The Little Shul with a big name: Shivtei Yeshuron-Ezras

Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel is a small synagogue in South Philly, founded in 1876 and chartered in 1892. The congregation moved in to the current building in 1909, and has continued to hold services on a regular basis. This Little Orthodox Shul, a rebuilt colonial row house, is the last remains of one of the largest Jewish populations in the United States.

The Little Shul stands out from other row homes on the block because of its pillared entrance, but otherwise has no outward markings of a worship site. The synagogue seats about 150. Upstairs seating used to be reserved for women, as in all traditional orthodox synagogues. Two sections of floor on the second level can be removed, allowing women to see the altar below. Because many congregants are in their 90s, the rule of separating the genders for prayer has been somewhat relaxed; the women now sit in the back rows on the synagogue’s main level. The walls, made of tin, are adorned with tapestries and memorial boards honoring synagogue members. The shelves are stocked with old Hebrew books covering topics from how to deal with witchcraft to proper hairstyles for women and dietary rules. Many of the prayer books date to the 1800s.