Jacksonville's Jewish Quarter:
Jacksonville is overlooked as a place where Jews live, but considering the city served as America's Miami for 50 years before there was a Miami, it amassed a large Jewish population that is still active in the city today, though 15-20 miles outside of town.
There was an area near downtown that was about 10 square blocks that was the Jewish quarter. Today the area is very unsafe, mostly grass lots, and the city's longest running deli Worman's has officially closed. The area is truly a shell of its former self. Mandarin is the city's Jewish neighborhood today - very suburban and car-oriented, 15-20 miles away, has about 15 Synagogues of typical large-scale brutalist or contemporary format, versus the beautiful temples that once existed in the city.
Wormans is now closed.
Pictures from the following article:
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/art...jewish-enclave
***An interesting note is that outside of Detroit, Jacksonville has the largest percentage of Arab Americans. They run ALL the city's delis, and a cultural and unique staple of the city is its Rider sandwiches (Desert Rider, Camel Rider, Steak 'n Sack Rider, Tabouleh Rider, etc). It's very unusual why Jacksonville has so many Arabs and Lebanese, but Christians from the Middle East have been settling here in mass for generations.
Recently more Muslims have also been settling in the city, and just a couple years ago a mosque on the Southside was bombed in a very notorious incidence of religious persecution. Still, Jacksonville has had Arab mayors, its largest developer is Arab, and Arabs nearly run the city and are part of the GOB (Good Old Boy network).
USA Today focus on Arabs in Jacksonville:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...mericans_x.htm