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Austin Reid Albanese on Muck Rack

Austin Reid Albanese

Rochester
As seen in: The Times of Israel, Medium, MSN UK, Washington Post Opinions, The Jerusalem Post, Baltimore Sun, The Dallas Morning News, Deseret News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Yahoo and
Covers:  Jewish history, local and regional storytelling, religion, interfaith themes, philanthropy, nonprofit impact, cultural narratives, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse of religious spaces.
Doesn't Cover: My primary focus is Jewish history, cultural narratives, philanthropy, and regional storytelling, but I occasionally explore other topics. I don’t typically cover advanced math or science.
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Austin Reid Albanese’s Journalist Portfolio

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The Antebellum Murder That Introduced Americans to the Jewish Funeral

The Antebellum Murder That Introduced Americans to the Jewish Funeral

Mosaic — The death of Isaac Jackson.
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The Work of Pluralism

The Work of Pluralism

Liberal Currents — Genuine pluralism requires people to act in ways that affirm the dignity and presence of others, even when difference remains.
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When Nashville Baptists worshipped in a synagogue

When Nashville Baptists worshipped in a synagogue

Baptist News Global — In March 1886, members of Nashville's First Baptist Church gathered for what would be their final prayer meeting inside a synagogue on South Vine Street. For nearly a year, the congregation had worshipped there while its new church building was under construction nearby at Broad and Vine.
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When Americans Shared Sacred Spaces

When Americans Shared Sacred Spaces

The Dispatch — Religious pluralism has long been a hallmark of cities and towns across America.
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The American Synagogue - Austin Albanese

The American Synagogue - Austin Albanese

Law & Liberty — Jewish history is not just a long tale of tragedy. Especially as Americans, Jews should celebrate their triumphs.
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When Azara Long Found Islam In A San Francisco Linen Shop : A Story From America's Muslim History...

When Azara Long Found Islam In A San Francisco Linen Shop : A Story From America's Muslim History...

Muslimmatters.org — As a child, Azara Long often visited a linen shop on Sutter and Powell in San Francisco run by a Lebanese couple. Years later, she told a local newspaper that it was there, in that shop, that her path toward Islam began. "I got very interested in their religion," she recalled.
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For all peoples

For all peoples

Christian Century — Judaism once had a universalist vision, long before Christianity emerged as a distinct religion. What happened to it?
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The way Austin meets fear is already written | Opinion

The way Austin meets fear is already written | Opinion

Austin American-Statesman — Austinites have practiced civic belonging in the pews of synagogues. The question is whether, in the face of today's fears, we are willing to learn from those earlier moments, Austin Albanese...
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Remembering when the San Antonio community filled its new synagogue

Remembering when the San Antonio community filled its new synagogue

San Antonio Express-News — At a time when antisemitic threats and other forms of hate are again in the news, it's worth remembering that our predecessors once filled synagogues together.
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Opinion: Spirit of Montreal's synagogue dedications deserves to shine

Opinion: Spirit of Montreal's synagogue dedications deserves to shine

Montreal Gazette — As Hanukkah begins, let's recall those celebrations where religious difference was seen not as a threat, but a thread in the city's fabric.
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When Dallas gathered at the synagogue door

When Dallas gathered at the synagogue door

The Dallas Morning News — Historian writes about two largely forgotten moments in Dallas history: the 1876 dedication of the city's first synagogue, and the 1899 Thanksgiving...
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Opinion: Winnipeg's synagogue and Edmonton's mosque

Opinion: Winnipeg's synagogue and Edmonton's mosque

Winnipeg Free Press — In 1889, on the northwest corner of Common and King streets, Winnipeggers of many creeds gathered to lay the cornerstone of a new house of worship. It was the first synagogue in Manitoba, Shaarey Zede...
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Opinion | A lost pluralism can be seen in the history of U.S. synagogues

Opinion | A lost pluralism can be seen in the history of U.S. synagogues

Washington Post Opinions — Worship spaces once celebrated - not just tolerated - are now being attacked.
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What Oregon’s first synagogue teaches about belonging

What Oregon’s first synagogue teaches about belonging

Oregon Capital Chronicle — In August 1861, Portland made history. Just three years after Jewish families organized Oregon’s first congregation, Beth Israel, neighbors gathered at the corner of Oak and Fifth streets to dedicate the state’s first synagogue. The Daily Oregonian reported that “long before the appointed hour for the services, the synagogue was well filled with ladies and gentlemen of nearly all denominations in our city.”
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Commentary: Pluralism is our heritage

Commentary: Pluralism is our heritage

Times Union (Albany) — In the 19th century, residents of Albany and other upstate cities crossed religious lines to mark the founding of synagogues. Their actions offer lessons for us today.
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153 years ago, when a Milwaukee synagogue opened, the whole city showed up | Opinion

153 years ago, when a Milwaukee synagogue opened, the whole city showed up | Opinion

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — Moments of friendship and solidarity, when Jewish communities were embraced by their neighbors, too often go unremembered.
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Maine's forgotten synagogue dedications show what belonging can look like | Opinion

Maine's forgotten synagogue dedications show what belonging can look like | Opinion

The Portland Press Herald — We don't have to wait for a crisis to show up for one another.
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What I learned about life from preparing the dead

What I learned about life from preparing the dead

Forward — The quiet ritual of taharah revealed something larger: humility, equality, and the sanctity of memory that shape Jewish life and Jewish death.
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Opinion: Maine's first synagogues remind us how to come together despite differences

Opinion: Maine's first synagogues remind us how to come together despite differences

Bangor Daily News — Maine's first synagogue dedications show that communities can gather in solidarity and celebration, across lines of difference, when they choose to.
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My View: When Buffalo helped build Its first synagogue - and a spirit of belonging

My View: When Buffalo helped build Its first synagogue - and a spirit of belonging

Buffalo News — These weren't just religious milestones; they were public statements that Buffalo believed in something uncommon for the time period: a community where neighbors could share in each other's sacred moments.
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As antisemitism makes headlines, Nevada once modeled another way

As antisemitism makes headlines, Nevada once modeled another way

Reno Gazette-Journal — “If tears stood in the eyes of members of the Jewish community at Reno yesterday afternoon… they were tears of joy.” So wrote the Reno Evening Gazette in 1922, when Nevada’s first synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, opened its doors.
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Amid today's rising antisemitism, Indiana's history offers a different vision | Opinion

Amid today's rising antisemitism, Indiana's history offers a different vision | Opinion

South Bend Tribune — Indiana's past reminds us that we don't have to choose between difference and unity.
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Opinion: The first mosque in America welcomed its neighbors. That spirit still matters

Opinion: The first mosque in America welcomed its neighbors. That spirit still matters

The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA) — In 1937, Iowans didn’t just tolerate differences, they prayed together, dined together, and celebrated together. Let’s carry that forward.
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America's first mosque, in Iowa, welcomed neighbors. That spirit still matters. | Opinion

America's first mosque, in Iowa, welcomed neighbors. That spirit still matters. | Opinion

Des Moines Register — The nation's first purpose-built mosque opened in Cedar Rapids in the 1930s, and its history is still instructive, writes Austin Albanese.
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