The Jewish response was simple: We’ll make our own hotels for Jewish vacationers
And concerning the Anshei Hashoron, he [the Kohein Gadol] would say: May it be Your will Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that their homes not become their graves.
—Mussaf of Yom Kippur
ATthe holiest moment of the year, the Kohein Gadol would utter a supplication for the homes of the “Anshei Hashoron” that they be long-lasting, the construction be permanent, and those who reside in them flourish.
In 1899, an Orthodox shul was established in Tannersville, New York, named Anshei Hashoron. In 1912 it moved into quarters on Tompkins Street, where it has remained ever since. The shul and community have been in continuous service since the turn of the century, a living expression of permanence, continuity, and eternity. The building is a silent testimony to the answer of the Kohein Gadol’s prayer. Anshei Hashoron is here to stay.
Nestled in the Catskill Mountains, Tannersville is famous today mainly as a summer resort. The tanneries that gave the town its name had taken a downturn by the mid-19th century, but the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s, at the peak of America’s Gilded Age, gave the upstate New York town a new lease on life. New Yorkers seeking escape from the sweltering city during the summer months could easily take the railroad and enjoy the wide-open country and fresh air of the Catskills.
Create a free account to keep reading.
