The Jewish section of Trenton before "Urban Renewal" destroyed most of that area of what we fondly called "Jewtown." It is a fascinating part of Trenton history. The "JEWISH" folder in the Hamilton Library database is, has been, and will continue to grow as additional material surfaces. I extracted the highlighted map from the 1905 Mueller map of the city of Trenton in order to place the location of the Synagogue. The photographer took the photo as seen from Fall Street. Union Street is the street in the background where the Synagogue was located. The graphic came from my favorite local historian, Sally Lane (Graf). Her "Time and Again" and many other history columns in the past in my opinion eclipse those of predecessors John Cleary, Harry Podmore and Bill Dwyer. Sally's offerings almost always included rare Trentoniana photos of persons, places, and things which were largely lacking in the aforementioned Trenton writers. I credit the photo above to Sally, and it is possible it came from the Trentoniana Collection at the Trenton Free Public Library. Sally has always been my very favorite Trenton "bygone days" columnist. I have a collection of MANY of her columns and will be digitizing them as time permits, and posting them on this website.
NOTE:The Second Presbyterian Church was relocated to Mill Hill.
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Many thanks to Mr. Arthur L. Finkle for the historic information on the People of Truth Synagogue:
Congregation of the People of Truth (Anshei Emes) was an offshoot of the 1200 family membership of Brothers of Israel. organized 1891. In 1902 the new congregation purchased the Second Presbyterian Church, on Union Street, refitted it for a synagogue; dedicated it on March 15, 1903.
In 1908, Max Surfnoss was the rabbi of
the People of Truth synagogue. He lived nearly at 59 Union street. Born Vilna,
Russia, he attended college in his native city; became a Rabbi. His first
congregation was at Old Kinek, Province of Vilna. He emigrated to America in
1892. He was Rabbi of a New York congregation for about four years, and came to
Trenton in 1896 at the call of the People of Truth congregation,
Before he died, Isaac Levy, President
of Brothers of Israel for ten year s, was also President of this new
congregation. His obituary is seen below:
Rabbi Max Surfnoss
Its
officers were: President Peter Unger, Louis Kaplan, Isaac Goldman, Harry Kohn,
Charles Smith, Harry Cooper. Isaac Goldman, Harry Kohn, Abraham Schultz and
Solomon Jaffe. In 1893 the congregation
established a cemetery near Cedar Lane, Hamilton Township.
Anshie
Emes, or People of Truth congregation two structures at Union and Fall
streets: the synagogue and a school for a capacity of 200 students. There are
two teachers, H. Hinkin and Hyman Vroblinsky. The Sabbath school has for its
teachers Miss Fannie Bushnon and Eleak Budsin.
ISAAC, LEVY One of
the Most
Prominent Residents of South Trenton
Died
Saturday: '' July 28, 1909 Trenton Times – Advertiser
SKETCH OF HIS Life
The funeral service of Isaac Levy of 304 union street,
one of the oldest find *most prominent members -of the Jewish race in South
Trenton, who died Saturday, following a lingering illness of -over a year)
yesterday afternoon from his late residence at 4 o'clock; Services- according
to the Jewish rite by the -Rev. Hersh Elitzer, of the Synagogue of the
Israelites Brotherhood.
Gathered around the coffin were the immediate members
or the family, while a lair number of relatives, friends and many who were
befriended in life, filled the house and the sidewalk in the vicinity.
. • •
Mr. Levy was one of the earliest Hebrews to ,settle
in South Trenton, where 'he has remained all his life, and from e first day his
chief mission was to aid -his countrymen. Being a contractor, the deceased was
the promoter of the building of the present- beautiful synagogue of the
Israelites' 'Brotherhood, of which he was a member, and the first and only free
Hebrew school in Trenton.
He aimed unceasingly at Jewish progress, and to this
end gave much time and money. His work with the members" of the
congregation was met with their heartiest approval, and several medals were
presented to him as a taken of their appreciation.
His labors did not cease even when the dread disease
that removed him from life, first compelled him to retire from business. During
the past nine months Mr. Levy organized and financed a project to help the
poorer classes of his own people, a scheme which already, though its infancy,
is doing great good among the Jews.
There is a really good website featuring Jewish history in the Trenton area:
