![Ansche Chesed jeh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Ansche_Chesed_jeh.jpg)
Ansche Chesed is a
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
on the
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
of the New York City
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
History
![Sermon by Samuel Adler for the Anshe Chesed in New York (1860)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Sermon_by_Samuel_Adler_for_the_Anshe_Chesed_in_New_York_%281860%29.jpg)
The congregation was founded in 1828 by a group of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
, and
Polish Jews
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lo ...
who split off from Congregation
B'nai Jeshurun.
Before 1850, the congregation met at various locations, including 32 and 38 Henry Street. By 1850, when the congregation erected the building on
Norfolk Street, on Manhattan's
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
, that is now the
Angel Orensanz Center
The Angel Orensanz Center is an art and performance space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was originally built as a synagogue, running through a succession of congregations and continues to be used as one occasionally. The ...
, there had been further secessions, and the congregation was composed of immigrants from Germany. It was also the largest in the United States. In 1874, the congregation merged with Congregation
Adas Jeshurun of 221 West 39th Street to form
Congregation Beth-El. This group met at a newly-constructed synagogue in
Yorkville, on the corner of
Lexington Avenue
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along it ...
and 63rd Street, but circa 1877 the more traditional German Jews of the congregation reconstituted Ansche Chesed near Lexington Avenue and
113th Street. They were joined by newer immigrants.
A small building they used, at 160 East 112th Street, was used by another synagogue, Congregation Tikvath Israel, until at least the mid-1970s, and in 2019 is the Christ Apostolic Church of U.S.A.
In 1908, the congregation was part of the movement of
upper-middle-class
In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term ''lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class strat ...
New Yorkers to the newly fashionable neighborhood of
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
. They moved from the 112th Street location to a handsome
Greek revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
Temple at
Seventh Avenue and
114th Street. It cost the congregation $200,000 to erect the building in 1908 and 1909. Edward Shire designed the building using limestone and brick.
It had seating for 1,200 worshippers, classrooms for 400, and a glass-walled garden on the roof.
In 1928, the congregation again followed fashion, from Harlem to the even newer
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
of Manhattan, opening its present
Byzantine revival
Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Ortho ...
building at
West End Avenue
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
and
100th Street. The architect was again
Edward I. Shire, and the cost was $1.3 million. The previous location was sold to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who opened the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Milagrosa church to serve Harlem's Hispanic demographic. In 1980, the Archdiocese sold it to Mt. Neboh Baptist Church, which still occupies it .
The cornerstone showing the Hebrew year 5668, and the carved
luchos at the top of the building, show its Ansche Chesed heritage.
The West End building was designed to seat 1,600, have social events for 500, and like its predecessor, has a rooftop garden.
Clergy and presidents
Rabbis
*
Max Lilienthal
Max Lilienthal (November 6, 1815 – April 6, 1882) was a German-born adviser for the reform of Jewish schools in Russia and later a rabbi and proponent of Reform Judaism in the United States.
Life and religion Work for Russian Government
Lilie ...
(1815-1882) honorary rabbi from 1852 to 1857
* J. Bondi 1859-1860
* J. Mielziner 1868
*J. Kohn 1911-1931
...
*
Michael Strassfeld .-2001
* Jeremy Kalmanofsky 2001-Present
Hazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.
In English, this pr ...
im (cantors)
* Jonas Hecht (1805-1898) held the position c. 1845-1852 and again in 1859; one of the 12 original founders of the B'nai B'rith organization
* L. Sternberger 1851 to 1859
* A. Sternberg 1861 to 1867
* ? Figel 1867
...
* Natasha Hirschhorn 2004- Present
Parnasim (presidents)
* Michael Schwab (d. 1898) 1862-1868; one of the 12 original founders of the
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...
organization
[
* S. Schuster 1868
* S. Hermann 1872
...
* Martin Sinkoff 2015
* Mark Paul 2018
]
Contemporary
Ansche Chesed is an egalitarian, participatory Conservative synagogue. In addition to its historic sanctuary, the congregation has a multi-story building with many classrooms and several event spaces. This makes it possible for multiple activities to take place in the building throughout the week, as well as for several minyan
In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( he, מניין \ מִנְיָן ''mīnyān'' , lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Jud ...
im to meet within the congregation. The minyanim include:
* Sanctuary Service
* Minyan Ma'at
* Minyan Rimonim
* West Side Minyan
Ansche Chesed's Sanctuary Service is the minyan that directly continues the historical congregation of Ansche Chesed; its name derives from the fact that it holds its services in the synagogue's sanctuary. This service follows the traditional Conservative liturgy (including full Torah reading and Haftarah and Musaf service). Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky delivers Divrei Torah (comments and explanations on the weekly Torah portion) several times a month and offers weekly comments on various aspects of the service. Cantor Natasha J. Hirschhorn leads the sung portion of the service, and is also Ansche Chesed's music director. Lay members of the congregation also participate actively in all facets of the service.
Ansche Chesed runs a Hebrew School, with classes that begin in pre-school and continue through the teen years. The synagogue also runs an array of other educational initiatives, focused on adult learning, literature, and family programs. A Social Action Committee oversees a series of community outreach and support programs, including the hosting of a homeless shelter, local park clean-up activities, and programs focused on topics such as the environment. Ansche Chesed hosts several unaffiliated nursery schools, including Purple Circle, Morningside Montessori, Yaldaynu Preschool, and Discovery Programs.
Ansche Chesed also house
The Havurah School
serving students from kindergarten through 7th grade. It is an independent, self-supporting school that has been at Ansche Chesed for over 20 years. At the Havurah School, students learn a wide variety of Jewish subjects primarily through the arts. Biblical improvisation, painting and drawing, work in clay, movement, creative writing, debate and music are some of the techniques used to experientially understand the Torah, the holidays, and the great themes of Jewish life, tradition, and philosophy.
References
External links
*
*Google Maps view of th
114th Street location
showin
luchos
an
cornerstone
{{coord, 40, 47, 52.2, N, 73, 58, 15.4, W , display=title
Dutch-American culture in New York City
Dutch-Jewish culture in the United States
German-Jewish culture in New York City
Polish-Jewish culture in New York City
Synagogues in Manhattan
West End Avenue
Upper West Side
Byzantine Revival architecture in New York City
Byzantine Revival synagogues
Unaffiliated synagogues in New York City
1828 establishments in New York (state)
Conservative synagogues in New York City