B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore)

This article is about the current Modern Orthodox congregation and heritage building in Baltimore. For the current Conservative congregation in Pikesville, see Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
For similarly named synagogues, see B'nai Israel.
B'nai Israel Synagogue
B'nai Israel Synagogue, in 2017
Religion
AffiliationModern Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Etan Mintz
StatusActive
Location
Location27-35 Lloyd Street, Baltimore, Maryland
CountryUnited States
B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore) is located in Baltimore
B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore)
Location in Baltimore
Geographic coordinates39°17′24″N 76°36′04″W / 39.290°N 76.601°W / 39.290; -76.601
Architecture
Architect(s)Henry Burck
TypeSynagogue architecture
Style
Date established1873 (as a congregation)
Completed1876 (1876) (for Chizuk Amuno)
MaterialsRed brick
Website
jewishdowntown.org
Chizuk Amuno Synagogue
Arealess than one acre
NRHP reference No.78003141
Added to NRHPApril 19, 1978
B'nai Israel Synagogue
BCL No.43
Designated BCL1977
[1][2][3][4][5]

B'nai Israel Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in the historic Jonestown neighborhood, near downtown and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The synagogue is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the United States.[6]

The spiritual leader of B'nai Israel Synagogue is Rabbi Etan Mintz.[1]

The synagogue building was listed as a Baltimore City Landmark in 1977;[7] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[8]

Architecture

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The synagogue building is a subdued Victorian Gothic Revival structure that synthesizes Romanesque Revival and Moorish Revival elements with traditional Jewish symbols. The architect was Henry Burck, whose design was supposedly based on that of the Schiffschul in Vienna. The carpentry was done by E. F. Hausen and the interior frescoes by F. Moore. The building was completed in 1876 as a place of worship for the Chizuk Amuno Congregation, founded in 1871 as an Orthodox congregation.[3] This congregation occupied the Lloyd Street synagogue until 1895, when it moved McCulloh and Mosher Streets, and later to Eutaw Place and Chauncy Avenue. In 1958, the Chizuk Amuno Congregation moved to its present site on Stevenson Road in Baltimore County.[3]

The Aron Kodesh is an architectural fantasy in carved wood, with the cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are stored, surrounded by a pair of tall minarets.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 1978.[3]

The building is now part of the Jewish Museum of Maryland.[9]

History

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A group of members of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation believed that the congregation had become too liberal and modernistic. In 1873[10] they formed a new congregation, Chizuk Amuno.

Members of a Russian speaking congregation made of immigrants from the pale of settlement broke off from a Polish speaking congregation. The "Ruschie Shul" would practice wherever they could: people's houses, the upper levels of grocery stores. In the years between 1880 and 1910, hundreds of thousands of Jews came from the Pale of Settlement, and the longstanding German Jews moved to North West Baltimore.

The building itself was built by Chizuk Amuno Congregation in 1876.[11] Chizuk Amuno Congregation sold the building to B'nai Israel for $12,000 in 1895 when it moved to Northwest Baltimore.[12][13][14]

In 1973, the congregation began raising funds for the restoration of the synagogue.[4]

B'nai Israel donated land to the City of Baltimore to build a park near the synagogue in 1975.[15][16] Named Freedom Park, the park honors victims of oppression.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Our Rabbi". B'nai Israel Synagogue. n.d. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d Hoff, Barbara A. (April 12, 1978). "Nomination Form: Chizuk Amuno Synagogue". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Peitila, Antero (September 26, 1973). "Jewish New Year 5734: Ram's horn heralds Rosh Hashana". The Baltimore Sun. p. C28.
  5. ^ "Architecture". B'nai Israel Synagogue. n.d. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  6. ^ Gordon, Mark W. (1996). "Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues". American Jewish History. 84 (1) (2019 article update ed.): 11–27.
  7. ^ Commission for Historical & Architectural Preservation (November 15, 2015). "The Importance Of Baltimore City Landmarks". City of Baltimore. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "Lloyd Street and Chizuk Amuno Synagogue". Baltimore: National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary. National Park Service. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  9. ^ Hoff, Barbara A. (1976). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Chizuk Amuno Synagogue" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  10. ^ "B'nai Israel Congregation Marks 75th Anniversary". The Baltimore Sun. May 24, 1948. p. 8.
  11. ^ "B'nai Israel Synagogue". Jewish Museum of Maryland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
  12. ^ "Real Estate Transactions". The Baltimore Sun. September 6, 1895. p. 7.
  13. ^ Shoken, Fred. "A History of the B'nai Israel Congregation of Baltimore City". Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  14. ^ "A Temple of Granite: To Be Erected by the Chizzuh Amuno Congregation". The Baltimore Sun. April 12, 1895. p. 8.
  15. ^ "Corned-beef renovation". The Baltimore Sun. January 30, 1975. p. C3.
  16. ^ Kimelman, Donald (April 3, 1976). "Mayor kicks off Lombard renewal". The Baltimore Sun. p. B1.
  17. ^ Arnett, Earl (August 27, 1976). "Freedom Park will honor all victims of oppression". The Baltimore Sun. p. B1.
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Media related to B'nai Israel Synagogue, Baltimore at Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chizuk Amuno Synagogue.
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