Parshat Vayechev (וישב – And he settled down), Genesis 37:1-40:23
Yossef won the favor of Potifar, his master, but also aroused the lust of women. Yossef refuses the advances of Potifar’s wife who, out of spite, accuses him of rape. Yossef is thrown in prison.
Genesis 39:20
וַיְהִי-שָׁם, בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר
and he remained there, in the prison.
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia was built in 1829. The Gothic Revival style penitentiary is built in the shape of a star1. The imposing medieval-style wall that surrounds it is intended to intimidate the new occupant.
In 1924, a synagogue was built there. It will be used without interruption until the closing of the penitentiary in 1971. The penitentiary is abandoned and the premises are deteriorating.
In 1994, after its restoration, the penitentiary was opened to the public as a National Historic Landmark. The synagogue has been restored as it was in 1959, with its dark wooden pews surrounding the room, a beautiful archway, a reader’s table, a plaster Star of David and an eternal flame. The workshops adjoining the synagogue have been converted into a memorial on Jewish life at the penitentiary, The William Portner Memorial Exhibit on Jewish Life at Eastern State Penitentiary.
1 In 1929, Al Capone was imprisoned there for illegal possession of a weapon. This first stay in a prison is in fact a shelter. He had his cell located in the center of the star fitted out in a luxurious way (carpeting, tapestries, paintings and antique furniture). He was released after ten months in prison.