Chelsea's Immigrant Jewish Artists and Artisans

Tour our historic synagogue that was built in 1909 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Come see our 1,109-seat sanctuary with its painted ceiling and wall frescoes, murals and carved wood Aron Kodesh. Check out our collection of Judaica, artwork, photos, documents, books, posters and plaques that come from our synagogue, synagogues in Chelsea that have closed along with fraternal, social and educational organizations from Chelsea and elsewhere in Greater Boston.

Be enlightened by our speakers, Dr. Samuel Gruber and Simona Di Nepi, who will introduce the work of Jewish immigrant artists and artisans in Chelsea and Greater Boston active during the early 20th century. We will explore their legacy and how their work is utilized, preserved and appreciated today, inside original locations, such as the Walnut Street Synagogue, and in new locations with new purposes and new audiences. One of the prominent artisans that will be discussed is Sam Katz. Katz, a prolific woodworker and cabinetmaker who built numerous synagogue Torah arks in the Boston area, was born in modern-day Ukraine, immigrated to America in 1910 and established himself in Chelsea around 1916.

Enjoy our nosh and schmooze with community members!

Doors open at 1:00 pm

Speakers begin at 2:00 pm

Registration - No cost to attend, but please let us know if you plan on attending. Registration required

About our speakers:

Dr. Samuel D. Gruber has been a leader in the documentation, protection, and preservation of historic Jewish sites worldwide since 1988. He was founding director of the Jewish Heritage Program of World Monuments Fund (1988-1996) and Research Director of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad (1998 through 2008).He presently directs Gruber Heritage Global, a cultural resource consulting firm and is president of the not-for-profit International Survey of Jewish Monuments. He has taught as part-time faculty in Art History and Jewish Studies at Syracuse University (1994-2022) and at Binghamton, Colgate, Cornell, and Temple universities and Le Moyne College. Sam received his BA in Medieval Studies from Princeton University, his Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from Columbia University and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Rome, where he won the prestigious Rome Prize in Art History. Sam writes and lectures about Jewish art and architecture. He is author of American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community (2003), Synagogues (1999), and scores of reports, articles, and book chapters. Since 2008, he has written the blog Samuel Gruber’s Jewish Art and Monuments . He is a frequent invited speaker and consultant across the United States and in Europe.

Simona Di Nepi is the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, where she is responsible for building and displaying the Judaica collection, and for curating 'Intentional Beauty: Jewish Ritual Art from the Collection', the museum’s first Judaica gallery. Originally from Rome, before moving to the United States, Simona studied and worked in London and Tel Aviv for 25 years. She filled curatorial roles, in both decorative arts and Old Masters, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where she cared for permanent collections and curated exhibitions. In Israel, she worked as curator at "Anu: The Museum of the Jewish People" and as a Lecturer in Italian Renaissance Art at Reichman University, Herzelya. Simona curated the exhibitions and wrote the accompanying publications for "Reunions: Bringing Early Italians Paintings Back Together" (The National Gallery, London, 2005), and "Dreyfus: The Story of a French-Jewish Family" (Anu: the Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv, 2014). She is also the author of the National Gallery’s collection catalogue From 'Duccio to Leonardo: Renaissance Painting 1250-1500'. In Judaica, Simona wrote the essays "Itinerant Sephardic Judaica: from Dutch Ports to the Harbours of Europe and the Americas," "Jewish Things at the Museum of Fine Arts: a History.’" "The Servi Shaddai: the Family History of an amulet at the MFA Boston." and "Treasures from storage: Two Rediscovered Italian Jewish Textiles." Simona is currently guiding Boston University students in the development of "Real and Imagined: Rembrandt and the Jews of the 17th-Century Dutch Republic," an in-focus MFA exhibition opening in December 2025.

This program is made possible in part by a Chelsea Heritage Celebrations Grant from the Chelsea Cultural Council

Please note that our building is not accessible for those with physical disabilities.

Dr. Samuel Gruber (photo credit - Marc Safran)

Simona Di Nepi (photo credit - Anne Ryan)

Also check out other Arts events in Chelsea, Exhibitions in Chelsea, Fine Arts events in Chelsea.