Congregation Shearith Israel
Encyclopedia
Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States
. It was established in 1654.
The Orthodox
synagogue is located on Central Park West
at 70th Street in the Upper West Side
of Manhattan
. The congregation's current Neoclassical
building was occupied in 1897.
arrived in New York (New Amsterdam) in September 1654. After some legal troubles with Governor Peter Stuyvesant
, Jews were given official permission to settle in the colony in 1655. This marks the founding of the Congregation Shearith Israel. Despite their permission to stay in New Amsterdam
they continued to face legal troubles and were not given permission to worship in a public synagogue for some time (throughout the Dutch period and even 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 in lower Manhattan
. Before 1730, as is evidenced from a map of New York from 1695, the congregation worshipped in rented quarters on Beaver Street and subsequently on Mill Street. Since 1730 the Congregation has worshipped in five synagogues:
, was at the fore of these efforts. Rabbi Mendes cofounded the American Jewish Theological Seminary
(JTS) in 1886, in order to train traditional rabbis. Shearith Israel was the first home to the school. In JTS's earliest days, it taught and researched rabbinics similarly to traditional yeshivas, in contrast to the Reform Hebrew Union College. It is not certain whether at the time JTS hewed very closely to existing yeshiva-style, but significant deviations would be out of character with Shearith Israel and Rabbi Mendes.
Twelve years later, in 1896, Mendes was acting president of JTS, and promoted the formation of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU), a synagogue umbrella group that provided an alternative to the Reform movement's Union of Hebrew Congregations of America. As JTS grew, it needed a full-time head, and Mendes was replaced by Solomon Schechter
. However, Schechter developed a somewhat less traditional ideology, which became the basis for Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti). The split was not great initially, and there was a great deal of cooperation in the Orthodox and Conservative camps but, over time, the divide became clearer, and Schecter formed the United Synagogue of America (now the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
, or USCJ) to promote synagogue affiliation with his conservative-but-unorthodox ideology. Shearith Israel stayed in the Orthodox camp, eventually repudiating its association with its offspring, JTS.
In a sense, then, Shearith Israel was the birthplace of three of the largest and most significant Jewish religious organizations in America: JTS, the OU, and USCJ. Shearith Israel remains a member of one of the three: the Orthodox Union.
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...
. It was established in 1654.
The Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
synagogue is located on Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
at 70th Street in the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The congregation's current Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building was occupied in 1897.
Foundations and synagogue buildings
The first group of Spanish and Portuguese JewsSpanish 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...
arrived in New York (New Amsterdam) in September 1654. After some legal troubles with Governor Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
, Jews were given official permission to settle in the colony in 1655. This marks the founding of the Congregation Shearith Israel. Despite their permission to stay in New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
they continued to face legal troubles and were not given permission to worship in a public synagogue for some time (throughout the Dutch period and even 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 in lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. Before 1730, as is evidenced from a map of New York from 1695, the congregation worshipped in rented quarters on Beaver Street and subsequently on Mill Street. Since 1730 the Congregation has worshipped in five synagogues:
- Mill Street, 1730
- Mill Street re-built and expanded, 1818
- Crosby Street, 1834
- 19th Street, 1860
- West 70th Street, 1897 (present building.)
Birthing of major Jewish institutions
As the American Reform Judaism made headway and changes on the synagogue scene in the late 19th century, many rabbis critical of the Reform movement looked for ways to strengthen traditional synagogues. Shearith Israel, and its rabbi, Henry Pereira MendesHenry Pereira Mendes
Henry Pereira Mendes was an American rabbi who was born in Birmingham, England and died in New York.-Family history and education:...
, was at the fore of these efforts. Rabbi Mendes cofounded the American Jewish Theological Seminary
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
(JTS) in 1886, in order to train traditional rabbis. Shearith Israel was the first home to the school. In JTS's earliest days, it taught and researched rabbinics similarly to traditional yeshivas, in contrast to the Reform Hebrew Union College. It is not certain whether at the time JTS hewed very closely to existing yeshiva-style, but significant deviations would be out of character with Shearith Israel and Rabbi Mendes.
