Torah Finials (New York)

Artist Unknown

1730

Two silver finials with bells.
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These silver Torah finials with bells adorned a Torah scroll at the consecration ceremony of the Mill Street Synagogue of Congregation Shearith Israel, which opened in New York in 1730 and was located on present-day South William Street in downtown Manhattan. They are still used today in the congregation. Shearith Israel was the first Jewish congregation established in North America, and the only Jewish congregation in New York City from 1654 until 1825. Between 1654 and 1730, it met in rented quarters, consecrating its first building in 1730 on Mill Street. To meet the needs of a steadily growing membership, the congregation moved into five different buildings over the centuries.

Credits

Congregation Shearith Israel, New York, photo by DLW Photography. © 2021 by the Posen Foundation.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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Map depicting rivers and settlements, an image of a large building with a waterwheel, and an image of small huts with palm trees at the top and two cherubs with Dutch text.
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