Records of the Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
Contact information: phone number
001 212 294 8301
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
RCMiller@cjh.org (archive and library services)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
Reference number
I-26
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Records of the Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Date(s)
1765/1976
Language(s)
eng
heb
Extent
1 box
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This collection comprises material related to the Congregation Mikveh Israel of Philadelphia, including documentation dating back to its foundation. For instance, folder 8 contains a hand-drawn map of the Jewish burial ground on Spruce Street in Philadelphia prepared by John Lukens, Surveyor General, dating from 1765. Folder 11 contains a manuscript copy of the dedication services for the new synagogue, which includes a prayer for George Washington (1782), the hazzan's manuscript copy of the same service indicating where he was supposed to take part, and an honour card for the seventh circuit for Jacob Mordecai during this service. Other highlights of this collection are a letter of resignation of Simon Nathan as parnas in 1784 (folder 18); a manuscript copy of an act of the Pennsylvania legislature in 1810 authorising changes in a previous act which allowed the congregation to run a lottery (box OSF2); and a printed report of the committee of arrangements for the laying of the cornerstone and the address of the Rev. Sabato Morais, minister of the congregation dating from 1859. The collection also includes printed copies of annual reports, bulletins and miscellaneous materials dating from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Archival history
This collection resulted from several donations: the Elsie O. & Philip D. Sang Foundation in 1979, Yosef Yerushalmi, and Yosef Goldman in 1985.
Administrative / Biographical history
Congregation Mikveh Israel, also known as the "Synagogue of the American Revolution," is the oldest formal congregation in Philadelphia.
Scattered records indicate that there were Jewish traders in the Delaware Valley before William Penn took possession of his colony in 1682. In 1784, a German traveller listed the presence of Jewish families among the religious sects of early Philadelphia. Nathan Levy established himself in the import/export trade with his cousin David Franks in the Philadelphia port by 1735. In 1740, Levy applied to Thomas Penn, Royal Proprietor of Pennsylvania, for a plot to bury his child in accordance with Jewish ritual. It became a Jewish communal cemetery, the first evidence of Jewish communal life in Philadelphia. The beginning of Mikveh Israel dates back to the establishment of the cemetery.
Religious services were first held in private homes, including that of Nathan Levy. Later, rented quarters were obtained, first on Sterling Alley (presently Orianna Street), then around the corner on Cherry Street.
During the War of Independence, Jews from New York, Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, Lancaster and Easton fled to Philadelphia, seeking refuge from the British. In 1780, Rev. Gershom Mendes Seixas, Hazzan of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, came to Philadelphia and became its religious leader. During his tenure, he was instrumental in establishing the form of prayer and organisational structure under the Spanish-Portuguese tradition, which remains today.
An increase in membership and financial help from those who sought refuge in Philadelphia allowed the congregation to establish a permanent religious home. A lot was purchased on Cherry Alley. A carpenter and bricklayer were hired to build a two-story brick building, hardly distinguishable by style from those around it. Space on the lot was approved for a home for the Hazzan, a school and a mikvah, and an oven for Matza baking for Passover.
The first Jewish charitable organisation in the city, the Ezrath Orechim (Society for the Relief of Destitute Strangers), was established in 1783, with Jacob I. Cohen as president, Isaiah Bush as secretary, and Haym Salomon as treasurer.
Congregation members, including Rev. Seixas, returned to New York, Charleston and other locations when British occupation ceased. In 1788, a subscription list was addressed to "worthy fellow Citizens of every religious Denomination", following debt incurred by synagogue construction loans. Among the contributors were Benjamin Franklin; Thomas McKean, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Chief Justice and later Governor of Pennsylvania; William Bradford, Attorney-General of Pennsylvania; and Thomas Fitzsimmons, a drafter of the U.S. Constitution, first president of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the city's leading Catholic layman.
