Beth Hamedrash Hagodol
["Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Designation Report"](_blank)
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
(February 28, 1967)[, p.22][or Beth Hamidrash Hagadol, Beth Hamedrash Hagadol, Beth Midrash Hagadol] ( he, בֵּית הַמִּדְרָש הַגָּדוֹל, "Great Study House") is an
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
congregation that for over 120 years was located in a historic building at 60–64 Norfolk Street between
Grand
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...
and
Broome Streets in the
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 ...
neighborhood 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 ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It was the
first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
an congregation founded in New York City and the oldest
Russian Jewish
The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
Orthodox congregation in the United States.
[
Founded in 1852 by Rabbi Abraham Ash as ''Beth Hamedrash'', the congregation split in 1859, with the rabbi and most of the members renaming their congregation ''Beth Hamedrash Hagodol''. The congregation's president and a small number of the members eventually formed the nucleus of ''Kahal Adath Jeshurun'', also known as the ]Eldridge Street Synagogue
The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a synagogue and National Historic Landmark in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1887, it is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews.
The Orthodox congregat ...
.[ Rabbi Jacob Joseph, the first and only ]Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
of New York City, led the congregation from 1888 to 1902.[ Rabbi ]Ephraim Oshry
Ephraim Oshry (1914–2003), was an Orthodox rabbi, posek, and author of ''The Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry''. He was one of the few European rabbis to survive the Holocaust.
Early life
Ephraim Oshry was born in Kupiškis, Lithuania. He stu ...
, one of the few European Jewish legal decisors to survive the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, led the congregation from 1952 to 2003.[
The congregation's building, a ]Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
structure built in 1850 as the Norfolk Street Baptist Church and purchased in 1885, was one of the largest synagogues on the Lower East Side.[ It was listed on the ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1999.[ NRHP Weekly List: 11/29/99-12/03/99.] In the late 20th century the congregation dwindled and was unable to maintain the building, which had been damaged by storms. Despite their obtaining funding and grants, the structure was critically endangered.[ Taylor (2008).][
The synagogue was closed in 2007. The congregation, reduced to around 20 regularly attending members, was sharing facilities with a congregation on Henry Street.][ The ]Lower East Side Conservancy The Lower East Side Conservancy, also known as The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC), is an educational and advocacy organization, created in 1998 by Holly Kaye to preserve the synagogues and cultural heritage of the Lower East Side. Thr ...
was trying to raise an estimated $4.5 million for repairs of the building, with the intent of converting it to an educational center.[ In December the leadership of the synagogue under Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum filed a “hardship application” with the Landmarks Preservation Commission seeking permission to demolish the building to make way for a new residential development.][ This application was withdrawn in March 2013, but the group Friends of the Lower East Side described Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's status as "demolition by neglect".][ The abandoned synagogue was "largely destroyed" by a "suspicious" three-alarm fire on May 14, 2017.][
Hobbs, Allegra (May 15, 2017]
"'Suspicious' Footage Shows 3 Fleeing Area Near Synagogue That Burned: NYPD"
'' DNAinfo''
Early history
Beth Hamedrash Hagodol was founded by Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
an Jews in 1852 as Beth Hamedrash (literally "House of Study", but used colloquially in Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
as the term for 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 ...
).[ Kaufman (1999), p. 174.][ Sussman.][ Caplan (2008), p. 171.] The founding rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
, Abraham Joseph Ash, was born in Siemiatycze
Siemiatycze ( uk, Сім'ятичі ''Simiatychi'', be, Сямятычы ''Siamiatyčy'') is a town in eastern Poland, with 15,209 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Białystok Vo ...
(then in Congress Poland
Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
) in 1813[See Sherman (1996), p. 21, and Caplan (2008), p. 172.] or 1821.[ ''The New York Times'', May 10, 1887, p. 5.] He immigrated to New York City in 1851[ Marcus (1989), p. 341.] or 1852.[ Sherman (1996), p. 22.] The first Eastern European Orthodox rabbi to serve in the United States,[ Ash "rejected the reformist tendencies of the German Jewish congregations" there.][ Kaufman (1999), p. 175.] He soon organized a ''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 ...
'' (prayer quorum) of like-minded Polish Jews,[ and by 1852 began conducting services.][ Though the membership consisted mostly of ]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 ...
,[ it also included "]Lithuanians
Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...
, two Germans
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, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
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3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
, and an Englishman."[ Marcus (1989), p. 337.] For the first six years of the congregation's existence, Ash was not paid for his work as rabbi and instead earned a living as a peddler.[
The congregation moved frequently in its early years: in 1852 it was located at 83 Bayard Street, then at Elm and ]Canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
, and from 1853 to 1856 in a hall at Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
between Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
[ and ]Centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
Streets.[ Eldridge Street Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, p. 15, footnote 16.] In 1856, with the assistance of the philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
Sampson Simson
Sampson Simson (1780 - 7 January 1857) was an Orthodox Jewish American philanthropist most remembered as "the father of Mount Sinai Hospital" and as benefactor, posthumously, to the North American Relief Society for Indigent Jews in Jerusalem, Is ...
