From there we walked to Elfreth’s Alley that is one of only three preserved 18th-century streetscapes in the country. Where the other two are we don’t know! The alley is very narrow with the center made for water run-off. The row-houses are all two story and a plaque is on the outside of each if they had fire insurance.
Then on to Congregation Mikveh Israel which was founded in 1740, the “Synagogue of the Revolution” maintains its unchanged tradition. One of the members gave us a fact filled tour. During the War of Independence, 1775-1783, Jews from New York, Easton, Lancaster, Richmond, Charleston and Savannah sought refuge in Philadelphia from the British occupation. Many members joined the ranks of the Patriots and fought for the revolutionary cause.
It is an orthodox congregation and they follow the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardic religious ritual. From Mikveh Israel came famous institutions such as the first Hebrew Sunday School in America. They call their rabbis ‘ministers’ and one of their early ministers named Isaac Leeser translated the Hebrew Bible into English, wrote the first Jewish prayer book printed in America, introduced the English sermon, and published a widely-read Jewish monthly newspaper/magazine call The Occident. In 1845 he founded the first American Jewish Publication Society.
The congregation was able to build its first permanent house of worship in 1783. In the archives of the Congregation we saw letters written by George Washington (copies of course!) and Abraham Lincoln and a public subscription list for the 1782 building signed by Benjamin Franklin. We saw a huge needlepoint tapestry hanging that pictured all their buildings and men carrying the Torah. They had many kiddish cups, menorahs and Chanukiahs on display. There was no fee for the tour but we made a donation.
Then on to the National Museum of American Jewish History a short distance away. It opened in November 2010 in a brand-new building overlooking Independence Mall. It is the only institution in the nation solely dedicated to telling the story of the American Jewish experience. It is four stories and you begin at the top and work your way down. We were there about four hours and found it very well done. Unfortunately you weren’t allowed to take any pictures.
The core exhibition traces the lives of American Jews from 1654 to the present and explores how Jews created a new home in a free land. The 25,000-square-foot gallery includes nearly 1,100 artifacts, films, and state-of-the-art technology providing a powerful testament to what all free people can accomplish for themselves and for society at large. This is a museum worth going to.
We then walked to China Town and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner.
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