Uncovering Jewish heritage sites in Jacksonville

[thelakelander]

May is recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month. Jacksonville has a long Jewish history, with a Jewish community dating as far back as the mid-19th century. Paying tribute to the generations of individuals and families who helped shape the city's history, culture and society, The Jaxson highlights a few historic sites and businesses directly related to the contributions of the city's Jewish community.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/uncovering-jewish-heritage-sites-in-jacksonville/

[tufsu1]

Great article Ennis!

Question - where is the article cover photo from - The Elks Lodge (former YWHA)?

[fieldafm]

Great article Ennis!

Question - where is the article cover photo from - The Elks Lodge (former YWHA)?

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/abandoned-florida-the-jacksonville-jewish-center/

[Charles Hunter]

Interesting, as usual, article, and I learned something, also as usual.

I am kind of surprised at no mention of the former downtown institution Worman's.

Another bit of the history is that between 1950 and the late 1960s or 1970, the property at 8501 Fort Caroline Road was the Jacksonville Community Association (JCA). This 10.5-acre parcel is just northeast of the roundabout at Hartsfield Road. Located at the edge of the Gilmore community the property ran from Fort Caroline Road to the St. Johns River (Mill Cove), with about 480 feet of riverfront, with a fishing dock. According to long-time residents, the JCA had two pools, one for kids and one for adults. A clubhouse on the river was used for dances and other activities. There was also a big two-story house in the middle of the property.

Around 1970 the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) bought the property, and over the years added more amenities - a larger pool, tennis courts, etc. In 2007, the YMCA sold off the river frontage, and those 3.2 acres became five residential parcels (one has not been built yet). In 2018, the YMCA sold the property to the Cornerstone Christian School, which uses it for athletics (the football team practices there).

[thelakelander]

Definitely wasn't familiar with the JCA story off of Fort Carolina Road. Thanks for sharing!

Worman's was included with a few other nearby buildings and sites in the LaVilla early Jewish community section:

For many years, LaVilla was home to the popular Worman's Bakery and Delicatessen, which operated at 204 North Broad Street from 1939 to 2009.

[Charles Hunter]

Ah, thanks, I must have skimmed over the Worman's reference.

Sure with that hideous stucco, or whatever it is, could be removed to reveal the original Rosenblum's building.

[tufsu1]

Another bit of the history is that between 1950 and the late 1960s or 1970, the property at 8501 Fort Caroline Road was the Jacksonville Community Association (JCA). This 10.5-acre parcel is just northeast of the roundabout at Hartsfield Road. Located at the edge of the Gilmore community the property ran from Fort Caroline Road to the St. Johns River (Mill Cove), with about 480 feet of riverfront, with a fishing dock. According to long-time residents, the JCA had two pools, one for kids and one for adults. A clubhouse on the river was used for dances and other activities. There was also a big two-story house in the middle of the property.

Around 1970 the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) bought the property, and over the years added more amenities - a larger pool, tennis courts, etc. In 2007, the YMCA sold off the river frontage, and those 3.2 acres became five residential parcels (one has not been built yet). In 2018, the YMCA sold the property to the Cornerstone Christian School, which uses it for athletics (the football team practices there).

don't know anything about a Jewish Community Association facility in Jacksonville, but the Jewish Community Alliance or JCA (most communities call them JCCs) was founded in 1989.

[Charles Hunter]

Another bit of the history is that between 1950 and the late 1960s or 1970, the property at 8501 Fort Caroline Road was the Jacksonville Community Association (JCA). This 10.5-acre parcel is just northeast of the roundabout at Hartsfield Road. Located at the edge of the Gilmore community the property ran from Fort Caroline Road to the St. Johns River (Mill Cove), with about 480 feet of riverfront, with a fishing dock. According to long-time residents, the JCA had two pools, one for kids and one for adults. A clubhouse on the river was used for dances and other activities. There was also a big two-story house in the middle of the property.

