Congregation Emanuel (Statesville, North Carolina)

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For similarly named synagogues, see Emanu-El.

Congregation Emanuel is a Conservative synagogue in Statesville, North Carolina. Built in 1891, it is the oldest house of worship in Statesville[1] and the third oldest synagogue building in the state.[2]

The synagogue is located near downtown Statesville and the campus of Mitchell Community College at 206 North Kelly Street.

History[]

Jews are documented as living in Statesville before the Civil War, but the number of families was small and they gathered for prayer in private homes until a formal congregation was organized in 1883. Congregation Emanuel rented space for services in the Statesville Fireman's Hall for nine years before building a synagogue in 1891–2, at a time when Statesville had a sizeable Jewish population.[3]

Architecture[]

The brick, gable-end-to-the-street, Rundbogenstil building with its recessed, round-arch entrance and round-arch windows has suffered no major alterations in the century that it has served the Jewish community of Statesville.[4][5] It is one of fewer than a hundred nineteenth-century synagogue buildings still standing in the United States.[6]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Statesville, North Carolina Attractions". lasr.net.
  2. ^ Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues, Mark W. Gordon, American Jewish History 84.1 (1996) 20-27 [1]. 2019 article update.
  3. ^ IREDELL EXHIBITS FOCUS ON JEWISH HERITAGE, Charlotte Observer, May 12, 1999
  4. ^ Romanesque style seen in local buildings, Gene Krider | Statesville Record & Landmark, August 18, 2008 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2008-12-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Guide to Jewish U.S.A.: The South, By Oscar Israelowitz, 1988, p. 99
  6. ^ "STATESVILLE SYNAGOGUE LEARNS IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST IN THE NATION". Charlotte Observer. January 19, 1997.

Coordinates: 35°47′07″N 80°53′31″W / 35.7854°N 80.8920°W / 35.7854; -80.8920

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