ANSHE POALE ZEDEK SYNAGOGUE - OVER 100 YEARS OF SERVICE
The Jewish Treasure of Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Anshe Poale Zedek was founded in 1900, but its roots can be traced back to the mid-19th century. As Jews came to the Manitowoc area starting in 1860, they inevitably prayed and celebrated holidays and other events together. It was not until 1900, though, that they had enough people to officially start a congregation. By then, enough had settled and found work or started their own businesses that they could afford to buy their first building from First Lutheran Church on 13th Street. This was Manitowoc's Jewish house of worship until 1920, when they moved to a brick building. During this move, there were 35 families belonging to the synagogue, but by the end of World War II and the Baby Boom, this grew nearly doubled to 65 families. This forced another move, this time to this location, which was also purchased from the Lutheran church and is located near several other churches, giving the area the nickname "Holy Hill." (The Clio)
Over the years, following a pattern common across the United States, Jewish children in Manitowoc grew up and moved to bigger cities with larger Jewish communities. On top of this, Manitowoc's Jewish community relied heavily on their small businesses to make a living, so many of them were forced to move away when big box stores threatened to put their livelihoods out of business. By the turn of the twenty-first century, they no longer could use this building, instead leasing space from downtown's First Presbyterian Church. Membership had already dropped to a mere 10 families, and the COVID-19 pandemic was the final straw, drastically reducing the number of members willing to come to in-person services. Sadly, Anshe Poale Zedek was forced to close its doors in 2021. The remaining members donated many of the synagogue's artifacts to Milwaukee's Jewish Museum, where some of them can be viewed today, and gave each of the five Torahs to underprivileged synagogues around the world. To ensure the synagogue can continue to do good, even after being deconsecrated, its remaining funds were allocated for donation to local charitable causes. (The Clio)
A Narrative History
Explore the history of Anshe Poale Zedek Synagogue in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. These images were donated by longtime member Bess Schwartz. (Milwaukee Historical Society)