New York Historical Synagogues Map: How to Use

Navigating the Map

  • To zoom in and out, click on the + and – signs in the upper left corner of the map.
  • To expose more of the map in any direction, left click anywhere in the map and drag the map in the opposite direction.
  • To see information about a particular synagogue, click on its blue pin.
  • To close an information box, click on the “x” in the upper right corner of the box.
  • To see the synagogues plotted on a modern map, select "Manhattan 2018" in the upper right corner of the map. To return to the historical map, select "Manhattan 1911."

Locating a Synagogue

To search the map for a particular synagogue, ancestral town or region, or street, enter the relevant term(s) in the search box to the right of the map and click the search button. If you would like to search for multiple terms as an exact phrase (e.g. "Agudath Achim"), select “Exact Phrase” under the search box before clicking the search button.

In the event that you’re not sure of the spelling of a name,  you may enter an * as a wildcard character to replace any letter(s). For example, entering “Yanov*” will yield results that contain a term beginning with “Yanov” and have any number of letters afterward, such as “Yanova” and “Yanover.”  Please note  that all searches are run with the Beider-Morse Phonetic Matching (BMPM) algorithm. This means that you do not need to know the exact spelling of the terms you enter. Entries containing phonetically equivalent words will also appear in your search results. For more information about this algorithm, please visit stevemorse.org/phoneticinfo.htm.

To browse an alphabetical list of all synagogues plotted on the map, please visit the Synagogue List. If you would like to view one of the listed synagogues on the map, return to The Map and search for the synagogue’s name.

Map Key


Synagogues

Few of the synagogues plotted on this map still house active Jewish congregations. In some cases, the synagogue building still exists but has been converted into some other use; many more have simply been demolished. For more information about locating current synagogues in New York City, please visit Resources.

Many congregations moved over the course of their existence.  Each address associated with a particular congregation was plotted separately on the map; however, where we have ascertained that a congregation moved, we have indicated the former/subsequent location of that congregation in the accompanying notes. Yet, it should be noted that, in some cases, more than one synagogue existed simultaneously with the same name.

Locations

Some of the listings are represented by approximate locations. There are two common scenarios that necessitated approximation of locations: when multiple congregations shared the same address and  when the address  no longer exists. To find the modern equivalents for streets that no longer exist, we consulted Gilbert Tauber’s Guide to Former Street Names in Manhattan (oldstreets.com). Address  discrepancies present in the original text are indicated in the relevant congregations’ accompanying notes.

Ancestral Towns and Regions

We used our best judgment to identify the ancestral towns and regions associated with congregations  using the JewishGen Communities Database (jewishgen.org/Communities/Search.asp).  We entered all town and region names according to their modern spelling (without diacritical marks) and the country in which each town and region is located according to modern national boundaries. When the modern spelling of a town name differs significantly from its spelling in the congregation’s name, we noted the closest historical spelling of the town name. Please note that whenever we were unable to confidently identify the ancestral town or region found in a congregation’s name, we left the associated town or region field blank.

Questions/Comments

We welcome your feedback! The map is a work in progress, and we would appreciate any insights you may have about how it can be improved. Our identification of the names of towns and regions associated with particular synagogues is incomplete and undoubtedly contains errors. If you are certain you know the name of a town or region that is associated with a particular congregation and the country (according to today's boundaries) in which it is located, please let us know. Please send your questions and comments to gi@cjh.org.