Patriotism on Eldridge Street

In honor of the Fourth of July, the Museum at Eldridge Street wrote in their July newsletter about immigrants celebrating America:

Happy Independence Day! Did you know in addition to being a sacred space where Orthodox Jews could worship at the turn of the last century, the Eldridge Street Synagogue was a place where immigrants embraced a new Jewish American identity?

Over the years, the congregants of the Eldridge Street Synagogue partook in many acts of patriotism. In 1889 the congregation decorated the synagogue in honor of the centennial of George Washington's inauguration and, in 1901, they held a memorial service for President William Mckinley.

During World War I, the congregation commissioned and displayed an American flag with stars for each of the congregation's sons serving in the war. These flags were placed in flagholders, each with a five-pointed American star at its base, and affixed to windowsills so that the stars and stripes would be displayed prominently in the windows of the synagogue, blending the traditional with the patriotic.

You can sign up for their e-newsletter for more. They have a great event series as well as themed neighborhood walking tours. I want to take the Love & Courtship tour!

- Posted by Kate Stober