04/01/2026
Way Back Wednesday # #
Spring House Tour Preview:
SCHARIS ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE (c.1889)
On May 9, 1882, the Alliance Colony was founded by 43 families who fled the pogroms of Russia and started the first Jewish agricultural colony in the United States here in Pittsgrove Township. The Scharis Israel ("Remnant of Israel") synagogue was constructed circa 1889 by the Tifereth Israel ("Splendor of Israel") congregation as the second synagogue in the Alliance Colony.
To supplement meager farm earnings, many of the colonists also worked at several factories in the community, including a button factory, a cigar factory, and a clothing factory. Later, chicken farming became a key industry in this region.
On the opposite side of Gershal Avenue is the Alliance Cemetery, where visitors are welcome to stop and view the monuments that mark the resting place of many of these early Jewish settlers. The cemetery is also the site of the solemn Holocaust Memorial, erected in memory of the millions who died and suffered during the Holocaust. The Alliance Shul (Alliance Chapel) in front of the cemetery was originally used by the chevra kadisha to prepare for burial. Today it serves as the Alliance Heritage Museum, housing the ark and other furniture from the nearby Brotmanville synagogue, as well as other artifacts and historic displays.
The Spring Open House Tour is Saturday, May 7, 2016, from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more information about the tour or tickets visit our website, www.salemcountyhistoricalsociety.com or call us at 856-935-5004.
