The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-17
WORSHIP In THE GHETTO.
lTUsTC THAT THRILLED HEARD IN AN
EAST SIDE STEAGOGUE

ing the S~ervioe-The swayinR Worshippers
There's a little church around the corner at
every turn In New York's ghetto. Every block
In the Jewish quarter has some place Of wor-
ship. Sometimes It IL only q rear room OF a
tenement, or q floor sandwlched In between a
dancing hall below and a sweatshop above. In
almost every unexpected Granny OF the east
side hive some merest scrap OF q synagogue
can be found.
For instance. there is one on the third floor
OF a building at the corner OF Forsyth and
Grand streets, a nelghborhood which is rich In
rewards for synagogueh hunters. The stranger.
however. would never suspect the existence Of
anything ecclesiastical In this building. There
Is q sign announcing the synagogue. but, quite
naturally. 1t Is all Hebrew to most people. who
would not think Of mounting the rickety out
side staircase to find a church. .
There the church Is. however; a long. ~forlorn-
looking apartment on tho third floor. One Sat
urday morning not long ago two young women
climbed the outside stairs, then u cramped in
side flight. and finally stepped into the long
room itself. They could not have created
more CONSERVATION IL they had been q mounted
battery. As they went up the stairs they heard
confused sounds as Of many voices informing
strange words. There was something weird
and Oriental in the sound suggestive of o longi-
tude much further from the Bowery than For
syth street Is.
The room itself was not churchlike: neither
are the mission rooms on the east side. The
two young women carried way q very vague
idea Of the place, owing to the precautionary
measures which followed their appearance.
There were abouttwenty men In the room. but.
until the visitors appeared. woman was con-
~spicuous by her absence. The men wore pecu-
liar and picturesque draperies thrown about
THAR cbpu1daro md anpoa ~ thaDn ryolI-
ing about the room. while others read aloud
from large books. They evidently belonged to
the poorer class Of east side Russian Hebrews.
When the young women appeared the read
ing stopped and all eyes turned In astonish-
ment upon the visitors. One OF the men laid
aside his drapery and came to find out the
cause OF the intrusion. His English was not
fluent, and his understanding Of other peoples
English was not good. but he finally grasped
the idea that the visitors wanted to sit down
and attend the service. He was plainly discon-
certed by the proposition. but the English dis
heartened him. so he motioned the two young
women to a bench at the rear OF the hall.
They were just smiling their thanks and con-
graduating themselves on their opportunity Of
witnessing an unusually picturesque service.
when the man pulled some faded curtains half
way up the room and they were practically left
in outer darkness. After that they could only
hear the strange infections OF the principal
reader and the surge OF voices which made an
undercurrent on which these intonations rose
and fell.
The young women wanted uncommonly to
know what it was all about, but unfortunately
they had not taken any Jewish friend with
them to offer explanations. They felt them
selves like pariahs. too, cast out behind the
faded curtains. Men who came and went looked
curiously at the intruders. until finally the two
concluded to find out whether there were cur
talns in all the east side synagogues and unos-
tentatiously slipped out.
Two or three blocks away. at. % Forsyth
street. there ia q building which, for that part
Of town, Is quite pretentious. Here the visitors
a and came menu sS t q h5SS SoneIpsiGs, 0 IN t9 Fact, G tEnt s enc
oughly, the service at this east side synagogue.
There Is q good and sufficient reason for this.
All the women 60 upstairs into the galleries.
! while all the men go downstairs on the main
dSTnstairs and they can see one on t another kSes sls Sa
while The men have imperfect views of either
The first impression here. as at the little
third-story synagogue, was of the babel Of
voices, There was no dominant reader as yet,
alike were reading a SloSd I from gre great tb BOOKS M1 tRey
held in their hands; Many Of those who were
Benches and having sI a BIT Of friendly friendly S gossip en L
one could Judge from, appearances. Almost all
i NJ $ Some "o Of the 1hs'e ol GeFS ones fa1f haRRd hfseT-
chiefs tied over their heads. One of the mem
bers who spoke English said that most of them
1oWnsteirs there was Just as much going on
and 1t made quite as much noise. Apparently
were reading aloud they seemed to be doing It
on their own account: The men wore draperies
little synagogue first visited, and they were as
s sfTdEt g; d from Ifo, the poi, Point t., Of view OF pictorial
or eFe q Roman Ss ian i1 %ith MS Tst9 to sis great ore ssy To9 am I GI9RE;
with his blanket. The whole scene, except for
the conventional derby and silk hats. was for
s BOYS plaEFS red Two Of them were having a lively
tw fitaa VII e pa hsP bS wsd9F rim Z 3 ta high s, SILK .6a hat osS struck Z;
the main floor. A boy began reading in a nasal
s IaGo6 M. Whif tho went on for e long time. oc-
e efbslfRlhifIly 81 81 SOUND sas PeH4Ep e t Eeu sars burst st int team an
wave. At last, however. the hoy went away and
kept quiet and a man took his place Grouped
The visitors would have held their breath II
The man began, a wonderful. dramatic in
tions. as IRn ep4R nsl Dc mot a coSTS s ss s Wsfter sns nS;
teaching, as sing, that way; The two young
music m1sei In nS New wy Yor diea They fnaS v fssee YES the f Ensn
sian church and heard the peculiar and inter
Sirersen %us as an an ' opera s'f fro@ a H 6al}SaHdis. T Il s as
more dramatic and thrilling than the two visi-
tors had supposed could be heard In a place Of
worship. The responses were exquisitely sung.
The boy voices were sweet and well trained,
There was no accompaniment.
| The congregation had risen when the singing
began, The women turned in ways that were
unaccountable to the strangers. Probably the
general idea was to turn toward the tabernacle
behind the, pulpit, but some. of the women In
the side galleries turned their backs squarely
toward the centre OF the house. They held
their books, tight, and read faster than ever,
but. mereifully not aloud. And that voice went
on, pleading. worshipping. agonizing. triumph
ant, Suddenly q woman gave a low cry, Then
another sobbed out aloud. Here and there
among them q woman would shake with emo
ao9' Tears ran DOWN their cheeks. and again
tons OF the north.
1t was only an emotional thunderstorm, how
ever, very lloyd and damp while y lasted. but
subside SO quickly. The singers moved up
to e place lust below the pulpit. The
sitting at one side, below the pulpit pulled his
drapery, which had a silver band. clear up over
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