Congregation Emanuel is a Conservative synagogue at 206 North Kelly Street in Statesville, North Carolina, in the United States. Built in 1891, it is the oldest house of worship in Statesville[1] and the third oldest synagogue building in the state.[2]
| Congregation Emanuel | |
|---|---|
 Synagogue façade in 2022 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership | Rabbi: vacant |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 206 North Kelly Street, Statesville, North Carolina |
| Country | United States |
  Location in North Carolina | |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°47′07″N 80°53′31″W / 35.7854°N 80.8920°W |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Style | Rundbogenstil |
| Date established | 1883 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1892 |
| Website | |
| congregationemanuelnc | |
The synagogue is located near downtown Statesville and the campus of Mitchell Community College.
History edit
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 edit
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]
References edit
- ^ "Statesville, North Carolina Attractions". lasr.net.
- ^ Gordon, Mark W. (1996). "Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues". American Jewish History. 1 (84): 20–27.
- ^ "IREDELL EXHIBITS FOCUS ON JEWISH HERITAGE". Charlotte Observer. May 12, 1999.
- ^ Krider, Gene (August 18, 2008). "Romanesque style seen in local buildings". Statesville Record & Landmark. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- ^ Israelowitz, Oscar (1988). Guide to Jewish U.S.A.: The South. p. 99.
- ^ "STATESVILLE SYNAGOGUE LEARNS IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST IN THE NATION". Charlotte Observer. January 19, 1997.