First Hebrew Congregation

Today marks the first day of Jewish American Heritage Month, so for Flashback Friday, we’re honoring a fascinating slice of First Hebrew history from John Curran’s Jewish People of Peekskill.

Pictured here is the story of the Ganeles family and Brogan Laundry, a Peekskill family business located on North Division Street. The business served customers across the Bronx, Northern Westchester, and Southern Putnam, offering door-to-door laundry and dry-cleaning service.

One especially striking detail: the name “Brogan” was chosen in part because it sounded Irish, which helped the business at a time when anti-Semitism was a fact of life. Behind that name was the hard work, humor, resilience, and faith of the Ganeles family.

The Ganeles family was deeply connected to First Hebrew Congregation. They were active volunteers in the Peekskill community and members of the Old Shul at 813 Main Street. Manny, Al, Sol, Sid, and Sol’s wife Bert were part of the First Uptown First Hebrew Congregation Choir when the synagogue opened at 1821 Main Street in 1957. Manny also served as Chazan/Cantor in the 1960s and 1970s and helped prepare children for Bar Mitzvah.

From family businesses to synagogue life, stories like this remind us how deeply Jewish families helped shape Peekskill’s history.

Shabbat Shalom, and happy Jewish American Heritage Month.