#easternstate — Public Fediverse posts

"As #prisons go, #EasternStatePenitentiary in #Philadelphia was unusually luxurious. For one, it had flush toilets — beating out even the #WhiteHouse in making the upgrade, #museum exhibit developer #BethTinker told me on a recent tour.

But if plumbing reflected the #penitentiary’s commitment to #prisoners’ physical well-being, its biggest innovation was more spiritual. Eastern State housed the first #synagogue inside a #US #prison, complete with a #Torah #ark and #nertamid, or eternal light. That restored sanctuary — a short walk from gangster #AlCapone’s former cell — is now newly open to the public in a museum exhibit, Freedom through Faith: #Judaism at #EasternState and Beyond.

“It’s a place really of humanity, when you’re not getting a lot of humanity in this space,” Tinker said.

The synagogue, founded in 1922, hosted holiday celebrations and weekly #Shabbat services."

https://forward.com/culture/838196/eastern-state-penitentiary-synagogue-philadelphia/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@pdimagearchive/116466895505981622

Eastern State Penitentiary looked so spiffy before it got abandoned and all the paint peeled off all spooky like and you didn’t need to wear a hard hat to walk around in it.

#Philly #Philadelphia #EasternState

Tree growing through the prison widow. Eastern State Penitentiary never disappoints. #tree #windowfriday #fensterfreitag #easternstate #penitentiary #photography #photo

#Silentsunday Eastern State Pen PA Imagine being trapped here going slowly insane through isolation. #easternstate #pen #silentsunday #photography #insanity #prison #moody

#fotomontag eastern state penitentiary, never saw a ghost, but I did see the beauty of decay. #easternstate #philadelphia #pa #decay #urbex