Congregation Mickve Israel
Encyclopedia
Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia
, is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States
, the congregation having begun in 1733. The synagogue
, located on Monterey Square in historic Savannah, was consecrated in 1878, and is a rare example of a Gothic
-style synagogue. The synagogue building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
aboard the William and Sarah and had come to Savannah on July 11, 1733, months after the colony's founding by James Oglethorpe
. All but eight of the group were Spanish and Portuguese Jews
, who had fled to England a decade earlier to escape the Spanish Inquisition
, many of whom were members of the Bevis Marks Synagogue
. Wealthy members of London's Jewish community of 6,000 had provided financial assistance to subsidize the initial group and a second boat that brought additional Jews to Savannah. The founders of the congregation brought with them a Sefer Torah
that is still used on special occasions at the synagogue.
On July 5, 1742, during the The War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain
and the Kingdom of Great Britain
, Spanish troops landed on St. Simons Island
as part of their Invasion of Georgia
. Most of the Sephardi Jews
abandoned Savannah, fearing that if captured they would be treated as apostates
and burnt at the stake. The Minis and Sheftall families of Ashkenazi Jews
were the only ones to remain behind. The rented synagogue building was relinquished and services would be held informally at the home of Benjamin Sheftall. Enough Jews had returned to Savannah by 1774 to justify re-establishing the congregation on a formal basis, and a meeting held the day before Yom Kippur
, the assembled group agreed to conduct services in a room that Mordecai Sheftall (Benjamin's son) had prepared for such use.
Formal prayer services were not held during the American Revolutionary War
, along with most formal religious services in all of Savannah. On July 7, 1786, "K. K. Mickvah Israel" was reorganized and a space was rented for use as a synagogue, attracting as many as 70 worshipers. Governor of Georgia Edward Telfair
authorized a charter for the "Parnas and Adjuntas of Mickve Israel at Savannah" on November 20, 1790, under which the congregation still operates. By 1793, the congregation was having difficulty paying its rent and gave up its leased space thereafter. Even though services were hold in the homes of members, the congregation maintained its formal structure, including the election of officers.
A recipe for charoset
, a paste made of fruits and nuts served as part of the ceremonial Passover Seder
, was found from the congregation dating to 1794, describing it as a "compound formed of almonds, apples, & C. Worked up to the consistence of lime."
The Congregation was the first Jewish community to receive a letter from the President of the United States
. In response to a letter sent by Levi Sheftall, the congregation's president, congratulating George Washington
on his election as the first President, Washington replied "To the Hebrew Congregation of the City of Savannah, Georgia":
Dr. Moses Sheftall led reconstruction efforts that began in 1834. A brick building was built on the same site to replace the destroyed structure and was dedicated in 1841 at ceremonies led by Reverend Isaac Leeser
of Philadelphia. A bronze plaque in the sidewalk marks the site of these structures. Reverend Jacob Rosenfeld became the congregation's first permanent spiritual leader in 1853, serving in that role until 1862. For most of the succeeding years, the services were led by lay members of the congregation until the hiring of Reverend A. Harris in 1873.
in the face of the rising influence of Reform Judaism
in the United States. The shift began with the addition of a musically-accompanied choir and the elimination of observance of the second day of festivals starting on February 11, 1868. Rabbi Isaac P. Mendes recommended a gradual shift in changes in synagogue practice during his 27 years leading the congregation, which started in 1877. The requirement to use a chuppah
at wedding ceremonies was eliminated in 1880 and the obligation to wear a head covering was removed in 1894.
The congregation used a modified Portuguese traditional siddur
until 1895 when the synagogue published a prayer book of its own, which was replaced in 1902 by the Union Prayer Book
. Mickve Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations on January 10, 1904. A vestige of the congregation's Sephardi tradition remains with the singing of "El Norah Alilah" during the Ne'ila
service in the concluding hour of Yom Kippur
.
was the work of New York architect Henry G. Harrison. An unused portion of property adjoining the synagogue building that had been dedicated by Mordecai Sheftall in 1773 for use as a cemetery was sold and another portion was used to construct the Mordecai Sheftall Memorial in 1902, which included space for meeting rooms and a religious school.
