Hidden treasure discovered in struggling Providence synagogue

By Channing Gray

September 03. 2016 5:08PM

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Harold Silverman, a retired engineer and sometimes real estate salesman, spends mornings on duty at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, the down-at-the-heels Orthodox synagogue on Douglas Avenue, hoping in vain for a minyan, a quorum for morning prayers.

The synagogue, the second-oldest Orthodox congregation in the state, was founded in the 1890s, and once had so many worshipers that tickets were required to attend High Holy Day services. But now, the congregation has dwindled to 30 people, and the brick structure has fallen into disrepair and has been badly damaged by vandals.

But while sitting in his office about six months ago, Silverman, the synagogue's president — but more caretaker — made a miraculous discovery. He dropped something on the floor — maybe a pen, maybe a nickel, he can't recall — and while poking around behind his desk he discovered a framed image of the Jewish zodiac.

He was stunned, and mentioned to a congregant that he had found a beautiful painting. That person informed him that what he had found was actually an intricate paper cutout with delicate, richly detailed depictions of lions, monkeys, scorpions and peacocks that symbolize different aspects of the Jewish faith.

The artwork sits on a pew in a worship area on the first floor, and the few remaining members "look at it in awe," said Silverman, who hopes people will come see the cutout and boost attendance. (Sons of Jacob is also encouraging the relatives of deceased congregants to make donations to help support the restoration of the historic synagogue, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.)

"It's arguably the most valuable piece of Jewish folk art in the city," said Joshua Jasper of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association. "It's definitely a big deal."

Jasper said paper cutouts were popular in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust, but have become something of a lost art. It's not known when the piece was created, although Jasper estimates it was during the early 20th century.

But the artist is known, because his name is written on the cutout in Hebrew — Shmanyonu Ben Chaim Tzvi Shore. Jasper thinks he was probably an Ashkenazi, or Eastern European Jew, who immigrated to Providence and became the synagogue's resident artist.

He apparently painted the large mural on the ceiling of the second floor, which was the main sanctuary until a few years ago. Now it is scarred by peeling plaster and has plastic over the holes that vandals made in the stained-glass windows. The mural depicts the daytime sky with a border of animals from the same Jewish zodiac, which is an important element of kabala, or mystical Judaism.

Jasper said it was amazing that the paper zodiac was found at all. Artifacts such as this tend to disappear, he said, to end up in someone's home and get tossed out during spring cleaning.

"The Jewish community is very lucky to have it," he said.

— cgray@providencejournal.com

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