Jewish Museum of Maryland

A Photo-Essay on the Lloyd Street & B’nai Israel Synagogues

The Herbert Bearman Campus of the Jewish Museum of Maryland is at 15 Lloyd Street in the Jonestown neighborhood of Baltimore.

The Jewish Museum of Maryland is the leading museum of regional Jewish history in the United States and the successor of the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland, which was founded in 1960 to rescue and restore the Lloyd Street Synagogue. The Society further acquired the nearby B’nai Israel Synagogue in 1981 at the initiative of its Congregants, who created a campaign to restore it. Per special agreement, the Congregation donated the Synagogue to the Society and the latter leased it back, with the two parties collaborating on its renovation. The Museum was later formed from the Society in 1998 and is the only museum in the United States featuring two historic synagogues.

A wide perspective on the Herbert Bearman Campus along Lloyd Street. Right to left are the B’nai Israel Synagogue, the Museum edifice, and the Lloyd Street Synagogue across Watson Street.

In the American popular imagination, the history of immigration is often primordially and exclusively associated with New York City, but Baltimore was historically the second largest port of immigration into the United States. The Jonestown neighborhood of Baltimore was historically home to a diverse population of African-Americans, Germans, Irish, Jews, and Italians, the latter eventually forming their own enclave to the south that became, and remains, Little Italy. East Lombard Street in Jonestown was the cultural heart of Baltimore’s Jewish community, witnessing a familiar pattern of 19th Century Jewish immigration that saw the first major wave of German Jews followed by later waves of Eastern European Jews.

The principal facade of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building as seen from the west, mirroring the aesthetics of the B’nai Israel Synagogue. The Museum’s lot was first acquired by the Jewish Historical Society in 1987 and built as the Jewish Heritage Center. The lot was upgraded and expanded to its present iteration in 1998, when the Society and the Center became the Museum.

The Bernice and Max Israelson Arcade that encloses the Museum Courtyard.

Historical curation at the Museum has a notable focus on the everyday, mundane aspects of Jewish life and intentionally so. The goal is to foster a meaningful connection through deep history for any visitor, allowing the Jewish experience to be recognized as particularly distinct yet universally relatable. The Museum’s two Galleries currently feature the long-term exhibit Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore, an elaborate survey of the personal and communal lives of the city’s Jewish denizens, and the short-term exhibit Scrap Yard: Innovators of Recycling, a layered study of an overlooked yet vital industry that for most of the 20th Century was dominated by Jewish scrappers.

The Museum Courtyard, dedicated in grateful acknowledgment of the Joseph Meyerhoff Fund in recognition of its generous contributions to the Museum’s establishment.

A reverse perspective on the Courtyard.

The history of the Jewish community in Jonestown is inherently tied to the wider historical arc of Baltimore itself. It is an arc that, as true of so many great American cities, has been defined by prosperous growth, heartbreaking decline, and inspiring rebirth. The Museum’s Synagogues are microcosms of that collective journey, embodying the complex developments that have shaped the Jewish community and the city they have lovingly called home.

Lloyd Street Synagogue

Designed in Greek Revival style by architect Robert Cary Long, Jr. (1810–49), the Lloyd Street Synagogue is Maryland’s first synagogue and the third oldest extant synagogue in the United States. It was built in 1845 as the first original edifice of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, which was initially founded in 1830 as Nidche Yisroel, the first incorporated Jewish organization in Maryland. In 1840, Nidche Yisroel became the first Jewish congregation in America to hire an ordained Rabbi, Abraham Rice (1800–62), who came from Bavaria.

The Synagogue as seen from the southwest. The lower door at its southwestern corner leads to the basement, which features a comprehensive exhibit on the edifice’s history as well as the historic Matzoh Oven and Mikveh (Ritual Bath) facility.

The principal facade as seen from the west. It features Doric order columns, on raised plinths, supporting the entablature and pediment.

The entablature and pediment in detail. They feature notable conventions of Greek Revival, including mutules on the soffit of the cornice, triglyphs on the frieze, and regulae with guttae on an otherwise plain architrave.

