First Congregation Sons of Israel

First Congregation Sons of Israel

St. Augustine, Fl

April 7, 2022

Description:

First Congregation Sons of Israel is the oldest Synagogue in “The Nation’s Oldest City”, St. Augustine, Florida and is located in the beautiful historic district. They are a conservative, egalitarian congregation had hold weekly Sabbath services. The Synagogue suffered from Hurricane Matthew which caused extensive damages to the Sanctuary. Many people got together and gave generous donations to help with the repairs which lead to the reopening in 2018. The strong community that surrounds the Synagogue came together in order for the final restorations to be completed.

First Congregation Sons of Israel

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

Artifact 1

    This mural, is made by stained glass. It just so happens to be the stained glass from the original set of stained glass windows they received. There was a box filled with the glass and they used that to make this beautiful mural around the Star of David.  

Artifact 2

    This artifact is is the original kittel (prayer robe) worn by the first rabbi of the 1st Congregation Sons of Israel. The rabbi's name was Jacob Tarlinsky and he wore this kittel in the 1800s.

In Conversation 1

Stained Glass Image Source

    This stained glass mural is located in the Roman Catholic Church my parents attend. The church is called St. Thomas The Apostle Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey. When I would be sitting in Sunday mass, the stained glass would always catch my attention because there are stories in most of them and I would focus on them to try and figure the story out. 

In Conversation 2

St. Thomas the Apostle Church Image Source

    This Roman Catholic Church is also the one my parents attend but with an outside view. Out front of the church there is a cross. When going to visit the First Congregation Sons of Israel, I realized that different religions have different symbols that are significant. For the First Congregation Sons of Israel, they have the Star of David while Roman Catholics have the cross. 

Literature In Conversation

“Do you not see how the glacier / already floods the streets / of the cities around you?” - Craig Santos Perez, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Glacier, page 19

    When Hurricane Matthew hit St. Augustine, the First Congregation Sons of Israel Synagogue was extremely damaged due to the flooding in the surrounding city. The community needed to come together in order to achieve donation money to donate to help repair the synagogue. The goal was reached and now most of the repairs are completed.

Creative Component

    For my creative component portion of this section, I chose to digitally draw the Star of David the is on the ceiling of the Synagogue. A Flagler College student had designed this structure and they took place in setting it up the Star of  David.

Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos

St. Augustine, FL

March 31, 2022

Description:

Castillo de San Marcos stands today as a monument to the Spanish empire’s 300-year occupation of Florida and to the interaction and clashes of cultural groups that built the unified nation that is the United States today. This historic monument was constructed to protect Spain’s settlement in St. Augustine. Castillo de San Marcos is both architecturally impressive as the oldest surviving masonry fortress in the United States and culturally significant because its stone walls are a testament to the endurance of this nation’s Latino heritage and to the other cultural groups that have played a role in its story. The Castillo illustrates the resourcefulness of the Spanish and their capable military engineers in the New World and the history and cultural influences of various groups associated with the site.

Castillo de San Marcos

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

Artifact 1

    In the image above, there is a point on the fort. It extends off from the original square structure. These is called bastions and are located on all of the 4 sides of the Castillo de San Marcos. These bastions enable there to be absolutely no blind spots where enemies could hide. There used to be guards on all of the corners so all the land below could be seen. 

Artifact 2

The photo above includes an artifact titled the "Sizzling Salvo". This was used by the soldiers as a way to heat cannonballs until they are glowing. During a naval attack, one soldier tends the coal fire and loads the cannonball. After 30 minutes the other soldiers would remove the red hot shots with tongs. The cannonballs would then be shot at the enemy's ship. Although, soldiers never fired these hot cannonballs during battle.

In Conversation 1

Fort Ticonderoga Image Source

Fort Ticonderoga is another significant fort, like Castillo de San Marcos. The fort pictured above is located in the state of New York in Lake Champlain. Fort Ticonderoga was in use during the Revolutionary war. Since it was in Northern New York, it secured a passageway north to Canada and gave the patriots an important cache of artillery. This structure, as well as the Castillo de San Marcos have bastions, which allow there to be no blind spots of the land down below. These bastions aided during battle since there is the ability to see if anyone were to sneak up upon them. 

In Conversation 2

Ba Sing Se Map Image Source

    Above, I have inserted a picture of a map in one of the childhood tv shows (Avatar The Last Airbender) I used to watch. When I learned that the community had to live inside the Castillo de San Marcos, I immediately thought of how the city of Ba Sing Se lived inside the inner walls of the city. It is somewhat similar due to both communities, the Spanish and the citizens of Ba Sing Se, living inside their little "cities" in order for their own protection. 

Literature In Conversation

"Crazy to live without a wall to protect you" -Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower, page 8

    This quote may be short but it has a lot of impact behind it. In the Parable of the Sower, Lauren lived in the walls of her community/neighborhood. They lived surrounded by walls for the entire neighborhood's safety. Which is why I related "living with walls" to the Castillo de San Marcos. The soldiers and the community had to live within the walls of the fort in order to have protection from enemies. This living situation was not permanent because they were able to venture out as time passed. 

Creative Component

    For the creative component for the Castillo de San Marcos, I did a digital drawing of an overhead view of the fort. For this digital drawing, I used the app procreate and I was able to make use of the different brushes they offer and different textures. This drawing was my first thought to make because I have always seen pictures of the Castillo de San Marcos so I decided to make one.