Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary

by Lauren F. Friedman

Inside the towering stone walls of Eastern State Penitentiary, behind the locked front gate, down a narrow alley and hidden behind a plain blue door, there is a synagogue. The small, wood-paneled room — with two skylights, a plaster Star of David on the ceiling and two artful sconces flanking a deep-brown ark — seems entirely out of place among cell blocks and stories of gangster crime. The Ten Commandments, inscribed in Hebrew at the front of the room, have never seemed more apt.

Opened in 1924, the Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue was the first — though surprisingly not the last — synagogue in an American prison. With an inmate population that hovered around 1,700, there were usually only 20 people in the congregation and never more than 80. After the penitentiary closed in 1970, the synagogue fell into disrepair. "The ceiling had collapsed, the benches were rotting, the walls were rotting — it was really depressing," says Sean Kelley, ESP's program director.

The restoration, led by Andrew Fearon of Milner + Carr Conservation, took a year to complete and cost an estimated $250,000. Fearon was determined to do what he calls "a proper conservation," using archival documentation and physical investigation — including paint microscopy — to ensure that the restored space was historically accurate. He tracked down old bulbs from the 1960s for the sconces, reused original hardware in the skylights and even stayed true to details that are out of sight, like the 500 wooden strips hidden between the plaster and concrete.

In two adjoining rooms, an exhibit with illustrations, photography and films reveals the history of Jewish life at the penitentiary — proving there's much more than terror behind these walls after all.

Opening weekend Sat-Sun, April 4-5, 1-5 p.m; synagogue tours every Mon-Fri., 3:15 p.m., and every Sat-Sun., 1-5 p.m. through Nov. 30; free with museum admission of $12, Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary, 2124 Fairmount Ave., 215-236-3300, easternstate.org.