The Sons of Jacob Synagogue, officially Congregation Sons of Jacob, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and historic synagogue and Jewish museum, located at 24 Douglas Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island, in the United States.
| Sons of Jacob Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 The synagogue, in 2016 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | |
| Leadership | Lay–led |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 24 Douglas Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02908 |
| Country | United States |
  Location in Rhode Island | |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°50′06″N 71°25′02″W / 41.834915°N 71.417212°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Harry Marshak (1926) |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| Date established | 1896 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1906; 1926 |
| Construction cost | $50,000 |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Website | |
| sonsofjacobsynagogue | |
Sons of Jacob Synagogue | |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001152 |
| Added to NRHP | August 24, 1989 |
| [1] | |
The congregation was founded in 1896 by Orthodox Jews who fled from the pogroms in Russia and Poland, who met initially in a house on Shawmut Street, in Providence. The congregation moved to their Douglas Avenue synagogue in 1906, expanded it in the 1920s, and appointed their first rabbi in 1926. An exit from the Interstate 95 was subsequently located adjacent to the synagogue building.[2][3]
Building
editIt is a two-story brick structure, set on a raised basement. The main façade is three bays wide, with a pair of entry doors sheltered by a simple gable-roof portico. The building was constructed in two stages, 1906 and 1926, and is the major surviving remnant of what was once a large Jewish community in the Smith Hill neighborhood of Providence. The first stage of the building, its lower level, housed the congregation until it could raise funds to build the upper level, and was then used as a shul. The upper level was designed by Harry Marshak, a self-taught architect and builder born to immigrant Russian Jews, who was likely the first Jewish architect to work in the Providence area.[4]
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1]
With the building starting to fall into disrepairs, in 2016 the synagogue was placed on the Providence Preservation Society's Most Endangered Properties List. Part of the building has been used as a Jewish museum since c. 2017.[5][6] In 2023 it was estimated that $5.2 million was required to fully restore the synagogue building.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Breindel, Ruth; Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association (n.d.). "Sons of Jacob Synagogue". Rhode Tour. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Gruber, Samuel (June 17, 2019). "USA: Wall Paintings at Sons of Jacob in Providence, Rhode Island". Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments. Samuel D. Gruber. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Sons of Jacob Synagogue" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ "Congregation of the Sons of Jacob". Guide to Providence Architecture. Providence Preservation Society. 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "The Jewish Museum in the historic Sons of Jacob synagogue restoration". Jewish Rhode Island. Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. June 7, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Isenberg, Robert (September 1, 2023). "Sons of Jacob president is looking for an angel". Jewish Rhode Island. Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Rhode Island Jewish Museum official website
- Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes (PDF). Vol. 8. Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association. November 1979.
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