ADAS ISRAEL Synagogue - Third Street Shul
|
Adas Israel Congregation was founded, in 1885, by Lithuanian immigrants.
Members met in a house on St. Croix Avenue in what is now the Canal Park area of Duluth.
The synagogue was incorporated in 1899 about the time that the new facility was constructed on Third Street in Duluth.
The building was destroyed by fire in 2019.
More information on the congregation is available on MNOPEDIA in an article written by Laura Weber and Joanne M Sher:
The information about and pictures of Adas Israel Synagogue presented on this page were obtained from a variety of sources, some indicated below. |
Adas Israel Synagogue
|
History of the Adas Israel Congragation from the Jewish Fellowship News
|
hi res ..........................................................
hi res
An image of Adas Israel looking south, cropped from a 1962 picture showing downtown Duluth - -
full image
|
Photo taken during Simchas Torah at the Adas Israel Synagogue in 1914
More Research on identification of the men and about them.
|
Adas Israel from Google Maps - 2012 - - hi res
|
Adas Israel & Chevri Kadisha Synagogue
State of Minnesota Charter - - December 7, 1899 Over fifty men signed in document as charter members. The names are shown on the document. The names are also tabulated on the attached pdf file along with further information on each. The tabulation was created by Karen Alpert Entous using data from the 1900 census and from Jack Abramson's Family Tree Database. Click here or on thumbnail to the right to see the charter document at high resolution. |
|
|
Adas Israel & Chevri Kadisha Synagogue
This image of the cornerstone was taken by Karen Alpert Entous in 2014. Click here or on thumbnail at the right to see a larger view of the cornerstone at high resolution. A long newspaper article entitled "New Synagogue for the Jews" reported that the cornerstone was laid and the "Ceremony was Impressive." The article, dated November 29, 1901, is also available here: click here. |
|
|
The origins of the synagogue building and an elegant description of its inside and outside were included in the Memories document written by Hattie Kenner Goldish in the 1970s. According to Hattie, the synagogue was designed "to accommodate at least 600 people. They looked quite far into the future for the coming generations. They were indeed, farsighted with high hopes in their hearts and much bravery and responsibility for times such as theirs to venture into such a huge responsibility." Hattie's description and photos of the inside of the synagogue are presented in the attached pdf file. The photos were taken by Karen Alpert Entous in 2014 and document was compiled by her. Additional photos taken by Bob Wolfe: click here. |
|
|
The first marriagte that took place in Adas Israel was in 1902. Albert H. Polinsky of Duluth was married to Sarah Shapiro of Eveleth. The ceremony was one of the largest ever attended in Duluth. Information about the wedding was published in a news article. in the Duluth News Tribune on November 7, 1902. In 1916, the famous singer Sophie Tucker (ne Sonya Kalish) came to Duluth for a performance at the Orpheum Theatre. While in Duluth, she attended Rosh Hashana services at Adas Israel. Many years later, the operatic singer Jan Peerce (ne Jacob Pincus Perelmuth) visited Duluth and attended services at Adas Isreal. Recollections of the Tucker and Peerce visits were included in the document written by Hattie Goldish of her Memories. A summary of those recollections, links to related newspaper articles and more about Sophie Tucker and Jan Peerce have been archived here. In 1976, Bertha Singer wrote "A Short History of the Duluth Jewish Community - - 1870-1976" for the Jewish American Biucentennial Celebration. A portion of that history related to Adas Israel and the Orthodox Congregations is shown below. To see the full document, click here. |
|
_____________________________________________________________________________
2019 Fire Destroys Adas Israel
|
view from the rear of the building
Duluth firefighter delivers scrolls to synagogue members after the fire destroyed the Adas Israel building.
Ten of 14 Torah scrolls were recovered from the debris, though several others are stuck in the blackened walls, too damaged to be saved.
|
Official Board Comments written by Phil Sher
|
|
Audio and Video History and Recollections of Adas Israel The Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (JHSUM) invites you to participate in a project to record memories of the Adas Israel Synagogue.
In the wake of the tragedy, many people shared their thoughts in newspapers and on-line (see below).
We also have an opportunity to record (audio and video) interviews with individuals through a platform called TheirStory.
