Oheb Shalom Congregation (

transliterate Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

d from

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

as 'Lovers of Peace') is an egalitarian,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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 in South Orange, Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, in the United States. The synagogue is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Its historic former synagogue building, built in 1884, located on Price Street, is one of the

oldest synagogues in the United States Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

and 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 wit ...

in 1990.

History

The congregation was founded in Newark in September 1860 by a group of

Bohemian Jews The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, historically the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, including the modern Czech Republic (i.e. Bohemia, Moravia, and the southeast or Czech Silesia), goes back at least 1100 years. There is evidence that J ...

, the congregation's members have lived in and served Essex County and the broader community for over 160 years. 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 Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

building at 32 Prince Street in the Springfield/Belmont neighborhood was built in 1884. It is one of the

. Documentation records note Prince Street in Newark as a being one of the earliest, relatively clandestine places of Jewish settlement and worship (primarily Sephardic Jews of Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian descent) in the colonial and early American eras. The later arriving Ashkenazi Jews of Newark accommodated to the areas in and around Prince Street, named for one of the original anglicized Sephardic family names. In 1911, the congregation moved to High Street (later renamed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) and subsequently relocated to Scotland Road in South Orange in 1958. The Prince Street 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. Mark W. Gordon, a historic preservationis, led a movement to preserve the historic building. It was restored by Greater Newark Conservancy and is now used as an environmental center. It was listed on the

on January 16, 1990. The brick synagogue features windows with

Horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; ), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is a type of arch in which the circular curve is continued below the horizontal line of its diameter, so that the opening at the bottom of the arch is narrower than the ar ...

es, an entrance arch with red and white

Voussoir A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...

s, and twin towers topped by modest domes. The

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 t ...

, since July 2021, is Rabbi Abigail Treu; and the

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

is Eliana Kissner.

References

External links

* *
Oheb Shalom Cemetery website
{{Authority control 1860 establishments in New Jersey 20th-century synagogues in the United States Ashkenazi Jewish culture in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Newark, New Jersey Conservative synagogues in New Jersey Culture of Newark, New Jersey Czech-Jewish culture in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1860 Jews and Judaism in Newark, New Jersey Moorish Revival architecture in New Jersey Moorish Revival synagogues New Jersey Register of Historic Places Religious buildings and structures in Essex County, New Jersey South Orange, New Jersey Synagogues completed in 1884 Synagogues completed in 1958 Synagogues in New Jersey

History

See also

References

External links