When the 1782 building became inadequate, the Board of Adjuntos (Managers) voted to build a larger synagogue on the same site. The new building opened in 1825, designed by architect William Strickland. The growth of the Jewish population in Philadelphia before the Civil War (1861-1865) led to the construction of a new synagogue on 7th Street, designed by John McArthur, Jr. (later, architect of City Hall of Philadelphia). In the early 20th century, many Jews moved to the area between Broad and 16th Streets, north of Girard Avenue, and a new building was constructed in 1909 at Broad and York Streets, flanked by Gratz and Dropsie Colleges. In 1976, the congregation moved to Independence Mall, close to its original site, together with the National Museum of American Jewish History. The building opened on July 4, 1976, the Nation's Bicentennial. In August 2010, the National Museum of American Jewish History moved from the synagogue's building to a new building at 5th and Market Streets.
Scattered records indicate that there were Jewish traders in the Delaware Valley before William Penn took possession of his colony in 1682. In 1784, a German traveller listed the presence of Jewish families among the religious sects of early Philadelphia. Nathan Levy established himself in the import/export trade with his cousin David Franks in the Philadelphia port by 1735. In 1740, Levy applied to Thomas Penn, Royal Proprietor of Pennsylvania, for a plot to bury his child in accordance with Jewish ritual. It became a Jewish communal cemetery, the first evidence of Jewish communal life in Philadelphia. The beginning of Mikveh Israel dates back to the establishment of the cemetery.
Religious services were first held in private homes, including that of Nathan Levy. Later, rented quarters were obtained, first on Sterling Alley (presently Orianna Street), then around the corner on Cherry Street.
During the War of Independence, Jews from New York, Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, Lancaster and Easton fled to Philadelphia, seeking refuge from the British. In 1780, Rev. Gershom Mendes Seixas, Hazzan of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, came to Philadelphia and became its religious leader. During his tenure, he was instrumental in establishing the form of prayer and organisational structure under the Spanish-Portuguese tradition, which remains today.
An increase in membership and financial help from those who sought refuge in Philadelphia allowed the congregation to establish a permanent religious home. A lot was purchased on Cherry Alley. A carpenter and bricklayer were hired to build a two-story brick building, hardly distinguishable by style from those around it. Space on the lot was approved for a home for the Hazzan, a school and a mikvah, and an oven for Matza baking for Passover.
The first Jewish charitable organisation in the city, the Ezrath Orechim (Society for the Relief of Destitute Strangers), was established in 1783, with Jacob I. Cohen as president, Isaiah Bush as secretary, and Haym Salomon as treasurer.
Congregation members, including Rev. Seixas, returned to New York, Charleston and other locations when British occupation ceased. In 1788, a subscription list was addressed to "worthy fellow Citizens of every religious Denomination", following debt incurred by synagogue construction loans. Among the contributors were Benjamin Franklin; Thomas McKean, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Chief Justice and later Governor of Pennsylvania; William Bradford, Attorney-General of Pennsylvania; and Thomas Fitzsimmons, a drafter of the U.S. Constitution, first president of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the city's leading Catholic layman.
When the 1782 building became inadequate, the Board of Adjuntos (Managers) voted to build a larger synagogue on the same site. The new building opened in 1825, designed by architect William Strickland. The growth of the Jewish population in Philadelphia before the Civil War (1861-1865) led to the construction of a new synagogue on 7th Street, designed by John McArthur, Jr. (later, architect of City Hall of Philadelphia). In the early 20th century, many Jews moved to the area between Broad and 16th Streets, north of Girard Avenue, and a new building was constructed in 1909 at Broad and York Streets, flanked by Gratz and Dropsie Colleges. In 1976, the congregation moved to Independence Mall, close to its original site, together with the National Museum of American Jewish History. The building opened on July 4, 1976, the Nation's Bicentennial. In August 2010, the National Museum of American Jewish History moved from the synagogue's building to a new building at 5th and Market Streets.
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Access, restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers except for items that may be restricted due to their fragility or privacy. Digital copies of some documents are available online.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Published primary sources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| American Jewish Historical Society (Center for Jewish History) | Collections (official language of the state) |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Congregation Mikveh Israel records | Existence and location of copies |