A capacity crowd of Jews and prominent Christians attended a ceremony held at the congregation on May 7, 1933 to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Jews in the colony of Georgia. The planned speaker at the event, Harold Hirsch
of Atlanta, was unable to attend.
The original Mordecai Sheftall Memorial space was deemed too small, and an expanded replacement structure was dedicated on January 11, 1957.
and offers tours to visitors except on Jewish and federal holidays. The tour lasts thirty to forty-five minutes, with an admission fee of $5 per person charged as of 2009, an amount the congregation's web site describes as "a real bargain".
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States
Oldest synagogues in the United States
The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
, the congregation having begun in 1733. The synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, located on Monterey Square in historic Savannah, was consecrated in 1878, and is a rare example of a Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
-style synagogue. The synagogue building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
Congregation formed
The congregation was established in July 1735 as Kahal Kadosh Mickva Israel (the Holy Congregation, the Hope of Israel) shortly thereafter renting a building for use as a synagogue. The congregation was founded by many from a group of 42 Jews who had sailed from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
aboard the William and Sarah and had come to Savannah on July 11, 1733, months after the colony's founding by James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
. All but eight of the group were Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
, who had fled to England a decade earlier to escape the Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
, many of whom were members of the Bevis Marks Synagogue
Bevis Marks Synagogue
----Bevis Marks Synagogue is located off Bevis Marks, in the City of London. The synagogue, affiliated to London's historic Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use...
. Wealthy members of London's Jewish community of 6,000 had provided financial assistance to subsidize the initial group and a second boat that brought additional Jews to Savannah. The founders of the congregation brought with them a Sefer Torah
Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah of Torah” or “Torah scroll”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
that is still used on special occasions at the synagogue.
On July 5, 1742, during the The War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
, Spanish troops landed on St. Simons Island
St. Simons, Georgia
St. Simons is a census-designated place located on St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. Both the community and the island are commonly considered to be one location, known simply as "St. Simons Island", or locally as "The Island". St...
as part of their Invasion of Georgia
Invasion of Georgia (1742)
The 1742 Invasion of Georgia saw a Spanish military force invade and attempt to occupy the British colony of Georgia as part of the War of Jenkins' Ear. Local British forces under the command of the Governor James Oglethorpe rallied and defeated the Spaniards at the Battle of Bloody Marsh and the...
. Most of the Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
abandoned Savannah, fearing that if captured they would be treated as apostates
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
and burnt at the stake. The Minis and Sheftall families of Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
were the only ones to remain behind. The rented synagogue building was relinquished and services would be held informally at the home of Benjamin Sheftall. Enough Jews had returned to Savannah by 1774 to justify re-establishing the congregation on a formal basis, and a meeting held the day before Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
, the assembled group agreed to conduct services in a room that Mordecai Sheftall (Benjamin's son) had prepared for such use.
Formal prayer services were not held during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, along with most formal religious services in all of Savannah. On July 7, 1786, "K. K. Mickvah Israel" was reorganized and a space was rented for use as a synagogue, attracting as many as 70 worshipers. Governor of Georgia Edward Telfair
Edward Telfair
Edward Telfair was the Governor of the state of Georgia in 1786, and from 1790 through 1793. He was a member of the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation.-Early Life:...
authorized a charter for the "Parnas and Adjuntas of Mickve Israel at Savannah" on November 20, 1790, under which the congregation still operates. By 1793, the congregation was having difficulty paying its rent and gave up its leased space thereafter. Even though services were hold in the homes of members, the congregation maintained its formal structure, including the election of officers.
A recipe for charoset
Charoset
Charoset, haroset, or charoses is a sweet, dark-colored, chunky paste made of fruits and nuts served primarily during the Passover Seder. Its color and texture are meant to recall the mortar with which the Israelites bonded bricks when they were enslaved in Ancient Egypt as mentioned in Tractate...
, a paste made of fruits and nuts served as part of the ceremonial Passover Seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
, was found from the congregation dating to 1794, describing it as a "compound formed of almonds, apples, & C. Worked up to the consistence of lime."
The Congregation was the first Jewish community to receive a letter from the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. In response to a letter sent by Levi Sheftall, the congregation's president, congratulating George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
on his election as the first President, Washington replied "To the Hebrew Congregation of the City of Savannah, Georgia":
... May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land - whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent nation - still continue to water them with the dews of heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah.
