattan. The Mill Street synagogue was said to have had access to a nearby spring which it used as a mikveh for ritual baths. Before 1730, as noted on a 1695 map of New York, the congregation worshipped in rented quarters on Beaver Street and subsequently on Mill Street. Since 1730, the Congregation has worshipped in five synagogue buildings: Mill Street, 1730 Mill Street rebuilt and expanded, 1818 60 Crosby Street, 1834 19th Street, 1860 West 70th Street, 1897 (present building) The current building was extensively refurbished in 1921. Founding major Jewish institutions As the American Reform Judaism made headway in the late 19th century, many rabbis critical of the Reform movement sought ways to strengthen traditional synagogues. Shearith Israel and its rabbi, Henry Pereira Mendes, were at the fore of these efforts. Rabbi Mendes cofounded the American Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 1886 in order to train traditional rabbis. The school held its first classes at Shearith Israel. In JTS' earliest days, it taught and researched rabbinics similarly as was done in traditional yeshivas, in contrast to the Reform Hebrew Union College. Twelve years later, in 1896, Mendes was acting president of JTS. He promoted the formation of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (commonly known as the OU, the Orthodox Union). This synagogue umbrella group provided an alternative to the Reform Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism). As JTS grew, it needed better financing and a full-time head. The seminary moved to its own building, and Mendes was replaced by Solomon Schechter. However, Schechter developed a less traditional approach, which became the basis for Conservative Judaism (called Masorti outside North America). Initially, there was considerable cooperation between the Orthodox and Conservative groups, but the divide became clearer over time. Schechter formed the United Synagogue of America (now the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, or USCJ) to promote synagogue affiliation with his conservative ideology. Shearith Israel remains aligned with the Orthodox tradition. It eventually repudiated its association with JTS. In a sense, Shearith Israel helped create three of the largest and most significant Jewish religious organizations in the United States: JTS, the OU, and USCJ. Shearith Israel remains a member only of the Orthodox Union. Synagogues The Congregation Shearith Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, and, until 1825, it was the only synagogue in New York City. Several early synagogues existed, with the earliest on Beaver Street, according to a map drawn in 1695, and, by 1700, another on Mill Street where the purpose-built Mill Street Synagogue was constructed in 1730. In 1834, the congregation moved to a synagogue on Crosby Street, and in 1860 it moved to the Nineteenth Street Synagogue. Finally, in 1897, it took its current incarnation in the Seventieth Street Synagogue, which was built by architect Arnold Brunner, with interior design and stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Historic Burial Grounds The Jews first applied for the purchase of a burial ground in July 1655, and then again in February 1656, at which time it was granted. According to Oppenheim it was located at "the New Bowery [St. James Place] and Chatham Square". There are multiple inactive landmarked cemeteries in New York City for Congregation Shearith Israel, with its only current active burial site in Queens. The first, and oldest, also known as Chatham Square Cemetery, located at 55 St. James Place in Lower Manhattan, was established in 1682, and remained active until 1828. It contains the remains of early Spanish and Portuguese Jewish settlers and American Revolutionary War veterans. A second cemetery was established on West 11th Street in 1805 and a third, on West 21st Street, in 1829. 1656-1833 | First Cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel 1805-1829 | Second Cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel 1829-1851 | Third Cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel Clergy Rabbis The following individuals have served as rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel: Parnasim Notable parnasim include Luis Moises Gomez, Edgar J. Nathan Jr, Israel Baer Kursheedt, and Alvin Deutsch (1997–2001). Hazanim Notable hazanim include Gershom Mendes Seixas (1768–1776 and 1784–1816), Isaac Touro (1780), Jacques Judah Lyons (1839–1877), Abraham Lopes Cardozo (1946–1986), Daniel Halfon (1978–1980) and Albert Gabbai (1983–1986). Prominent members Gallery See also First Shearith Israel Graveyard Jewish history in Colonial America List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets Oldest synagogues in the United States Sephardic Jews in the United States Touro Synagogue References Citations Sources Brockmann, Jorg; Harris, Bill (2002). One Thousand New York Buildings. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal. ISBN 978-1-57912-237-9. OCLC 48619292 – via Google Books. External links Media related to Congregation Shearith Israel at Wikimedia Commons Official website