The Moses Montefiore Congregation is a

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous rev ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located at 102 Robinhood Lane in Bloomington,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, in the United States.

History

Although Jews had arrived in Bloomington by the 1850s, the synagogue was organized in 1884 and named for Sir

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, Philanthropy, philanthropist and Sheriffs of the City of London, Sheriff of London. Born to an History ...

. On May 21, 1889, the congregation dedicated a

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

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 Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

synagogue building at the southeast corner of Monroe and Prairie Streets. It is one of the relatively few surviving 19th century synagogue buildings in the United States. In 1959 the congregation moved to a new building in the Fairway Knolls neighborhood. the Monroe and Prairie Streets former synagogue building was used as a Baptist church. Peter Warshaw purchased the property in 1993 and the former synagogue and former church was subsequently converted in a private residence. The new owners won the Landmarks Illinois 2001 ''Adaptive Reuse Award''.

References

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* 1884 establishments in Illinois 20th-century synagogues in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1884 Moorish Revival architecture in Illinois Moorish Revival synagogues Reform synagogues in Illinois Romanesque Revival architecture in Illinois Romanesque Revival synagogues Synagogues completed in 1889 Synagogues completed in 1959 Synagogues in Illinois {{US-synagogue-stub

History

See also

References

External links