[ Marcus (1989), pp. 337–338.] and wealthy Sephardi Jews
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
who sympathized with the traditionalism of the congregation's members, the congregation purchased a Welsh chapel on Allen Street
Allen Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan which runs north-south through the Lower Manhattan neighborhood of Chinatown and the Lower East Side. It is continued north of Houston Street as First Avenue. South of Divisio ...
.[ The synagogue, which had "a good Hebrew library",][ was a place both of prayer and ]study
Study or studies may refer to:
General
* Education
**Higher education
* Clinical trial
* Experiment
* Observational study
* Research
* Study skills, abilities and approaches applied to learning
Other
* Study (art), a drawing or series of drawi ...
,[ Maffi (1994), p. 122.] included a rabbinic family court,[ and, according to historian and long-time member Judah David Eisenstein, "rapidly became the most important center for Orthodox Jewish guidance in the country."][
Synagogue dues were collected by the '']shamash
Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...
'' (the equivalent of a sexton or beadle), who augmented his salary by working as a glazier and running a small food concession stand in the vestibule
Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court".
Anatomy
In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...
. There mourners who came to recite '' kaddish'' could purchase a piece of sponge cake
Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most of them do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated ...
and small glass of brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
for ten cents (today $0).[ Marcus (1989), p. 338.]
Beth Hamedrash was the prototypical American synagogue for early immigrant Eastern European Jews, who began entering the United States in large numbers only in the 1870s. They found the synagogues of the German Jewish immigrants who preceded them to be unfamiliar, both religiously and culturally. Russian Jews in particular had been more excluded from Russian society than were German Jews from German society, for both linguistic and social reasons. Unlike German Jews, the Jews who founded Beth Hamedrash viewed both religion and the synagogue as central to their lives. They attempted to re-create in Beth Hamedrash the kind of synagogue they had belonged to in Europe.[ Olitzky & Raphael (1996), p. 8.][ Gurock (1998), p. 47.]
Schism
In 1859,[ disagreement broke out between Ash and the synagogue's ''parnas'' (president) Joshua Rothstein][ Olitzky & Raphael (1996), p. 251.] over who had been responsible for procuring the Allen Street location,[ Eldridge Street Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, p. 16.] and escalated into a conflict "over the question of official authority and 'honor'".[ Karp (2003), p. 14.] Members took sides in the dispute,[ which led to synagogue disturbances, a contested election,][ and eventually to Ash's taking Rothstein to a United States court to try to oust him as president of the congregation. After the court rejected Ash's arguments,][ a large majority of members left with Ash to form Beth Hamedrash Hagodol ("Great House of Study"), adding the word "Hagodol" ("Great") to the original name.][
The followers of Rothstein stayed at the Allen Street location and retained the name "Beth Hamedrash" until the mid-1880s. With membership and financial resources both severely reduced, they were forced to merge with Congregation Holche Josher Wizaner; the combined congregation adopted the name "]Kahal Adath Jeshurun
The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a synagogue and National Historic Landmark in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1887, it is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews.
The Orthodox congregat ...
", and built the Eldridge Street Synagogue
The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a synagogue and National Historic Landmark in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1887, it is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews.
The Orthodox congregat ...
.[ Eldridge Street Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, p. 17, and footnote 22.]
According to Eisenstein, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol provided an atmosphere that was "socially religious", in which Jews "combine piety with pleasure; they call dtheir '' shule'' a ''shtibl
A shtiebel ( ''shtibl'', pl. ''shtiblekh'' or shtiebels, meaning "little house" or "little room" cognate with German Stübel) is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached ...
'' or prayer-club room; they desire to be on familiar terms with the Almighty and abhor eddecorum; they want deveryone present to join and chant the prayers; above all they scorn da regularly ordained cantor." In contrast to the informality of the services, members scrupulously observed the Jewish dietary laws
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), from ...
, and every member personally oversaw the baking of his ''matzo
Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which '' chametz'' (leaven and ...
s'' for use on Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...
.[ Gurock (1998), p. 48.]
The congregation initially moved to the top floor of a building at the corner of Grand
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...
and Forsyth Forsyth may refer to:
Places Oceania
* Forsyth Island, Queensland, Australia, one of the West Wellesley Islands (aka Forsyth Islands)
* Forsyth Island, Tasmania, Australia
* Forsyth Island (New Zealand), in the outer Marlborough Sounds of South I ...
