Jewish Community of Syracuse

While New York City became home for most of the Jewish immigrants
who crossed the Atlantic, others journeyed farther, seeking freedom
and fortune. The city of Syracuse, easily reached by the Erie Canal,
became the next port of call for some. It offered opportunities, open roads,
and a small but ever-growing Jewish community. This history traces the
development of the Jewish community of the Salt City from its beginnings
in the early 18th century, when a handful of peddlers gathered weekly
to share a Shabbat meal, to a much larger community that numbered
11,000-12,000 at its peak a century later. The Syracuse Jewish community
is a microcosm of the history of Jews in America and is both distinctive and
iconic in nature.

Barbara Sheklin Davis is the author of 100 Jewish Things to Do Before You Die, The Syracuse Jewish Community, and Syracuse African Americans. She is editor-at-large of HaYidion, the field-leading Jewish educational journal, and professor emerita at Onondaga Community College. For twenty-seven years, she was head of the Syracuse Hebrew Day School. She lives in Syracuse, winters in Jacksonville Beach, and is the proud mother of three and grandmother of nine.