People

The Buffalo region has been home to a wide range of individuals associated with local Jewish communities and Jewish networks from the 1820s through to the contemporary period as immigrants, citizens, residents and locals.

Institutions

Buffalo Jews have a rich history of forming both formal and informal institutions for religious, educational, political and social needs. From synagogues to organizations, and from coordinating agencies to groups and clubs, Jewish Buffalonians have seen a changing range of institutions supported by group endeavors and community philanthropy.

Neighborhoods

In living memory, the East Side and North Buffalo stand out as physically connected and interwoven religious and commercial centers of Jewish living. In contrast to these specific areas are the mini hubs identified with Jewish living and connected to a more dispersed idea of neighborhood. Separately, suburbia with its significant geographic spread, has redefined how a series of Jewish spaces come together with a mix of hubs, focal points and networks.

Themes

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Exhibitions

Special exhibitions, through a focus on particular individuals and subjects, delves into the personal stories that have animated Jewish lives. Each digital exploration reflects on the interplay between place, identities and changing times and the way in which American, Jewish and Buffalo historical experiences are deeply interwoven.

Resources

Materials that document Jewish Buffalo in all its diversity are found in books, articles, archives and museums, many of which are available locally or online. This section highlights some of these sources and will be updated regularly.

Anshe Lubavitz in Oscar Israelowitz

Anshe Lubavitz in Oscar Israelowitz, ed. Synagogues of the United States: A Photographic and Architectural Survey, Israelowitz Publishing, NY, 1992. Reproduced with the permission of the editor.

Synagogues  /  Anshe Lubavitz

Anshe Lubavitz was founded as a Hasidic Shul incorporating in 1890 and was known locally as the Pratt Street Shul from 1911.

Anshe Lubavitz in Oscar Israelowitz

Anshe Lubavitz in Oscar Israelowitz, ed. Synagogues of the United States: A Photographic and Architectural Survey, Israelowitz Publishing, NY, 1992. Reproduced with the permission of the editor.

Overview

Anshe Lubavitz was founded as a Hasidic Shul that incorporated in 1890 with many of the members originally hailing from Russia. The congregation initially met in their homes, but by 1911, they built a large synagogue at 113 Pratt Street on Buffalo’s East Side and thereafter Anshe Lubavitz became known as the Pratt Street Shul.

Several family names are associated with the congregation including Barkun, Bernstein, Dickman, Raiken, Rosokoff, Schiller and Slater, some of whose names were gleaned from the incorporation documents. Jacob Rosokoff led the congregation’s President for more than a quarter of a century.  Moses Bear served as the synagogue’s long serving secretary. His daughter, Anna Bear Brevis, became a distinguished educator and administrator in the Buffalo school system from the 1920s. She also wrote articles and pamphlets, most notably for the United Synagogue of America. Mendel Loeb Gilden, trained as a mohel, shochet and a cantor in Russia, moved to Buffalo in 1902 and served as its religious leader for two decades.  He was followed by Cantor Perez Freedman until the 1940s when the synagogue closed like many on the East Side as congregants moved to North Buffalo and the suburbs.  As a result of these trends, Anshe Lubavitz merged with with Ahavas Achim to form Ahavas Achim-Lubavitz and relocated to a new purpose-built building on Tacoma Avenue, near Hertel Avenue designed by Jack Kushin.

Location

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We are seeking internal and external photographs, documents, film, mementos and written recollections relating to the Anshe Lubavitz community for digitization. If you have materials you’d like to make available for this purpose, please contact us.

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