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Coney Island carousels and Jews

Jason Cohen

May 9, 2008
 

Coney Island is full of rich tradition that includes the annual July 4 hot dog eating contest, but many believe that no tradition has deeper roots than its Jewish culture.

The carousels, in particular, there and other places throughout New York have a deep -- if largely unknown -- Jewish connection with them. This connection will be on display at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. beginning on May 24. The exhibit "Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel" will be the main attraction.

Paul D'Ambrosio, chief curator of the museum told The Jewish State how the Jewish culture impacted the carousel industry.

"When artists such as Marcus Illions, Charles Carmel, Solomon Stein, and Henry Goldstein emigrated from Eastern Europe to America they brought with them a rich Jewish culture," D'Ambrosio said. "Since the demand for wood carving was in need, they took their experience as woodcarvers and sculptors for their temples and applied it to carousels."

He said the exhibit will show the journey of Jewish woodcarvers and paper cut artists from Eastern and Central Europe to the United States.

"But, mainly these carvings display the roles that these artists played in showing the link between immigrant Jewish woodcarvers and American carousel industry," he said. "Overall, one can clearly see the link between Eastern Europe, to America, to the carousel industry."

The exhibits will also draw upon the religious and ethnic traditions that have affected the carousel industry as well as Coney Island, D'Ambrosio said.

This exhibit highlights displays carvings of gilded lions, Decalogues, crowns, eagles, and intricate paper cuts against carousel figures that were created for Coney Island.

"The lion on the Torah is an articulation of curiosity, and you didn't see this in the carousel prior to the Jewish immigrants arriving in America," D'Ambrosio said. 

D'Ambrosio commented on how the carousels became immensely popular due to the Jewish immigrants' affect on them.

"They made horses come to life -- they were wild, livelier, brought drama, and more entertainment to everyone," D'Ambrioso said. 

The museum, which has been open since 1945 and is one of the nation's premiere art institutions, will be displaying 100 rarely seen carvings and carousel sculptures from America, Eastern Europe, and Israel. 

Many of the artists carved for their local synagogues, while others created horses and animals for the carousel industry. Many museums have carousel exhibits; however, the religious carvings have only been truly appreciated within the synagogues until now, he said.

"Very few people know about how the carousel is so deeply rooted in Jewish roots," he said.

Until now, the storied link between the carousel industry and Jewish carvings has scarcely been recognized, according to D'Ambrosio.

The artists were inspired by Torah carvings and gravestones cut into paper, which were then transformed into American customs by changing carousel art into powerful sculptural expression.

"As the carousel and the sculptures got better, more people became drawn to the religious Jewish sculptures that had assimilated themselves into the American carousel industry," he said. 

Jewish immigrants tried to stay observant in their rituals while trying to fit in and assimilate into the American culture and way of life, he said. Therefore, they used their religious sculpting and carvings and applied them to modern day American life.

Currently these exhibits are on display in New York City at the American Folk Art Museum.

Nicole Gagnon, a spokewoman for the Fenimore Art Museum, saw the exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.

"It was beautiful, the paper cuts were beautiful, many of which are at Coney Island today. It's a visual display of Jewish and American culture," Gagnon said.

D'Ambrioso feels that these exhibits are very important to see for a few reasons.

"It stands out, it's new research, you can learn something new, its incredibly beautiful, the wild animals, and if you are Jewish it's great to see to become more enriched in your culture," he said.