The development of Nidche Yisroel-cum-Baltimore Hebrew occurred at a pivotal time for Jewish Marylanders, who had been denizens of colonial Maryland since the mid-17th Century, but were effectively barred from public office due to the requirement of a Christian oath. This was finally overturned by the Maryland General Assembly in the Jew Bill of 1826, allowing for mere declaration of belief in a Creator. The Bill was championed by Hagerstown delegate Thomas Kennedy, a non-Jew, and months after its passage Solomon Etting and Jacob Cohen became the first Jews elected to the Baltimore City Council.

Left: The Matzoh Oven, added after 1905, on the western side of the Synagogue’s basement. It was used to baked specially supervised shmurah matzoh for the first night of Passover. The Oven is made of recycled materials like old brick and vented through a flue from 1845. Right: The Mikveh facility, the oldest of its kind in the United States, on the eastern side of the basement. It was restored to its early 1900s iteration. The photograph on the floor displays the oldest section of the Mikveh underneath from 1845, which was discovered in 2011 but subsequently filled, as it was compromising the structural integrity of the Synagogue.

A wide perspective on the main room of the Mikveh facility, featuring curtained changing stalls and a restored tin ceiling. The facility was originally a freestanding edifice separate from the Synagogue, but was physically absorbed when the Synagogue was extended eastward by architect William H. Reasin (1816–67) in 1861.

The Mikvot beyond the main room.

As was true of so many Jewish congregations in 19th Century America, Baltimore Hebrew witnessed the tensions between Jews adhering to tradition and Jews aspiring to reformism. Rabbi Rice resigned relatively early in 1849, decrying what he perceived as religious laxity among his Congregants, but traditionalists maintained control of Baltimore Hebrew for the next two decades. Nonetheless, the reforming impulse only grew with the years, so traditionalists left Baltimore Hebrew in 1870 and founded Chizuk Amuno in 1873, with the Reform Movement incidentally consolidating nationwide that same year.

A wide perspective on the Sanctuary. Gas and electricity were installed in 1905 and 1915 respectively. The Pews are original to the edifice, while the Chandeliers are from 1889.

Left & Right: The northern and southern Aisles.

Two perspectives on the Bimah from 1905, featuring a turned-wooden balustrade.

Greater prosperity incentivized the predominantly German Jews of Baltimore Hebrew to move out of Jonestown, so the Synagogue was sold in 1889 to a national parish of Lithuanian Roman Catholics, becoming the Church of St. John the Baptist for the next 16 years. It was then sold in 1905 to Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh, which mostly consisted of Eastern European Jews from what was then the southern part of Imperial Russia’s Pale of Settlement and today Ukraine. Shomrei Mishmeres was formally Orthodox, but led by the pragmatically-minded Rabbi Avraham Schwartz, a distinguished Talmudic scholar from Lithuania, who became known as “chief rabbi” among Orthodox Eastern European Jews.

A wide perspective on the Ark Dais. The Ark (Aron HaKodesh) is a reproduction of the one used by the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation at the end of the 19th Century. The stained glass window above the Ark is the oldest extant representation of the Star of David (Magen David) in the United States, with nearly all of its pieces original to the edifice. Incredibly, the glass was preserved by the Lithuanian Catholic parish that acquired the edifice. The chairs on the Dais are of late-19th Century style, but are not original to the period.

The Ark in detail, featuring conventions on its pediment and column capitals that follow the Roman iteration of the Corinthian order.

The opened Ark, revealing the three Sifrei Torah. The Sefer Torah with the striped Mantle (Mappah) in the center was rescued from the Holocaust (HaShoah).

With further prosperity-driven migrations out of Jonestown during the 20th Century, membership in Shomrei Mishmeres was severely diminished by 1958, at which point the Congregation contemplated selling the deteriorating Synagogue. Learning about the potential sale, Peale Museum Director Wilbur Hunter alerted the Jewish community and urged intervention, which compelled the Baltimore Board of Rabbis to create an exploratory committee on preservation. This culminated in the creation of the Jewish Historical Society in 1960, which completed a partial restoration within four years and opened the Synagogue to the public in 1964.

The Sanctuary as seen from the northwestern corner of the Gallery. The Gallery Pews originally faced inward, but were reoriented to face forward when the edifice belonged to the Lithuanian Catholic parish.