Around 1970 the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) bought the property, and over the years added more amenities - a larger pool, tennis courts, etc. In 2007, the YMCA sold off the river frontage, and those 3.2 acres became five residential parcels (one has not been built yet). In 2018, the YMCA sold the property to the Cornerstone Christian School, which uses it for athletics (the football team practices there).

don't know anything about a Jewish Community Association facility in Jacksonville, but the Jewish Community Alliance or JCA (most communities call them JCCs) was founded in 1989.

tufsu - you are probably right, dealing with recollections of members of the Gilmore community from more than 50 years ago.

[jaxlongtimer]

Found this timeline of Jewish history in Florida and N.E. Florida and Jacksonville play prominently in it going back o 1565 and St. Augustine:  https://jmof.fiu.edu/collections/florida-jewish-history-timeline/timeline-of-florida-jewish-history.20.pdf

Some other highlights from the timeline:

* Yulee and Levy County are both named after David Levy Yulee, a founder of the state, its first US senator and owner of a railroad.  Ft. Meyers is also named after a Jewish person.  Dr. Philip P. Phillips, a citrus baron, dating to 1897, has a road named for him in Orlando.

* The first Jewish cemetery in Florida was established in Jacksonville in 1857 (is this the City cemetery near the stadium?).

* In 1880, Morris Dzialynski is elected mayor of Jacksonville and he served as president of the Ahavath Chesed congregation in 1882.  His family is the longest known continuous living Jewish family in Florida, dating back to 1850 and includes the first Jewish child born in Florida in 1856.

* 1880's:  Jacksonville has largest Jewish population in Florida.

* 1940's: Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias of Jacksonville is the deputy chief of naval intelligence and conducts
psychological warfare against the Japanese that leads to the US victory in the Pacific.

* 1981 Raymond Ehrlich of Jacksonville begins term on Florida's Supreme Court (1981–91); becomes chief justice in
1988.

[thelakelander]

Examples of Jewish heritage sites in Jacksonville



May is recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month. Jacksonville has a long Jewish history, with a Jewish community dating as far back as the mid-19th century. Paying tribute to the generations of individuals and families who helped shape the city's history, culture and society, The Jaxson highlights a few historic sites and businesses directly related to the contributions of the city's Jewish community.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/examples-of-jewish-heritage-sites-in-jacksonville/

[jaxlongtimer]

To add, Evergreen is not the Jax cemetery with the oldest Jewish section.  It is the Old City Cemetery on E. Union Street that dates to 1852, deemed to be the oldest major cemetery in Florida and its oldest Jewish cemetery and which probably has the oldest section for almost any religion of the times  with many early famous and colorful residents interred there:

Wikipedia:

....The Old City Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida was established in 1852 as Jacksonville's main burial ground.[1] After the American Civil War the cemetery later interred many Confederate veterans and veterans of the Union Army's United States Colored Troops. Because the cemetery is over 160 years old, the Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Commission has deemed it a historic landmark of Jacksonville. The United Daughters of the Confederacy placed a historical plaque for the cemetery in 1949 and then a wall at the entrance of the cemetery in 1954.[2]...

...In this case, the thanks date back to 1857,  when Yellow Fever was ravaging the region and the city donated the parcel to Jacksonville's small Jewish community.

It was the first Jewish cemetery in Florida and the group charged with its maintenance grew to become Congregation Ahavath Chesed, which built the city's first synagogue.

Among the first graves are those belonging to the Dzialynski  (pronounced da-linsky) family, who were the first Jews in Jacksonville and who produced the city's only Jewish mayor, Morris Dzialynski, in 1881....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2009/11/14/stub-519/15966839007/

....The cemetery with its hundreds of grave sites is divided into sections, such as by religion, race and military service. For example, there's a Jewish area with some stones etched in Hebrew....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2017/04/09/old-city-cemetery-history-museum/15750062007/