Old North Illuminated Receives Historic Markers Community Grant

While Boston's North End is famous for being a hub of Italian culture, thousands of Jewish residents once lived and worked in this historic neighborhood. A new project is underway to highlight the substantial contributions that Jewish people have made to the North End's renowned immigrant heritage. Old North Illuminated (ONI) has been awarded a Historic Markers Community Grant to pursue a special project documenting the North End's Jewish history.

Old North Illuminated is the secular nonprofit organization that manages education, tourism, and preservation at Old North Church Historic Site. ONI maintains a close relationship with the Episcopal congregation of Old North Church, as well as the National Park Service and the Freedom Trail Foundation.

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ONI is collaborating with internationally recognized scholars of Jewish history and culture, as well as local history and topography experts, to research and document sites for potential historic markers that recognize and document Jewish experiences in the North End. Dr. Jessica Dello Russo, a North End native and historian who has published extensively on Jewish archaeology, is working closely with ONI on the historic markers project. Dello Russo is a visiting professor in Art History and Archaeology at Clark University, and her recent publications include "A Jewish Archaeology: The Christian Discovery of Jewish Catacombs in Rome" (DeGruyterBrill, 2025) and "Growing the Global Audience for the Jewish Catacombs of Italy" (UniOr Press, 2025).

"I am incredibly excited to be working with Old North Illuminated on this project," said Dello Russo. "We welcome partnerships with North End and Boston organizations and community members to help document and share our neighborhood's Jewish history. Public presentations and feedback sessions are planned for the fall."

Funding for the project comes from the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund. In honor of the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026 and the City of Boston's 400th in 2030, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund offered grants to support community research and proposals for permanent historic markers by Boston's Office of Historic Preservation. The Browne Fund was created in 1978 through the will of Boston-born attorney Edward Ingersoll Browne.

Boston's North End was home to a thriving Jewish community in the late 19th century. Composed primarily of immigrants and first-generation Americans, it was defined by the languages, religious practices, and social networks originating from Eastern Europe and Russia. As this community developed within a densely populated urban environment, it navigated the challenges and opportunities of social integration and upward mobility while preserving Jewish traditions and values. These social dynamics have left traces in the contemporary North End cityscape that are overlooked.

Multiple clues across the present-day North End attest to why Salem Street was once given the nickname "Shalom Street." Some clues are explicit, such as the renaming of a dead-end alley to "Jerusalem Place" due to its historical connection to a synagogue, or the faded Star of David on the upper facade of a building. Others are more enigmatic, including the initials of a Jewish developer and the date of construction on a tenement facade, or the distinctive architectural design of a building that may have once housed a synagogue. Certain markers remain obscure, such as the sign for the Rottenberg bank now concealed by a metal sheet, and the inscription above the entrance to a Hebrew School, which is rapidly disappearing beneath grime from a nearby restaurant vent. The historic markers project will allow the North End's millions of visitors to discover these hidden vestiges of the neighborhood's Jewish history.

According to ONI's Executive Director, Nikki Stewart, the historic markers research grant program also provides a unique opportunity for ONI to investigate Old North Church's relationship to the local Jewish community in the late 19th century. Research questions include: What interactions took place between Jewish residents and the Old North congregation? Were Jewish individuals welcomed at institutions established, supported, and operated by church members? How did Old North's clergy and congregants feel about Jewish people becoming a dominant population in the district?

"We view the grant program as a chance to investigate these questions and to pursue additional inquiries into the history of immigration to Boston," said Stewart. "Questions of assimilation, prejudice, and integration characterized the experiences of Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s, and today's immigrant communities continue to grapple with the same issues. We hope that this project shines a light on an often overlooked element of the North End's rich history and helps residents and visitors make connections between the past and present."

Anyone interested in supporting or giving feedback on the historic markers project can email education@oldnorth.com for more information.

About Old North Illuminated / Old North Church Historic Site

Established in 1991 as the Old North Foundation, Old North Illuminated is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is responsible for historic site operations and interpretative, educational, and preservation programs at the iconic Old North Church Historic Site. A secular organization that is independent of Christ Church in the City of Boston, Old North Illuminated welcomes approximately 500,000 visitors annually while overseeing the preservation of an enduring symbol of American independence. Old North Illuminated serves a wide audience by creating meaningful experiences through educational outreach, site-specific programming, and historical analysis. ONI works collaboratively with the City of Boston, the U.S. National Park Service, the Freedom Trail Foundation, and other partners to foster educational and interpretive programs for students and visitors while engaging the public in Old North Church's history and its role in inspiring liberty and freedom. In 2024, Old North Illuminated was presented with a Leadership in History — Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of American history. The award-winning project, "Expanding History at Old North Church," encompassed a new exhibit, audio guide, and online video series. For more information, visit: www.oldnorth.com.

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