First Congregation Sons of Israel

 First Congregation Sons of Israel

St. Augustine, Florida

April 9, 2022

Before the synagogue was completed in 1923, Eastern Europeans who settled after the Civil War, held ceremonies in each others homes. The name "First Congregation" refers to the European Sons being the first of the area. Originally opened as an Orthodox synagogue, women and children sat above in a loft, while the men would attend the pews directly in front of the bimah. More settlers from Russia and Poland who came to St. Augustine, spoke a different language and had a different culture from the rest of the city. When the synagogue opened in 1924, it was welcoming to these folks as well as their beliefs. Since the opening, it has been troubled with the weathering of hurricanes, forcing it to be renovated and restored to how we see it today.

https://www.firstcongregationsonsofisrael.com/history

Exterior Picture 1

Exterior Picture 2

Artifact Picture 1

The Star of David that is in the center of the sanctuary is a remodeled version of the one that was there before it. The original was made of plaster but it was made to mush and was completely destroyed from the weather of St. Augustine. A student from Flagler College got a design and sent it to an architect who sent it to a contractor and had the design for the new Star of David made. After they had hoisted it into the air and attached it to the ceiling, they noticed that they had forgotten to paint it. They brought in a gorilla lift and had two Flagler students take turns going up and painting it to the beautiful gold color we see in this image.

Artifact Picture 2

Due to the high temperatures of Florida, regular panes of glass would keep too much heat within the synagogue, therefore resulting in the usage of stained glass. In the late 1950s, the three daughters of the founding rabbi discovered a synagogue that was being deconstructed overseas. Instead of wasting the beautiful art, they decided to reach out and ask for the stained glass windows that were made in 1873. They soon had them shipped out which is how we see the stained leaded glass in place today. Trying to restore the windows from a few breaks in the glass, the great grandson of the creator of these windows was contacted and brought over to fix them. He restored all 15 windows and that is how they are all still in perfect condition. 

Image 1 In Conversation

https://www.stjmod.com/becoming-catholic-rcia.html

The First Congregation Sons of Israel synagogue used to have a mikvah in its earliest years. A mikvah is a pool of natural water that would be used for women to bath in. However, it was also used as a specific method of conversion. Conversion as in the force to changed faith. Made out of the same coquina, native to Florida and popular in St. Augustine, they decided to cover it up after the building was finished.

The mikvah that has since been hidden, reminds me of a baptism in Catholic faith. In the Christian faith, in order to be admitted to the church, one can be sprinkled on the head with water or fully submerged. This mikvah, even though having different functions, is similar to baptism in that it is a pool of water that is used for people to be submerged in, relating to a faith.

Image 2 In Conversation

https://visualculturelc.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20History%20of%20VC%20Chapter%2012

The back wall of the sanctuary displays memorial boards called tablets. On each tablet are plates that contain a name in English and in Hebrew. Some plates only have death dates while others have a birth and death date. The plaques are purchased by members who have them engraved so that loved ones will always be remembered. The oldest board was from 1940 and although they seem to be in good shape, water damage destroyed the lights that went up the sides of the board.

The tablets in the synagogue are similar to this monument pictured above. A young architect by the name of Maya Lin, designed this Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in 1982. It stands in Washington D.C. with an original 57,939 names on it. The Wall was created into the Earth with the intentions of easy access for visitors. Being a reasonable height of seven feet tall, each name on The Wall can be acknowledged without going unseen. The visitors can also tough the wall, giving this memorial an extremely emotional touch. Like the Vietnam Veteran Memorial, the tablets in the synagogue give the viewers a sense of acknowledgement for the ones who have passed.

Literature In Conversation

Panel from Parable Of The Sower

"People tend to give in/ To fear and depression,/ To need and greed./ When no influence is strong enough/ To unify people/ They divide./ They struggle,/ One against one,/ Group against group,/ For survival, position, power."

This excerpt from page 82 of Parable Of The Sower displays a section of Earthseed that Lauren writes. Lauren's writing in this section of Earthseed, closely resonates with what the tour guide from the synagogue had told us. The tour guide had said that when the Russians, Polands, and other Eastern Europeans had settled in St. Augustine they were discriminated. Because these people spoke different languages, had different cultural backgrounds, and most importantly practiced a different religion, they were looked down upon and excluded from the community that was St. Augustine.

When Lauren writes, "When no influence is strong enough/ To unify people/ They divide," it creates a direct connection to how the European settlers were one of the groups of St. Augustine's divided nature. The Muslim faith against Christianity, created a separation between the Spanish dissent already in St. Augustine and the new Islamic settlers. Although the division was true for the separation of both faiths, the Islamic faith was strong enough to bring those who did settle together. Creating the synagogue was an effort to create a community for the Sons of Israel, as they were excluded from the community of St. Augustine.

Creative Component