The synagogues of Kentucky

the long version

Scholars studying the American-Jewish experience have until now paid little attention to Jewish life outside the major population centers. Lee Shai Weissbach's innovative study sheds light on the functioning of smaller Jewish communities in a state representative of many in the Midwest and South. Weissbach outlines the history of every congregation established in Kentucky and every house of worship that has served Kentucky Jewry over the last 150 years, considering such issues as the financing of construction, the selection of architects, the way synagogue buildings reveal congregational attitudes, and the way local synagogue design reflects national trends. The book provides a model for the study of synagogues elsewhere. Eighty-two photographs show every one of Kentucky's synagogues, including buildings that are not longer standing or have been converted to other uses. This pictorial record documents the variety, distinctiveness, and significance of these buildings as a part of the Commonwealth's architectural, cultural, and religious landscape.