The stained glass windows on the eastern wall in detail. Whereas the central window is original to the edifice, the side windows are from the 1870s.

Left & Right: The northern and southern halves of the Sanctuary floor as seen from opposite sides of the Gallery.

A reverse perspective on the Sanctuary as seen from the Ark Dais. The seats are numbered and were reservable for individuals and families.

The traditionalists that left Baltimore Hebrew and founded Chizuk Amuno in 1873 moved into their own original edifice on the adjacent block of Lloyd Street in 1876, eventually becoming one of the founding congregations of Conservative Judaism. In tandem with the other German Jewish migrations out of Jonestown, Chizuk Amuno moved and sold its edifice in 1895 to B’nai Israel, also known then as Russiche Shul, which remains to this day as the Congregation within the B’nai Israel Synagogue.

B’nai Israel Synagogue

The B’nai Israel Synagogue, also known as The Downtown Synagogue, is the oldest active synagogue in Downtown Baltimore and the oldest continuously used Orthodox synagogue within Baltimore Metro. Designed by architect Henry Berge and completed for Chizuk Amuno in 1876, the edifice proved to be the last synagogue built by German Jewish immigrants in Baltimore. Since 1895, the Synagogue has remained the home of the B’nai Israel Congregation, which was officially chartered as the Russian Congregation B’nai Israel of Baltimore City in 1873.

The Synagogue as seen from the northwest, joined with the Museum edifice.

The principal facade as seen from the west. Although otherwise inspired by Moorish Revival style evident in its Portals, the facade manifestly features various influences. Its shape and lancet windows are reminiscent of Victorian Gothic Revival style, while the cast concrete facings of the circular windows are reminiscent of French Flamboyant Gothic style.

The upper portion of the facade, which features corbelling of the red brick along the triple apexes, with trimming of Indiana stone and granite. Crowning the central apex are the Tablets of the Law and the Star of David (Magen David).

Although chartered as Russian in character, the historical record lists many of the Congregation’s earliest members as Polish, a reality of the linguistically varied yet socially common origins of Jews from Imperial Russia’s Pale of Settlement. In parallel with the national patterns of Jewish immigration and subsequent intra-urban migration, Jonestown saw the departing German Jews replaced by Eastern European Jews from the Pale at the turn of the 20th Century. Non-northwestern European immigration was then severely reduced by the National Origins Formula during 1921–65.

A wide perspective on the upstairs Sanctuary with aesthetics reminiscent of Byzantine synagogues, except for the Ark that is conspicuously Moorish. During Shabbat services, men and women sit separately on opposite sides of the Partition (Mechitza). All of the wood in the Sanctuary is original except for the Mechitza. The small fixture placed on the Gallery wall at the right is believed to be the original Ner Tamid.

Left & Right: The northern and southern Aisles.

Two perspectives on the brass Chandelier installed in 1889, with the electrical output facing downward and the former gas output facing upward. Gas and electricity were installed in 1905 and 1915 respectively. The Chandelier is the oldest extant electrical fixture in Baltimore.

The Congregation flourished in its first 50 years, but post-War migrations led to a diminished Jewish population in Jonestown and broader East Baltimore. By the late 1970s, the Sanctuary was in a state of severe disrepair, compelling the remaining Congregants to use the downstairs Beth Midrash for services. The adjacent Jewish Historical Society struggled with maintaining just the Lloyd Street Synagogue at the time, so motivated parties in both the Society and Congregation lobbied City authorities in 1979.

Two perspectives on the original Bimah, featuring a turned-wooden balustrade.

Two perspectives on the original Ark (Aron HaKodesh), hand-carved over two years by John Yeager for $77. It features Moorish conventions of regular and pointed horseshoe arches as well as two minarets. The small socket below the Tablets of the Law is believed to have held the original Ner Tamid. The Ark Dais is fronted by a Rostrum for Rabbinical sermons and other presentations.

