The Old Synagogue

Plot

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- Rosenblum describes the history of a small synagogue founded by European Jews in a Bronx-like American neighborhood in the late 1800s. He tells, through narrative and illustrations, of the synagogue's dwindling membership due to changes in the neighborhood and the consequent sale of the building, and then of the contemporary restoration of both neighborhood and synagogue. His two-page miniature pen-and-ink drawings brim with the costumes, customs, and essence of daily life in the neighborhood that he describes. Indeed, the illustrations detail the changing neighborhood more thoroughly than does the text. This slight picture book offers both nostalgic reminiscence and evidence of urban change with a simplicity that holds meaning even for young children. --Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
A once-beautiful synagogue on a crowded street in a big city is abandoned and becomes a factory when the original neighborhood inhabitants become more prosperous and move away; but as time goes by young Jewish families rediscover the area, move in, and restore to beauty the old synagogue.