Towns, Cities and Churches

If you have any information on towns, schools, post offices, historical churches, founding fathers, location, history, etc., please submit the information to me for inclusion on this site.

Barnsboro
Beckett
Bridgeport
Center Square
Clayton (borough)
Deptford Township
East Greenwich Township
Elk Township
Franklin Township
Gibbstown
Glassboro (borough)
Greenwich Township
Harrison Township
Logan Township
Mantua Township
Monroe Township
Mullica Hill
National Park (borough)
Newfield (borough)
Nortonville
Oak Valley
Paulsboro (borough)
Pitman (borough)
Repanpo
Sewell
South Harrison Township
Swedesboro (borough)
Turnersville
Victory Lakes
Washington Township
Wenonah (borough)
West Deptford Township
Westville (borough)
Williamstown
Woodbury (city)
Woodbury Heights (borough)
Woolwich Township

Gloucester County, NJ Jewish History
The variety of historical influences on the Gloucester, NJ Jewish communities included the nearby cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. Early shipping and industry fueled by industrialization woke up many sleepy towns beyond the Delaware River's edge. Its earliest roots, however lie in the county's Southeast corner abutting Cumberland and Atlantic County. The Jews arriving in towns like Lebanon and Ziontown were worlds away from communities developing in Woodbury and Paulsboro, near the New Jersey side of the Delaware River.
The bigger picture shows that Gloucester's Jewish story is not one united narrative. Its diverse Jewish history reads like independent chapters written by different authors. Its overarching history lacks the continuity and demographic ebb and flow pattern of other South Jersey counties like Atlantic or Cumberland. Instead, Gloucester County's history can feel somewhat siloed in comparison.
In contrast to concentrated areas like Atlantic City or Vineland, the Jewish communities, congregations and synagogues in Gloucester County developed geographically further from one another. This often made mergers, collaborative programs, education efforts, and community building more difficult. Despite these obstacles, the Gloucester Jewish community survived and ultimately thrived. At its height in 1950s and 1960s Gloucester County, NJ boasted six Jewish congregations, all operating concurrently.
After its midcentury apex, the Jewish populace shifted across the area as Jewish families matured, while some found their path outside Gloucester County. More than half a century after its peak the area has since returned to a "one shul county" - plus two Chabad Houses!