Better Late than Never
Wow, I can't believe I've been back from vacation for a whole week! It feels like I just returned yesterday.
There's so much to blog about, but for the moment I'll simply keep my promise to post pictures from the St. Thomas synagogue, and other Virgin Islands pictures as Blogger allows.
As I said before, though the synagogue is still lovely and historic, it was more beautiful prior to their recent renovation. My pictures are a bit dark- hope you can see all the beautiful carved mahogany!
The front of the synagogue:
From the inside, looking out the entrance:
The bimah and hanukkiah:
The ark, housing 6 Torah scrolls:
Looking across the synagogue, to the rear:
I'm sorry to say that I can't remember the name of this type of wall. Perhaps it's called a wall of remembrance? You can see the yahrzeit candles lit. I'm sure there are many precious memories represented. (If it's disrespectful to have this photo posted, please let me know and I'll remove it. I'm unsure whether there are specific rules about this.)
If you are interested in learning more about this historic synagogue or some of the very interesting history of Virgin Islands Jewry, here's a great site:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/stthomas.html
Enjoy!
There's so much to blog about, but for the moment I'll simply keep my promise to post pictures from the St. Thomas synagogue, and other Virgin Islands pictures as Blogger allows.
As I said before, though the synagogue is still lovely and historic, it was more beautiful prior to their recent renovation. My pictures are a bit dark- hope you can see all the beautiful carved mahogany!
The front of the synagogue:
From the inside, looking out the entrance:
The bimah and hanukkiah:
The ark, housing 6 Torah scrolls:
Looking across the synagogue, to the rear:
I'm sorry to say that I can't remember the name of this type of wall. Perhaps it's called a wall of remembrance? You can see the yahrzeit candles lit. I'm sure there are many precious memories represented. (If it's disrespectful to have this photo posted, please let me know and I'll remove it. I'm unsure whether there are specific rules about this.)
If you are interested in learning more about this historic synagogue or some of the very interesting history of Virgin Islands Jewry, here's a great site:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/stthomas.html
Enjoy!
posted by Yaakova | 3:26 PM
2 Comments:
Cool. As I recall, this is the oldest shul in North America. Do they still get a minyan? Looks pretty snazzy. Our chabad back in Walnut Creek was just a shul in the living room of a rented house.
Evan,
Thanks for visiting!
I doubt they get a minyan; it's a Reform synagogue nowadays, after all..
I believe it's the "oldest synagogue in continuous use in North America."
Growing up, I remember it used to be called the oldest temple in the Western Hemisphere, but I think there's at least one in South America which actually earned that distinction.
Still, it's pretty darn cool, with all of its history, sand floors, mahogany, and Sephardic style! And on "Synagogue Street," atop "Synagogue Hill," to boot!
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