House of Israel Mural

In 1893 a group of immigrant Jews in North Adams, Massachusetts purchased a plot of land for $500 to build their own synagogue, House of Israel. The synagogue, located on Francis Street, was an unprepossessing wooden structure with one remarkable feature. In 1898 the congregation hired Noah Levin, an artist from the town of Traby, Lithuania (now in Belarus), to paint a mural above the holy ark.

Measuring 5 by 25 feet, the mural, drawn in conte crayon on the plaster wall, was in many ways typical of similar artworks common to Eastern European wooden synagogues. It included the tablets of the law flanked by two lions; a pair of hands making the priestly blessing; a star of David; and the invocation to “know before whom you stand.” Underneath it featured the name of the congregation, “Havurah Beit Yisrael.” To either side a wealth of trees and greenery evokes a pastoral vision of the Land of Israel.

In addition to these traditional elements, the mural also included features unique to its new world setting: a pair of American flags and what seems to be a bald eagle perched on top. As historian Samuel Gruber told the Berkshire Jewish Voice, “The relationship of Jews to the places from where Jews came before they settled in America was not good. You’re not going to find voluntary and enthusiastic endorsements of local governments or rulers there. [In America,] it’s quite the opposite—[Jewish immigrants are] almost bending over backward showing their commitment and belief in this new country in which they’ve landed.”

In 1920 the upwardly mobile congregation left its humble Francis Street building for a larger space in what had been the Bijou Theater on Center Street. Later in the century it merged with Congregation Chai Odom and it continues to flourish today on Lois Street. But the mural from its original home, painted as it was on the interior wall of the synagogue, was left behind. Over time the Francis Street synagogue was converted into an apartment building and the mural, now located in the attic, was barely seen by anyone for almost 100 years.

It had not, however, been forgotten. In 2020 local genealogist and historian Carol Clingan, recognizing the unique value of the mural, spearheaded an effort to repair, conserve, and move it to a more suitable location. She found a partner in the Yiddish Book Center, and after a considerable effort, the mural was reinstalled above the Center’s main entrance. As Center founder and president Aaron Lansky noted, the mural “gives eloquent expression to the origins and aspirations of the congregation’s original immigrant population. The mural will feel right at home at the Yiddish Book Center, where it will be viewed and enjoyed by visitors from around the world.”

In many ways, the mural has much in common with the thousands of Yiddish books that the Center also houses, and which it has saved from oblivion. As Gruber put it, “It’s like opening an old trunk and finding some old letter at the bottom that had been forgotten and left behind. Nobody cared about it back then, but suddenly it carries great meaning today.

The mural also carries a fascinating family connection. The artist’s grandson, Charles A. Levine, was a celebrated Jewish aviator and the first passenger on a transatlantic flight. His achievements captivated audiences, with Yiddish radio stations and newspapers frequently covering his story, and Jewish musicians composing songs in his honor.