B'nai Israel is a

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

located in the historic

Jonestown The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationall ...

neighborhood, near

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

and the

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...

of Baltimore. The synagogue is one of the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States.Gordon, Mark W.
Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues
. ''American Jewish History''. 84.1 (1996). p. 11–27
2019 article update

Architecture

The synagogue is noted for its

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centur ...

architecture. The

Aron Kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron h ...

is an architectural fantasy in carved wood, with the cabinet in which the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

scrolls are stored, surrounded by a pair of tall

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

Leadership

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Etan Mintz is the spiritual leader of B'nai Israel Synagogue.Our Rabbi
. ''B'nai Israel Synagogue''. Retrieved November 11, 2016.

History

A group of members of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation believed that the congregation had become too liberal and modernistic. In 1873 they formed a new congregation, Chizuk Amuno. Members of a Russian speaking congregation made of immigrants from the

pale of settlement The Pale of Settlement (russian: Черта́ осе́длости, '; yi, דער תּחום-המושבֿ, '; he, תְּחוּם הַמּוֹשָב, ') was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 19 ...

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. Chizuk Amuno Congregation sold the building to B'nai Israel for $12,000 in 1895 when it moved to Northwest Baltimore.Shoken, Fred.
A History of the B'nai Israel Congregation of Baltimore City
". Retrieved July 28, 2013.A Temple of Granite: To Be Erected by the Chizzuh Amuno Congregation
. ''The Baltimore Sun''. April 12, 1895. p. 8. In 1973, the congregation began raising funds for the restoration of the synagogue.Peitila, Antero.
Jewish New Year 5734: Ram's horn heralds Rosh Hashana
. ''The Baltimore Sun''. September 26, 1973. p. C28. B'nai Israel donated land to the City of Baltimore to build a park near the synagogue in 1975. Named Freedom Park, the park honors victims of oppression.Arnett, Earl.
Freedom Park will honor all victims of oppression
. ''The Baltimore Sun''. August 27, 1976. p. B1.

References

External links

* *{{Official website 1873 establishments in Maryland Jonestown, Baltimore Modern Orthodox Judaism in Maryland Modern Orthodox synagogues in the United States Moorish Revival architecture in Maryland Moorish Revival synagogues Orthodox Judaism in Baltimore Orthodox synagogues in Maryland Lithuanian-American culture in Baltimore Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Maryland Polish-Jewish culture in Baltimore Synagogues completed in 1845 Religious organizations established in 1873 Russian-Jewish culture in Baltimore Synagogues in Baltimore Synagogues preserved as museums Ukrainian-Jewish culture in Baltimore Baltimore City Landmarks