Growing Up Jewish in the 15th Ward: Recollections from the 1920s through the 1950s

From the mid-1800s through the mid-to-late 1950s the original Jewish neighborhood in Syracuse was located in the 15th Ward, which was bordered by what is now East Water Street, Montgomery Street, East Adams, and University Avenue. Starting around the turn of the last century, the Jewish portion of the Ward was confined to an area of approximately 25 square blocks. Within this area there existed three temples (Adath Jeshurun, Adath Yeshurun, Concord), three synagogues (Ahavath Achim, Beth Israel, Poiley Tzedeck), and one shul (Folk) that served the religious needs of the Jewish community. There were also many Jewish grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, pharmacies, physicians and dentists that served the more secular needs of the community. Generally speaking, the 15th Ward contained a highly self-sufficient, close-knit, and vibrant Jewish neighborhood. In a way, it was the Syracuse equivalent of New York's Lower East Side, minus the pushcarts.