Below are seven historic synagogue buildings and cemeteries in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia that I visited in April 2021.
This post is meant as a practical guide for people interested in visiting these Jewish historic locations. I included the information I could quickly find online, but I did not contact the locations to arrange interior access or confirm whether locked sites can now be opened.
Chevra T'hilim, 607 Effingham St, Portsmouth, VA 23704
The building is easy to find. When I drove by, it was closed and locked. The synagogue was opened in 1922 and is no longer in use. For more on the building and its history, see Norfolk History's page about Chevra Thilim, PortsVA Vacation's Chevra Thalim synagogue page, and ANU Museum's Synagogues360 page for Chevra Thilim. For information about the building's current use as a museum, see the Jewish Museum Portsmouth site.
Gomlei Chesed, 519 County St, Portsmouth, VA 23704
The building is currently a Knights of Columbus and is easy to find. I looked briefly and was unable to find a cornerstone, which makes sense because according to this Virginia record (click the "next" link to go to page 5) the building was originally a church before being purchased by Gomlei Chesed in 1901.
Chevra Thilim and Gomlei Chesed Cemetery, 3508 Bellport Ave, Portsmouth, VA 23704
The cemetery is across the street from the above address. It is L-shaped, running from Bellport Ave to George Washington Highway. The Bellport side is Chevra Thilim and the George Washington side is Gomlei Chesed. The cemetery was not locked when I visited. For further reading, see the Find a Grave listing for Chevra Thilim Cemetery and the Find a Grave listing for Gomley Chesed Cemetery.
Workmens Circle Cemetery, 1123 Railroad Ave, Chesapeake, VA 23324
The cemetery is across the street from the above address, almost at the end of a dead end road. The cemetery was locked when I visited. For further reading, see the Find a Grave listing for Workmens Circle Cemetery and Jewish News' article on area Jewish cemeteries.
Mikro Kodesh Synagogue, 411 E Liberty St, Norfolk, VA 23523
The building is now the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. It is easy to find. The cornerstone reads "Erected 1921." I did not notice a Star of David, but there were Kohanim hands high up on the front of the building.
Mikro Kodesh Cemetery, 3133 Kemet Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23325
The path that leads to the cemetery is across the street from the above address. The back of the cemetery is slightly visible from Berkley Ave but is mostly blocked by a fence and overgrown bushes. The cemetery was locked when I visited. Find a Grave listing for Berkley Cemetery
Bnai Israel and United Orthodox Synagogue, 463 Spotswood Ave, Norfolk, VA 23517
The building is easy to find and is an active Orthodox synagogue. The building was originally the United Orthodox Synagogue, which was a merger of the Twentieth Street Synagogue and K'hal Chasidim from downtown. Although many rooms have been added and the synagogue campus has expanded, the main sanctuary is the original United Orthodox building. The cornerstone reads "United Orthodox Synagogue 1946." See more on Bnai Israel's history page.
Other Norfolk Jewish Sites I Did Not Visit
I did not get a chance to visit two cemeteries in Norfolk proper: Hebrew Cemetery at 1200 Tidewater Dr, Norfolk, VA 23504 and Bnai Israel Cemetery at 2750 Cromwell Rd, Norfolk, VA 23509. I also did not get a chance to stop at Ohef Shalom, a 103 year old synagogue at 812 Stockley Gardens, Norfolk, VA 23507. You can read more about early Jewish life in Norfolk in general and Ohef Shalom in particular on the ISJL Norfolk history page.
Samuel Gruber, who blogs about Jewish art and synagogues, wrote a post about Norfolk and Chevra T'hilim that I only discovered after I had already visited. You can read it on Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments blog.
If anyone has information on how to access the locked cemeteries, please reach out so I can update the post.