Baltimore's east side, a vibrant and always changing community, was home to two waves of Jewish immigrants, Germans in the early 1800s and Eastern Europeans in the later 1800s. The Jewish Museum pays tribute to their history and culture in this fascinating compound. The Greek Revival Lloyd Street Synagogue, built in 1845, is Maryland's oldest synagogue and one of America's oldest. In addition to worship space, the synagogue houses a matzo oven, a mikvah (ritual bath), and a 1917 classroom where the Talmudical Academy got its start. The more exotic B’nai Israel Synagogue, a Moorish Revival structure built in 1876, features a grand gold-and-white carved ark and a stained-glass Star of David, considered the oldest in the United States. Between them, gallery space is devoted to Jewish history, art, and culture. It is the longest-continuously operating Orthodox synagogue in Baltimore. The museum has two core exhibits, the Voices of Lombard Street, a wonderful look at Baltimore's immigration experience housed in the main museum, and The Synagogue Speaks, housed in the Lloyd Street basement, which tells the story of the two Jewish and one Roman Catholic congregations that worshipped here. Synagogue tours are offered on the hour, led by well-informed guides. A fine gift shop is worth a stop.