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Febuary 3, 2006 WWW.KANESTREET.ORG Bo
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Issue 5
Brooklyn’s First Jewish School
In this issue …
We feature Brooklyn’s first Jewish School, organized in 1864. Congregation Baith Israel held separate classes for boys and girls in the basement of the Boerum Place Synagogue until 1904, when the building was destroyed by a fire. The Sunday school began as a free institution with the Hebrew Free Sunday School teacher’s association as volunteers. Apparently, there were two brief periods when the school separated from the congregation – while Julius Corn was superintendent and during Rabbi Marcus Friedlander’s tenure. This fact might account for the Rabbi’s sudden departure from the congregation, the deleted records and the lost trustee minutes. (see Issue 4)
Newspaper articles in this issue cover details about the school such as public examinations in the sanctuary, prizes for scholars, teachers’ and pupils’ names, confirmation services, annual school picnics and school entertainment. Archives from this period consist of: register of pupils, financial records and reports, Sunday School Teachers’ Association minutes and Talmud Torah financial reports.
Outstanding personalities from the school include Aaron Copland, who was enrolled in 1904 at age four as the youngest student. Aaron’s father Harris served as School board chairman; his brother Ralph taught for a number of years at the school and served as superintendent. Another notable graduate was Michael Furst, son of Baith Israel founder Solomon Furst. Michael was born in 1856, the same year as the congregation organized. He was the first Jewish boy in Brooklyn to attend college and spoke at his Yale commencement in 1876 on “The Modern Jew.” With his boyhood Sunday school classmate, fellow attorney Michael Grushenske, he directed Baith Israel’s Sunday school during the 1880s. Julius Corn organized the school and served as its superintendent many years. Marcus Friedlander directed it from 1888 to 1893. During Harris Copland’s tenure, classes met at the Brooklyn Atheneum. Harris headed the search committee that found the church on Harrison Street -- the theme of next week’s issue.
Carol Levin, Editor
historicaljournal@kanestreet.org
Contents ...
“Correspondence. Brooklyn, N. Y.”
A newspaper clipping about the school, written circa 1880 when Julius Corn was Superintendent, was found within the pages of the Sunday School minutes book of 1864-1893. “The Synagogue Journal” reprints the article.
(scroll down)
“Sunday School Beth Israel. Closing Examination previous to a Vacation Until the Second Sunday in September”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, August 7, 1876, Page 3
Provides details about the school and congregation.
“Beth Israel. Interesting Entertainment of the Pupils of the Jewish Sunday School”
“Counselor Michael Gruschenke”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, December 24, 1877, Page 3
Articles about the Sunday School discuss the anniversary exercises of over 150 students who range from ages three to thirteen, the details of the oral examination, and the names of honored students and teachers.
“A Hebrew Sunday School Union”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, July 7, 1884, Page 4
Baith Israel Sunday School held annual picnics attended by hundreds of people. This was the first combined picnic with students from four schools: Baith Israel, Temple Israel, Keep Street Temple and the Hebrew Orphan Asylum.
“Hebrews Who Kept Christmas. How Baith Israel People Surprised an Old Friend”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, December 27, 1885
The Baith Israel teachers were a social lot. This appears to be a Hanukah celebration.
“Baith Israel. The Sunday School’s First Entertainment”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, March 8, 1888, Page 2
Describes the program of the school, “the most orthodox Jewish school in the city,” and the names of the teachers and attendees.
“For the Library Fund. An Entertainment Given by the Baith Israel Sunday School”
Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, March 14, 1890 Page 4
A note about Rev. Friedlander states, “Through his efforts, Hebrew is being taught in the Bible class.”
About the Journal …
The Synagogue Journal” is a one-year online publication at www.kanestreet.org/historical_journal.html, designed to highlight the Kane Street Synagogue congregation’s rich historical record. It will draw primarily on original source material: oral histories, minute books and financial ledgers, souvenir journals, newsletters, and stories of the nineteenth century from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online ™, Brooklyn Public Library.
Each week in 2006, the Journal will explore a specific theme, related to the Congregation’s experience. Articles will illustrate the three historic periods: the first fifty years as Congregation Baith Israel at both the Atlantic Street and Boerum Place sites; the middle years with Rabbi Israel Goldfarb as spiritual leader of the consolidated Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes at the present location, and the last fifty years, as the synagogue evolved to be the Congregation that we know today.
Journal readers who take in the entire series will view the panorama of our special synagogue’s experience in Brooklyn, the City of Churches: the constants, the changes and the cycles. Our intention is to foster greater understanding about synagogue customs and rituals and explore the development of the oldest Conservative congregation during its proud history.
Those of you who have watched the Congregation grow over the last decades and guided its course have a treasured perspective. We welcome your reminiscences, letters and photographs to help shape the BIAE story. Special thanks to Kane Street Synagogue webmaster Dugans for putting the Journal online.
For further information, please contact us at: historicaljournal@kanestreet.org.
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Brooklyn’s First Jewish Sunday School Correspondence.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
That the Jews celebrate the Sabbath upon Saturday is a matter of history; but many Brooklynites may be ignorant of the fact that Jewish Sunday schools for the teaching of the Bible to the young have been conducted for many years past in this city. The first school established was the one at present located on the corner of Boerum and State streets, known as Batih Israel Sunday School. It is attached to the Temple Baith Israel. Among the originators of the movement was Mr. Julius Corn, now superintendent of Baith Israel Sunday School. In 1864 Mr. Corn and a number of gentlemen interested in this spiritual welfare of the Jewish people determined to establish an association, to be known as “The Hebrew Free Sunday School Teachers Association.” On February 28th, 1864, it was incorporated, and Baith Israel Sunday School was formally opened with the following corps of teachers: Superintendent, Julius Corn, Miss Baum, principal, assisted by Simon Bass, Miss Sampter, Miss Rachel Asher, Miss S. Jacobs, Mr. Lind S. Coleman, Miss Ada Linden and Miss S. Kalish. Shortly afterward three other schools were organized – Temple Israel on Greene near Clermont avenue; Beth Elohim, on Pearl street, and one on Keap street. All have struggled slowly along, and are now in a comparatively flourishing condition. In 1874 the managers of the Baith Israel School became dissatisfied with the rules of the Hebrew Free Sunday School Teacher’s Association, broke away from it and resolved to “paddle their own canoe.” They reorganized with Mr. Corn again as superintendent, and resolved not to depend upon the congregation of Baith Israel for support. Money came in slowly, however, and finally the scholars began to bring small sums every Sunday, and the custom has been followed to the present time. When the school was first opened there was a lack of proper furniture, all the rooms being badly furnished. Now the teachers, by their own exertions alone have provided the school with a first class organ and settees similar to those used in Christian Sunday Schools. Entertainments have been given from time to time by the boys and girls and by this means a library of 400 books has been provided for their use.
The officers and teachers of the Sunday school are: Superintendents, Julius Corn and Michael Furst; Librarians, Aaron Levy and Alfred Newman; Teacher of Bible Class, M. J. Harris; the other classes, nine in number, are attended to by Messrs. Jesse M. Henry, E. Citron, David Harris. Samuel Josephs, M. S. Bierman, and the Misses Rebecca Martin, Jennie Straus, H. Collman and Rose Citron. Some few of the teachers are graduates of the Sunday school, among them being Michael Furst, who is indefatigable in forwarding anything that will tend to aid the school. There are at present one hundred and thirty five scholars, and it is the intention of the managers to sell the building they now occupy and remove to a more spacious edifice.”
Editor’s note … This story was reprinted from a newspaper clipping found in the Sunday School teachers association minutes book of 1893.
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