Moved by the decrepit state of the Sanctuary, Society oral historian Helen Sollins and her husband, long-time Congregation Board of Trustees President Leonard Sollins, approached Councilman Dominic “Mimi” DiPietro for help. The latter, in turn, convinced Mayor William D. Schaefer that City support was necessary and warranted. With the City involved, further financial support materialized from various sources, culminating in a $400,000 restoration during 1983–7 and rededication on the sixth night of Chanukah 1987. Since the Society took ownership of the Synagogue in 1981, the Congregation has held a 99-year renewable lease with an annual rent of $1, with the Society-cum-Museum maintaining the exterior and the Congregation maintaining the interior.

The Ark in its three iterations, with its pocket doors closed, its doors opened, and its curtain drawn revealing the five Sifrei Torah.

The Sifrei Torah in detail, adorned with Mantles (Mappah), Breastplates (Choshen), Finials (Rimmonim)/Crowns (Keter), and Pointers (Yad).

After more challenging years focused on regrowth and rejuvenation, the Congregation is now thriving, maintaining a Modern Orthodox orientation and presently led by Rabbi Etan Mintz. Since at least the turn of the 21st Century, Baltimore’s Jewish community has had the highest proportion of Orthodox households of any Jewish community in the United States. To incentivize sustained communal growth, the Congregation has been completing the first phase of an Eruv, a Halakhic zone of wires that negate the public-private distinction otherwise limiting mobility on Shabbat.

Left: The landing of the second floor before the Sanctuary, featuring printed Torahs (Chumashim), Prayer Books (Siddurim), and Prayer Shawls (Tallitot). Right: The southwestern stairs leading to the Gallery.

A wide perspective on the Gallery as seen from its northwestern corner.

Beyond the Jewish community, the Synagogue has shown positive leadership on issues affecting Baltimore at-large. In the aftermath of the 2015 Baltimore Riots, Rabbi Mintz organized a Circle of Unity that brought together rabbinic colleagues and pastors of other faiths to visit affected neighborhoods and provide support to those in need. This initiative has served as the foundation for reiterated cooperation between clergies and greater interaction between congregational laities in Baltimore.

The Sanctuary floor as seen from the western terminus of the Gallery.

A reverse perspective on the Sanctuary as seen from the Bimah.

Together, the preservation of the Lloyd Street Synagogue and the rebirth of the B’nai Israel Synagogue are emblematic of the long, winding journey of Baltimore’s Jewish community. It is a journey all too familiar for so many Jewish communities throughout history, so often defined by struggle and suffering. However, as revealed in the Synagogues’ histories and the Museum’s exhibits, that journey has also been defined by adaptive mobility, social dynamism, and unbroken communal culture enlivened by the promise of a new home.

In honor of the Jewish community of Baltimore. In commemoration of its past, in celebration of its present, and in anticipation of its future.

These photos were taken on two consecutive days utilizing both a wide angle lens and a standard zoom lens. Exterior lighting varied between photos based on the desire to capture the entireties of the western-oriented facades during early morning hours, before permitted parking on Lloyd Street, which also negated asymmetrical shadowing otherwise caused by the relatively southern, seasonal path of the Sun. The Museum’s Galleries were intentionally not featured to encourage visiting, for the narrative and photos in this exposition capture only fractions of the history meticulously curated and the aesthetic beauty manifestly displayed.

Acknowledgments and heartfelt gratitude go to numerous individuals that facilitated the production of this photo-essay, first and foremost to Museum Development and Marketing Manager Rachel Kassman. Contact with Rachel began in light of her gracious sharing of the Eldridge Street Synagogue photo-essay via the Museum’s social media accounts. This was soon followed by her invitation for photography at the Museum that culminated in this feature.

At the Museum, further gratitude goes to Visitor Services Coordinator Talia Makowsky for providing access and introductions at both Synagogues, Docent Robbin Bord for the personal tour that ensured key historical details, Security Guard Garrett Flannery for the courteous supervision, as well as School Program Coordinator Paige Woodhouse and former Docent-Front Desk Volunteer Betsy Kahn for the warm greetings during my visit. At B’nai Israel, gratitude goes to Rabbi Etan Mintz for the kind, supportive welcome and Director of Special Projects Richard Gwynallen for opening the Ark as well as sharing the status of the Eruv.

Rachel, Talia, Robbin, Richard, and Rabbi Mintz also helpfully reviewed the draft of this photo-essay.