First synagogue building site
Dr. Moses Sheftall and Dr. Jacob De la Motta led an effort in 1818 to construct a synagogue building on a plot of land given by the city of Savannah to the congregation. A small wooden building was erected at the northeast corner of Liberty and Whitaker streets and was consecrated on July 21, 1820, making it the first synagogue to be built in the State of Georgia. A fire destroyed the building on December 4, 1829, with the Congregation's Torah scrolls saved from the fire.Dr. Moses Sheftall led reconstruction efforts that began in 1834. A brick building was built on the same site to replace the destroyed structure and was dedicated in 1841 at ceremonies led by Reverend Isaac Leeser
Isaac Leeser
Isaac Leeser was an American, Ashkenazi Jewish lay minister of religion, author, translator, editor, and publisher; pioneer of the Jewish pulpit in the United States, and founder of the Jewish press of America. He produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English to be published in...
of Philadelphia. A bronze plaque in the sidewalk marks the site of these structures. Reverend Jacob Rosenfeld became the congregation's first permanent spiritual leader in 1853, serving in that role until 1862. For most of the succeeding years, the services were led by lay members of the congregation until the hiring of Reverend A. Harris in 1873.
Shift to Reform Judaism
Mickve Israel maintained its Portuguese traditions from its inception, maintaining this minhagMinhag
Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...
in the face of the rising influence of Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
in the United States. The shift began with the addition of a musically-accompanied choir and the elimination of observance of the second day of festivals starting on February 11, 1868. Rabbi Isaac P. Mendes recommended a gradual shift in changes in synagogue practice during his 27 years leading the congregation, which started in 1877. The requirement to use a chuppah
Chuppah
A chuppah , also huppah, chupah, or chuppa, is a canopy under which a Jewish couple stand during their wedding ceremony. It consists of a cloth or sheet, sometimes a tallit, stretched or supported over four poles, or sometimes manually held up by attendants to the ceremony. A chuppah symbolizes the...
at wedding ceremonies was eliminated in 1880 and the obligation to wear a head covering was removed in 1894.
The congregation used a modified Portuguese traditional siddur
Siddur
A siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as it is known today has developed...
until 1895 when the synagogue published a prayer book of its own, which was replaced in 1902 by the Union Prayer Book
Union Prayer Book
The Union Prayer Book was a siddur published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis to serve the needs of the Reform Judaism movement in the United States.-History:...
. Mickve Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations on January 10, 1904. A vestige of the congregation's Sephardi tradition remains with the singing of "El Norah Alilah" during the Ne'ila
Ne'ila
Ne'ila, the concluding service, is a special Jewish prayer service that is held only on Yom Kippur. It is the time when final prayers of repentance are recited at the closing of Yom Kippur....
service in the concluding hour of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
.
Current building
With the growth in Savannah's Jewish population, the congregation outgrew its structure, and the cornerstone for what is its present building was laid on March 1, 1876. The building's Gothic Revival architectureGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
was the work of New York architect Henry G. Harrison. An unused portion of property adjoining the synagogue building that had been dedicated by Mordecai Sheftall in 1773 for use as a cemetery was sold and another portion was used to construct the Mordecai Sheftall Memorial in 1902, which included space for meeting rooms and a religious school.
A capacity crowd of Jews and prominent Christians attended a ceremony held at the congregation on May 7, 1933 to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Jews in the colony of Georgia. The planned speaker at the event, Harold Hirsch
Harold Hirsch
Harold U. Hirsch played football at the University of Georgia from 1900 to 1901, studied law at Columbia University and was the general counsel for The Coca-Cola Company for more than thirty years....
of Atlanta, was unable to attend.
The original Mordecai Sheftall Memorial space was deemed too small, and an expanded replacement structure was dedicated on January 11, 1957.
Tours
The synagogue is located in the Savannah Historic DistrictSavannah Historic District
The Savannah Historic District is a large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the city limits of Savannah, Georgia, prior to the American Civil War....
and offers tours to visitors except on Jewish and federal holidays. The tour lasts thirty to forty-five minutes, with an admission fee of $5 per person charged as of 2009, an amount the congregation's web site describes as "a real bargain".