The SEVENTY SHULS
Synagogue Life & Yiddishkeit
from the Pine Barrens to the Boardwalk
By Josh Cutler
Order your copy today!
The Seventy Shuls - Synagogue Life & Yiddishkeit from the Pine Barrens to the Boardwalk
Hidden among South Jersey’s farmlands and deep within the Pine Barrens, faint echoes of a once-thriving Jewish world still whisper in the wind. Follow the old train tracks that cut through the fields and forests, past forgotten stations and beyond the Atlantic City Boardwalk, and you’ll find traces of that world waiting to be rediscovered. The Seventy Shuls is a journey through time, memory, and faith, an exploration of how Jewish life flourished in the Garden State and what remains today.
For nearly 150 years, these seventy synagogues stood as sanctuaries of resilience and belonging, built by pioneers and immigrants, sustained by farmers and shopkeepers, and revived by Holocaust survivors who found hope in new soil. Though many have vanished, replaced by churches, highways, casinos, and housing developments, their stories linger in the land, waiting to be remembered.
Blending investigative journalism, cultural history, and personal reflection, The Seventy Shuls uncovers the hidden legacy of seventy synagogues that once anchored Jewish life across Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. Through meticulous research and intimate storytelling, it brings these forgotten places to life, not in sepia tones but in full, vivid color, alive with naches, simchas, and the enduring cadence of Yiddishkeit.
For historians, seekers of spirit, and anyone tracing the roots of Jewish identity in America, The Seventy Shuls is a powerful testament to community, continuity, and the sacred geography of a spiritual home: the shul.
Josh Cutler
Josh Cutler is a Ph.D. student in Holocaust Studies at Gratz College and holds an M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Stockton University. Josh has served as Program Director at the Marjorie & Lewis Katz Jewish Community Center, Camp Director of JCC Camp By the Sea, and Executive Director of the Board of Jewish Education of Atlantic & Cape May Counties.
When he’s not driving across South Jersey in search of abandoned shuls and remnants of Yiddishkeit, Josh leads tours to lesser known Jewish communities around the world. His greatest naches comes from raising his two amazing sons, Noah and Aaron.
Beyond the Bookshelf: Speaking Engagements & Lectures
Dozens of lecture and presentation topics are available for your group, club, synagogue, or community. Based out of the Atlantic City area - Will travel.
The Book
Hard cover, full color, 248 pages. $54 per copy. Venmo & PayPal accepted.
Contact Us
Call or email for book orders and presentations - BJEJosh@aol.com 609-464-1670
First Edition – Limited Pressing of 100 Copies
VENMO or PAYPAL
$54.00
248 pages, full color, hardback cover, signed by the author.
SOME "SEVENTY SHUL" Lecture topics include:
A FOCUS ON EARLY JEWISH FARMING INITIATIVES, AM OLAM, JEWISH ENTREPRENEURS, AND JUDAISM IN THE PINES
- "Echoes from the Forest: The Lost Shuls of the Pine Barrens"
- “How a Dream Took Root: The Legacy of Jewish Farming in the Garden State"
- “From the Pale of Settlement to the Garden State: Jewish Pioneers and the Alliance Colony Experiment"
- “Am Olam: When the Jewish Spirit Met the American Soil”
- "The Egg, A Symbol of Life: Jewish Poultry Farmers-Their Unique History and Incredible Legacy"
- "Woodbine - The First Self-Governed Autonomous Jewish Community Since the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE"
Learn more about early Jewish farming communities, the Americanization of newly arriving Jewish immigrants, the stories of specific synagogues, and the broader evolution of Jewish life at the turn of the twentieth century.
ALSO, PROGRAMS on THE Jewish HISTORY OF ATLantic CITY.
A DEEP DIVE INTO ATLANTIC CITY'S JEWISH HISTORY, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, AND YIDDISHKEIT BY THE SHORE:
- “From the Inlet to the Boardwalk: The Ambitious Rise of Jewish Atlantic City"
- “Nostalgia by the Sea: Jewish-Owned Hotels, Kosher Restaurants, and Businesses of Historic Atlantic City”
- “Becoming American, Staying Jewish: The Immigrant Journey from Ellis Island to the Shore”
- "Glass and Sand: The Incredible Stained Glass & Architecture of the Shuls by the Shore”
- “Shuls by the Shore: Early Jewish Life in Margate & Ventnor"
- “For Survivors, By Survivors: The Holocaust Survivor Shuls of South Jersey”
Explore other topics related to Atlantic City and the surrounding area, from synagogue life to Jewish businesses along the boardwalk and the bay. There is no shortage of fascinating stories to discover.
Other FASCINATING Lecture Topics Include:
- “From Margin to Memory: Roma and Sinti - Europe’s Overlooked Victims of the Holocaust”
- "Spice Routes to Sacred Roots, Beyond the Diaspora: The History of Jewish Life in Southeast Asia"
- "The Beta Israel: The Story and Legacy of Ethiopia’s Jewish Community"
- “Art Behind Barbed Wire: The Creative Spirit of Terezin / Theresienstadt"
- “The Haggadah That Fought Back: Arthur Szyk’s Art of Liberation”
- "Holodomor: Stalin's Red Famine"
Based out of the Atlantic City Area. Will Travel.
Experience OUR SHARED Jewish History in FULL color
