The Beginnings

Captions:

Left Column (top to bottom)

  • Rabbi Abraham Appleberg. Rabbi Appleberg immigrated from Russia with his wife and four children. He served Congregation Ansha Sholum from 1922 till his death in 1950. He conducted services and was instrumental in the growth and expansion of Ansha Sholum. (C)
  • Rebecca, Rabbi Appleberg's first wife (C)
  • Family picture: Wedding of Rabbi Appleberg's daughter, Miriam, to Harry Grubert, with the Rabbi and Fannie Appleberg, his second wife; September 1948 (C)
  • The Applebergs lived in this house at 123 Walnut Street, next to the Tarbox School (B)
  • Corner Stone Left: Mellon. Avraham Yitzchak (Abraham Isaac) Mellon and Toyva Shulek (B)
  • Corner Stone Right: Sandler. Yaakov (Jacob) and Esther Sandler (B) 

Right Column (top to bottom)

  • Sam Katz was a master woodworker and designer of Bimahs and Torah Arks. Our beautifully designed Aron Kodesh (Torah Ark) with its 50 exposed lightbulbs shows the early influence of Sam Katz, who used this element in many of his creations (D)
  • Chelsea, MA, Walnut Street Shul Ark, by Sam Katz (E)
  • Sam Katz arrived in America in 1911 from the Ukraine and had woodworking workshops in Chelsea and Dorchester. The postcard shown here was found at Congregation Ansha Sholum (F) 
  • From the listing of Religious Institutions in the 1918 Lawrence City Directory: The synagogue is listed under the name "Cross the Spicket" at its original location at 65 Exchange Street. Note that the synagogues in these early years had a special meaning as centers of Jewish community life. (A) 

Credits:

(A) Courtesy, Lawrence History Center

(B) Photos: Jurg Siegenthaler

(C) Photos: Courtesy, Suzan Federman, granddaughter of Rabbi Abraham Appleberg.

(D) Photo: Courtesy, Lawrence History Center

(E) Photo: Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, 2018 [http://samgrubersjewishartmonuments.blogspot.com]

(F) Congregation Ansha Sholum Collection