Jewish Theological Seminary

1886 - present

The Jewish Theological Seminary is a private, undergraduate and graduate degree-granting institution that was established in 1866, during Reconstruction. It was co-founded by Dr. Sabato Marais and Dr. H. Pereira Mendes with the support of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue, New York City's oldest congregation. However, it was incorporated in 1901 as the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and in 1902. It has since become an intellectual center for Conservative Judaism, where its library houses a preeminent collection of Jewish documents, and its lecture halls train adult learners into renowned Rabbis and leading scholars. While the original seminary building was located at 736 Lexington Avenue, it relocated to its current location in the early 1900s, which predated the Manhattanville neighborhood that it currently anchors. In fact, it was originally part of the Morningside Heights neighborhood. The featured photo, taken in 1934, captured the seminary's iconic entrance located at the intersection of Broadway & W. 122nd Street. However, its original street address was 535 W. 123rd Street, near the main entrance and lecture hall located in the center of the city block. The Jewish Theological Seminary's present-day location runs nearly coterminous along Manhattanville's southern border, because the seminary owned and occupied that land when the city's street grid changed in the mid-1900s, leading to the creation of Manhattanville.

W. 122nd & Broadway Entrance (located at the northeast corner of the intersection); provided by the Museum of the City of New York
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Details

Categories
College, Faith-based institution, Seminary
Instructional Level
Graduate, Undergraduate
Audience
Adults
Founder(s)
Dr. Sabato Morais; Dr. H. Pereira Mendes
Corporate Body
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Tags
privateschool, lectures, Manhattanville, Judaism, religiouseducation

Location

  • 535 W. 123rd St, New York, NY 10027, USA
    1914? - present

Archival Collections

References

  1. Adler, Cyrus and Joseph Jacobs. "Jewish Theological Seminary of America." Jewish Encyclopedia. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20051203055659/http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=297&letter=J.
  2. Jewish Theological Seminary. "History of Jewish Theological Seminary." Accessed May 1, 2023. https://www.jtsa.edu/history-of-jts/.
  3. Gottscho, Samuel H. "Jewish Theological Seminary, Broadway and 122nd Street. General exterior." Museum of the City of New York. Collections Portal. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://collections.mcny.org/asset-management/2F3XC55II5?FR_=1&W=1437&H=641#/DamView&VBID=24UP1GQMWT3O8&PN=1&WS=SearchResults.
  4. Pincus, Lionel and Princess Firyal. "Plate 18, Part of Section 7: [Bounded by W. 127th Street, Manhattan Street, Amsterdam Avenue, W. 122nd Street and (Riverside Park) Riverside Drive]." 1914. New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-1353-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.