Twelve years later, in 1896, Mendes was acting president of JTS, and promoted the formation of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU), a synagogue umbrella group that provided an alternative to the Reform movement's Union of Hebrew Congregations of America. As JTS grew, it needed a full-time head, and Mendes was replaced by Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter was a Moldavian-born Romanian and English rabbi, academic scholar, and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the United Synagogue of America, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and architect of the American Conservative Jewish...
. However, Schechter developed a somewhat less traditional ideology, which became the basis for Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti). The split was not great initially, and there was a great deal of cooperation in the Orthodox and Conservative camps but, over time, the divide became clearer, and Schecter formed the United Synagogue of America (now the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is the primary organization of synagogues practicing Conservative Judaism in North America...
, or USCJ) to promote synagogue affiliation with his conservative-but-unorthodox ideology. Shearith Israel stayed in the Orthodox camp, eventually repudiating its association with its offspring, JTS.
In a sense, then, Shearith Israel was the birthplace of three of the largest and most significant Jewish religious organizations in America: JTS, the OU, and USCJ. Shearith Israel remains a member of one of the three: the Orthodox Union.
Rabbis
- Gershom Mendes SeixasGershom Mendes SeixasGershom Mendes Seixas was the first native-born Jewish minister in the United States. He was the minister of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York from 1768 to 1776 and again from 1784 to 1816...
: The HazzanHazzanA hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
of the Congregation and an ardent American patriot who moved the Congregation to Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe 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...
. - Jacques Judah Lyons
- Henry Pereira MendesHenry Pereira MendesHenry Pereira Mendes was an American rabbi who was born in Birmingham, England and died in New York.-Family history and education:...
- David de Sola PoolDavid de Sola PoolDavid de Sola Pool was an American rabbi and writer.-Early life and education:He was born in London, England, and later received his rabbinic ordination from the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary, located in Berlin, Germany.-Career:In 1907, de Sola Pool was invited to become the minister of...
- Louis B. Gerstein
- Marc D. AngelMarc D. AngelMarc D. Angel is Rabbi emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City....
- Hayyim AngelHayyim AngelRabbi Hayyim J. Angel is the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan, New York also known as The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He has held this post since 2006.Rabbi Angel is the son of Rabbi Marc D...
Prominent members
Some prominent members of the Congregation have been:- Mordecai Manuel NoahMordecai Manuel NoahMordecai Manuel Noah was an American playwright, diplomat, journalist, and utopian...
- Benjamin Cardozo: Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
- Emma LazarusEmma LazarusLazarus began to be more interested in her Jewish ancestry after reading the George Eliot novel, Daniel Deronda, and as she heard of the Russian pogroms in the early 1880s. This led Lazarus to write articles on the subject. She also began translating the works of Jewish poets into English...
: Poet - Commodore Uriah P. LevyUriah P. LevyUriah Phillips Levy was the first Jewish Commodore of the United States Navy, a veteran of the War of 1812 and a major philanthropist. At the time, Commodore was the highest rank obtainable in the U.S. Navy and would be roughly equivalent to the modern-day rank of Admiral...
- Isaac PintoIsaac PintoIsaac Pinto was an important American Jew in Colonial America.Pinto prepared the first Jewish prayer-book published in America, which was also the first English translation of the Siddur....
See also
- First Shearith Israel GraveyardFirst Shearith Israel GraveyardFirst Shearith Israel Graveyard is a tiny graveyard at 55-57 St James Place in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York. It is the oldest of three graveyards used by Congregation Shearith Israel, which is itself the oldest Jewish congregation in North America It is the only remaining 17th...
- Jewish history in Colonial AmericaJewish history in Colonial America-Joachim Gans:The first recorded Jew in the Americas was Joachim Gans, an English metallurgist. In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh recruited him for his expedition to the Virginia territory in hopes of founding a permanent settlement and satisfying Queen Elizabeth I's desire for copper, silver, and gold,...
- Touro SynagogueTouro SynagogueThe Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...
(Newport, Rhode Island), the oldest synagogue building in the U.S. is owned by Congregation Shearith Israel - Oldest synagogues in the United StatesOldest synagogues in the United StatesThe 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...