Congregation Oheb Sholom (Goldsboro, North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Oheb Sholom is a Reform
synagogue
located in Goldsboro
, North Carolina
. It is one of fewer than a hundred nineteenth-century synagogues still standing in the United States
, and the second oldest synagogue building
in the state.
men who met "for the purpose of building a synagogue" in Goldsboro. The Goldsboro Jewish community already had a Torah
and met for prayers, probably in private homes, in addition to having already formed a Cemetery Association
and a Ladies' Hebrew Assistance Society. Since several families had moved to Goldsboro from Baltimore
, Maryland
, the congregation was patterned on the moderate Reform style of Baltimore's Temple Oheb Sholom.
Among the leading families were the Weils. Herman Weil had arrived in the United States in 1858, and was soon joined by his brothers, Henry and Solomon. They had become successful businessmen in Goldsboro by the 1870s. Solomon and Henry Weil donated the land for Herman Park, named for Herman Weil, to the City of Goldsboro on July 21, 1890. Lionel Weil, son of Solomon and Sarah Weil, donated 219 acres (89 ha) in 1945 to the State of North Carolina for a nature park, now known as Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
. Gertrude Weil
, daughter of Henry and Mina Weil, was a leader of the women's suffrage
movement and active in a variety of progressive
causes. She founded the North Carolina League of Women Voters
.
The two-story, red brick synagogue was designed by Milton Harding in 1886, and is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture
. It was the second Jewish house of worship
in North Carolina.
Reform Judaism (North America)
Reform Judaism is the largest denomination of American Jews today. With an estimated 1.5 million members, it also accounts for the largest number of Jews affiliated with Progressive Judaism worldwide.- Reform Jewish theology :Rabbi W...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
located in Goldsboro
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. It is one of fewer than a hundred nineteenth-century synagogues still standing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the second oldest synagogue building
Oldest synagogues in the United States
The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
in the state.
History
The congregation was founded in February 1883 by 33 JewishAmerican Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
men who met "for the purpose of building a synagogue" in Goldsboro. The Goldsboro Jewish community already had a Torah
Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah of Torah” or “Torah scroll”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
and met for prayers, probably in private homes, in addition to having already formed a Cemetery Association
Bereavement in Judaism
Bereavement in Judaism is a combination of minhag and mitzvah derived from Judaism's classical Torah and rabbinic texts...
and a Ladies' Hebrew Assistance Society. Since several families had moved to Goldsboro from Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, the congregation was patterned on the moderate Reform style of Baltimore's Temple Oheb Sholom.
Among the leading families were the Weils. Herman Weil had arrived in the United States in 1858, and was soon joined by his brothers, Henry and Solomon. They had become successful businessmen in Goldsboro by the 1870s. Solomon and Henry Weil donated the land for Herman Park, named for Herman Weil, to the City of Goldsboro on July 21, 1890. Lionel Weil, son of Solomon and Sarah Weil, donated 219 acres (89 ha) in 1945 to the State of North Carolina for a nature park, now known as Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is a North Carolina state park in Wayne County, North Carolina in the United States. It is located near Seven Springs, North Carolina and covers along the southern banks of the Neuse River. It has a swimming area, camp sites, hiking trails, fishing areas, and picnic...
. Gertrude Weil
Gertrude Weil
Gertrude Weil was involved in a wide range of progressive/leftist and often controversial causes, including women's suffrage, labor reform and civil rights.-Life:...
, daughter of Henry and Mina Weil, was a leader of the women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement and active in a variety of progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
causes. She founded the North Carolina League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
.
The two-story, red brick synagogue was designed by Milton Harding in 1886, and is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
. It was the second Jewish house of worship
Place of worship
A place of worship or house of worship is an establishment or her location where a group of people comes to perform acts of religious study, honor, or devotion. The form and function of religious architecture has evolved over thousands of years for both changing beliefs and architectural style...
in North Carolina.