Anshe Poale Zedek Synagogue (1900-2021)

Anshe Poale Zedek was founded in 1900 as an Orthodox synagogue. This building is their third location in Manitowoc and was purchased from First Lutheran Church in the 1950s. Many of the congregation's members were first or second-generation immigrants who moved here and found work running their small businesses. As chain stores threatened their livelihoods, many of the members who were local merchants left town to find work elsewhere. This led to Anshe Poale Zedek closing its doors in 2021 after membership dropped to only ten families. Many of the synagogue's artifacts can be viewed at Milwaukee's Jewish Museum, and the building now serves as an antique mall.

Anshe Poale Zedek was founded in 1900, but its roots can be traced back to the mid-19th century. As Jews came to the Manitowoc area starting in 1860, they inevitably prayed and celebrated holidays and other events together. It was not until 1900, though, that they had enough people to officially start a congregation. By then, enough had settled and found work or started their own businesses that they could afford to buy their first building from First Lutheran Church on 13th Street. This was Manitowoc's Jewish house of worship until 1920, when they moved to a brick building. During this move, there were 35 families belonging to the synagogue, but by the end of World War II and the Baby Boom, this grew nearly doubled to 65 families. This forced another move, this time to this location, which was also purchased from the Lutheran church and is located near several other churches, giving the area the nickname "Holy Hill."

Over the years, following a pattern common across the United States, Jewish children in Manitowoc grew up and moved to bigger cities with larger Jewish communities. On top of this, Manitowoc's Jewish community relied heavily on their small businesses to make a living, so many of them were forced to move away when big box stores threatened to put their livelihoods out of business. By the turn of the twenty-first century, they no longer could use this building, instead leasing space from downtown's First Presbyterian Church. Membership had already dropped to a mere 10 families, and the COVID-19 pandemic was the final straw, drastically reducing the number of members willing to come to in-person services. Sadly, Anshe Poale Zedek was forced to close its doors in 2021. The remaining members donated many of the synagogue's artifacts to Milwaukee's Jewish Museum, where some of them can be viewed today, and gave each of the five Torahs to underprivileged synagogues around the world. To ensure the synagogue can continue to do good, even after being deconsecrated, its remaining funds were allocated for donation to local charitable causes.

Golub, Rob. Manitowoc congregation is shutting down , Jewish Chronicle. February 3rd, 2021. Accessed May 28th, 2023. https://www.jewishchronicle.org/2021/02/03/manitowoc-congregation-is-shutting-down/.

Anshe Paole Zedek Synagogue Officially Done in Manitowoc, Seehafer News. March 22nd, 2021. Accessed May 28th, 2023. https://www.seehafernews.com/2021/03/22/anshe-paole-zedek-synagogue-officially-done-in-manitowoc/.

Hart, Megan. How A Manitowoc Synagogue Will Live On, Even After Closing Its Doors, Wisconsin Public Radio. July 13th, 2021. Accessed May 28th, 2023. https://www.wpr.org/how-manitowoc-synagogue-will-live-even-after-closing-its-doors.

Anshe Poale Zedek Synagogue, Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Accessed May 28th, 2023. https://www.milwaukeejewish.org/organizations/anshe-poale-zedek-synagogue-manitowoc/.

Sigman, Leon. Manitowoc Anshe Poale Zedek synagogue sold, a look at its history, Herald Times Reporter. November 27th, 2018. Accessed May 28th, 2023. https://www.htrnews.com/story/news/2018/11/27/manitowoc-anshe-poale-zedek-synagogue-sold-look-its-history-jewish-faith-wisconsin/2124532002/.