More information can be found on the invitation to participate issued by JHSUM and sanctioned by the Adas Israel Board.
|
|
Written History and Recollections of Adas Israel
"My dad (Sid Garon) was an architect ... and on the building committee of the Shul. He had so many headaches with the aging structure ... leaking roof, stained-glass windows that were not weatherproof, the unreliable city-run steam heating system, sewer gas issues. Sadly, the all-wood structure never had a sprinkler system. Every time I drive to the cemetery in Duluth, I marveled at all the history and memories. Very sad." - Andy Garon "As a child until 6th grade ..., our family belonged to the Adas Israel Congregaton. It was a half a block from my Grandparent's (Israel and Mary Garon) home on 3rd street. ... My Grandfather Israel was an early member of the Adas Israel Synagogue and he and his friends used to gather at my Grandfather's home and 'loudly' discuss synagogue politics. The Adas Israel was referred to as 'The Third Street Synagogue' and there was another Jewish synagogue one block up the hill, 'The Fourth Street Synagogue.'" - - full comments - - Arlis (Garon) Grossman "I have been a small part of Adas Israel for almost 70 years and my sadness over its loss is profound; however, I know there will be beautiful lasting memories for me, family members, and so many others. From the time I was a young child, I began attending Shabbat services with my father, Maurice Krovitz, z'l, and brother Benjie, along with going to Sunday School. I always loved the Chanukah dinners where the aroma of delicious Jewish cooking wafted through the kitchen into the social hall where every chair was filled for these events. My father was synagogue Vice President and President for a number of years, and my mother, Esther Goldish Krovitz, z'l, was heavily involved in Sisterhood." - - full comments - - Ida Krovitz Davis "Nancy remembers the shul because her mother's great grandparents settled in
Duluth from Lithuania in the late 1800's as did many Jewish families coming into
the country through the Great Lakes. No immigration documentation papers
were required. The joke was that every Jewish person in Duluth was related!
As a child Nancy and her family lived in St. Paul and visited Duluth often to see
her great-grandmother and grandparents and cousins. It was just a four hour
drive (now a 2 hour drive on a superhighway.)"
My father "took me occasionally to attend services at Adas Israel in Duluth. I was devastated to see it burned down.
I am still holding some anger about it that I may never get over.
The man who burned it down only got 3 months in prison and community service.
- - full comments
- - Cantor Daniel Singer, New York City - - November 2019
Published Comments "My family synagogue burned down in Minnesota this week. We lost much more than a building." - Opinion - The Jewish News of Northern California - by Sarah Rose "The day my grandfather's synagogue burned." - "My heart goes out to the congregants of Adas Israel. May the memory of 3rd Street Schul be a blessing." Opinion - Star Tribune - by Bryan Altman "Building Lost, But Family Memories Remain Amid Adas Israel Fire." Guest Post - - TC Jewfolk - - by Matt Erickson, Bruzonsky family history "Tragedy of Adas Israel fire hard to even talk about" - "Inside Adas Israel were many irreplaceable pieces of secular and religious art, as well as 19th century books written in Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, and Yiddish." Local View Column - Duluth News Tribune - by Sandford S Baddin "How should I feel about synagogue fire? ... I will not forget the feeling I had when I saw the pictures of Adas Israel in flames on Sept. 9. It felt
like my gut had been kicked; a wave of nausea hit me. I had just been to Adas Israel in 2017 and saw
the beautiful Bima, the now-lost stained glass windows, and all the history of the families who shared
it for over 100 years."
Local View Column
- Duluth News Tribune by Joli R. Shamblott
|
|
News Articles About the Fire
|
|
Sources Much of the information on this page was captured from the following sources
A Collection of Memories Celebrating Jewish Live in the Northland - 1996
- - click here (pdf)
Old Newspaper Articles related to Adas Israel Synagogue - -
click here (page on this site)
Memories written by Hattie Kenner Goldish - -
click here (page on this site)
|
| Top of Page | Duluth Temples & Synagogues | Jewish Organizatons & Businesses | Jews of Duluth | Home |
| Created by: Allan@Garon.us |
Feedback always welcome! |
Page created Aug 2016; major update in Sep 2019 |