WanderingJews

02/16/2024

In honor of the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, this week the WanderingJews share the intertwined histories of Congregation Beth Sholom and Keneseth Israel in Kansas City, MO and their former synagogue located at 3400 Paseo in Kansas City, MO! In 1878, Jewish immigrants in Kansas City formed Keneseth Israel, an Orthodox congregation, and built their first synagogue in 1902. In 1915, 16 families broke away from Keneseth Israel to form the Conservative Congregation Beth Sholom. A few years later, Keneseth Israel purchased land at 3400 Paseo to build a new synagogue in an area that was a hub of social activity for Kansas City at the time. Unfortunately, after completing the basement of the new synagogue, Keneseth Israel realized they would not have enough funds to complete construction of the building. In 1924, the two congregations reunited and became Keneseth Israel-Beth Sholom. The cornerstone was laid in 1926 and they worshipped in the basement of the building until it was completed and dedicated in 1927 along with its 1,200-seat sanctuary. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only example of Byzantine architecture in Kansas City and features many intricate design elements including two giant polychromed terracotta domes and ornate stained glass windows. In 1969 the congregation moved the Torahs to its new building in Overland Park, KS and sold the building to Christ Temple Pentecostal Church. In 1999, Congregation Beth Sholom and the Christ Temple Pentecostal Church worked together to raise funds to repair the domes and damage to the interior caused by leaking.

02/09/2024

This building, located at 672 MLK Blvd. (formerly High St.) in Newark, NJ, was the third synagogue building for Congregation Oheb Shalom. In 1907, the congregation was steadily growing and began to plan for a new building. In 1910, groundbreaking took place and a cornerstone was laid. The building’s dedication in 1911 included speeches from Woodrow Wilson, NJ’s governor at the time, Solomon Schechter, head of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and leader of Conservative Judaism, and Dr. Solomon Solis-Cohen, leader of the Philadelphia Jewish Community. At the time of the move to High Street, the congregation was led by Rabbi Charles I. Hoffman, who was in the first graduating class of JTS and had studied under Schechter. Hoffman, along with the rabbis of seven other congregations formed an organization that evolved into the United Synagogue of America and established Congregation Oheb Shalom as one of the leading Conservative synagogues in the US. High Street became the hub of Jewish life in Newark in the 1930s and 1940s with multiple synagogues, a hospital, and a YM-YWHA lining the street. Congregation Oheb Shalom was founded in Newark, NJ, on September 2, 1860 by a group of Bohemian Jews who arrived in the US from what is now the Czech Republic and split off from B’nai Jeshurun, the second oldest congregation in NJ.

02/02/2024

Congregation Oheb Shalom was founded in Newark, NJ, on September 2, 1860 by a group of Bohemian Jews who arrived in the US from what is now the Czech Republic and split off from B’nai Jeshurun, the second oldest congregation in NJ. Prince Street is named for one of the initial Sephardic settlers in the area, which served as a hub for one of the earliest Jewish settlements in the US, dating to Colonial times. The Prince Street Synagogue was the second home for Congregation Oheb Shalom on Prince Street. The cornerstone was laid in 1884 and the building was used by the congregation from September 14, 1884 until 1911, when a third building was erected on High Street (now MLK Blvd.) before the congregation’s later migration to South Orange, NJ where it remains active. The Prince Street Synagogue is the oldest synagogue building remaining in Newark, NJ, and among the oldest synagogues still standing in the entire US. The building was slated for demolition in the 1990s as part of a residential development plan. A local preservationist and member of the congregation helped save the building which was restored by the Greater Newark Conservancy and is now incorporated into their environmental center.

11/09/2023

https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-772218

A number of posts suggest that soldiers prayed at the ancient synagogue, though IDF rules have reportedly kept soldiers from sharing them for safety.

10/20/2023

https://www.jta.org/2023/10/18/global/historic-synagogue-in-tunisia-heavily-damaged-in-rioting-tied-to-israel-gaza-war

The location is also the burial site of a 16th-century rabbi whose grave has been a draw for Jewish pilgrims.

07/09/2023

https://www.jta.org/2023/07/06/global/nazis-destroyed-munichs-main-synagogue-in-1938-parts-of-it-were-just-found-in-the-citys-river

"I am hopeful that in a few months we will see that more parts of the Torah Ark are among the stones," said the head of Munich's Jewish Museum.