Gemiluth Chessed (synagogue)

The Port Gibson Jewish community was established in the 1840's by immigrants from the German states and Alsace-Lorraine. The Port Gibson Jewish cemetery was established in 1870. The Jewish community has dwindled and the congregation is no longer active.

The synagogue is thought to be the only Moorish Revival building in Mississippi.

The exterior features the odd combination of a Moorish-style keyhole doorway surmounted by a Russian-style dome. The windows in the turret supporting the dome are also in Moorish keyhole style. However, the windows on the brick main floor of the building appear from the exterior as simple arched windows. From the interior, the intentions of the congregation to build a synagogue in the fashionable Moorish Revival style are made clear: the colored glass takes the form of Moorish keyhole windows set into a arched, masonry window openings, a thrifty solution that gives the effect of Moorish windows without the expense of fancy brickwork. The handsome horseshoe arch of the niche for the aron kodesh is especially graceful.

Illustrations

• http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/ms/HistoryofGemiluthChassed.htm
• http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v084/84.1gordon_fig04.html

References