Prince Street Synagogue (Oheb Shalom), in the Springfield/Belmont neighborhood, is the oldest synagogue building still standing in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States.Congregation Oheb-Shalom
Documentation records note Prince Street in Newark, New Jersey as a being one of the earliest, relatively clandestine places of Jewish settlement and worship (primarily Sephardic Jews of Spanish, Portugese, or Italian descent) in the colonial and early American eras. The later arriving Ashkenazi Jews of Newark, New Jersey accommodated to the areas in and around Prince Street, named for one of the original anglicized Sephardic family names.

History

The modest,

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 centu ...

building at 32 Prince Street was built in 1884 for

Oheb Shalom Congregation Oheb Shalom Congregation (Hebrew: Lovers of Peace) is an egalitarian, inclusive, diverse and multi-generational community that embraces Jewish tradition in the 21st Century. It is located in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded on Prince Street in New ...

, a congregation of

Bohemian Jews The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, which include the modern Czech Republic as well as Bohemia, Czech Silesia and Moravia, goes back many centuries. There is evidence that Jews have lived in Moravia and Bohemia since as early as the 1 ...

. The congregation has since moved to

South Orange South Orange, officially the Township of South Orange Village, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village's population was 16,198, reflecting a decline of 766 (4.5%) fro ...

. The building served as the home of the Metropolitan Baptist Church from 1940 to 1993. In 1990 it was slated for destruction as part of land clearance to enable the construction of Newark's Society Hill housing development. Historic preservationist Mark W. Gordon led a movement to preserve the historic building. It has been restored by Greater Newark Conservancy and is now used as an environmental center. It was listed on the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office with ...

on January 16, 1990."A History of the City of Newark, New Jersey.", embracing Practically Two and a Half Centuries 1666 - 1913, published by the Lewis Historical Publishing Col. New York & Chicago, in 1913 The brick, Moorish Revival synagogue features windows with

Horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; Spanish: "arco de herradura"), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is an emblematic arch of Islamic architecture, especially Moorish architecture. Horseshoe arches can take rounded, pointed or lobed form. Hi ...

es, an entrance arch with red and white

Voussoir A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...

s, and twin towers topped by modest domes.

References

External links

Synagogue images
Ashkenazi Jewish culture in New Jersey Czech-Jewish culture in the United States Synagogues completed in 1884 Jews and Judaism in Newark, New Jersey Moorish Revival synagogues Buildings and structures in Newark, New Jersey Religious buildings and structures in Essex County, New Jersey Synagogues in New Jersey Moorish Revival architecture in New Jersey Culture of Newark, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places {{US-synagogue-stub

History

See also

References

External links