Streets, and in 1865 moved again, to a former courthouse on Clinton Street. In 1872, the congregation built a synagogue at Ludlow and Hester
Hester is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther. As a surname it is of Germanic origin and uncertain meaning, possible roots being the Middle High German ''heister'' beech tree indicating residence ne ...
Streets.[ There the congregation's younger members gained greater control and introduced some minor innovations; for example, changing the title of ''parnas'' to president, and in 1877 hiring a professional cantor—Judah Oberman—for $500 (today $) per year, to bring greater formality and decorum to the services][ Gurock (1998), p. 49.] as well as to attract new members.[ Sherman (1996), p. 4.] While somewhat "Americanized", in general the congregation remained quite traditional. Men and women sat separately, the full service in the traditional prayer book
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
was followed,[ and the congregation still trained men for ]rabbinic ordination
Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination.
The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...
. Additionally, Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
and Mishna study groups,[ founded in the 1870s, were held both mornings and evenings.][
Ash had only served as Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's rabbi intermittently during this time;][ Levine (2008).] during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
he had briefly been a successful manufacturer of hoopskirt
A hoop skirt or hoopskirt is a women's undergarment worn in various periods to hold the skirt extended into a fashionable shape.
It originated as a modest-sized mechanism for holding long skirts away from one's legs, to stay cooler in hot climat ...
s, before losing his money, and returning to the rabbinate.[ Congregants had a number of issues with him, including his outside business ventures and an alleged inclination towards ]Hasidism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
. The more learned members of the congregation contested his scholarship.[ Ash resigned as rabbi in 1877,][ Caplan (2008), p. 172.] and in 1879, directors of Beth Hamedrash Hagodol proposed that a Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
be hired for New York.[ Sherman (1996), p. 5.] A number of New York City synagogues[ formed the "United Hebrew Orthodox Congregations",][ Caplan (2008), p. 173.] and agreed to select the '' Malbim'' (Meïr Leibush ben Jehiel Michel Weiser) for the role.[ Gurock (1998), p. 51.] The appointment was announced in Philadelphia's ''Jewish Record'',[ Gurock (1998), p. 76, footnote 51.] but the ''Malbim'' never filled the position.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol re-hired Ash to fill the vacant role of congregational rabbi][ at a salary of $25 per month][ (or $300—today $—per year). The following year the congregation hired a new cantor, Simhe Samuelson, for $1,000 (today $) a year, over three times Ash's salary.][
]
Norfolk Street building
The congregation's building at 60-64 Norfolk Street, between Grand Street and Broome Street on the 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 ...
, had originally been the Norfolk Street Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
Church. Founded in 1841 when the Stanton Street Baptist Church congregation split, the members had first worshiped in an existing church building at Norfolk and Broome. In 1848 they officially incorporated and began construction of a new building, which was dedicated in January 1850.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 8, p. 1.]
Largely unchanged, the structure was designed in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style by an unknown architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, with masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...
-bearing walls with timber framing at the roof and floors, and brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material.
Type ...
foundation walls and exterior door and window trim. The front facade (west, on Norfolk Street) is "stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
ed and scored to simulate smooth-faced ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
", though the other elevations are faced in brick. Window tracery was all in wood. Much of the original work remains on the side elevations.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 7, pp. 1–2.] Characteristically Gothic exterior features include "vertical proportions, pointed arched window openings with drip moldings, three bay facade with towers". Gothic interior features include "ribbed vaulting
In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while rin ...
" and a "tall and lofty rectangular nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
." Originally the window over the main door was a circular rose window
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...
, and the two front towers had crenellations in tracery, instead of the present plain tops. The square windows below are original, but the former quatrefoil
A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...
wooden tracery is gone in many cases. The bandcourse of quatrefoil originally extended across the center section of the facade.[
Even as the building was under construction, the ethnic makeup of the church's neighborhood was rapidly changing; native-born Baptists were displaced by Irish and ]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
**Ger ...
immigrants. As members moved uptown, the congregation decided to follow and sold their building in 1860 to Alanson T. Biggs, a successful local merchant. The departing Baptist congregation founded the Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...
Baptist church, then founded the Park Avenue
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...
Church, and finally built the Riverside Church
Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornings ...
.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 8, p. 2.]
Biggs converted the church to one for Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
s,[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue, Landmarks Preservation Commission Designation Report, February 28, 1967.][ Eldridge Street Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, p. 17.] and in 1862, transferred ownership to the Alanson Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 8, p. 3.] The Methodist congregation was successful for a time, with membership peaking at 572 members in 1873. It declined after that, and the church ran into financial difficulties. In 1878 the congregation transferred ownership to the New York City Church Extension and Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.[
Founded in 1866, the Church Extension and Missionary Society's mission was "... to promote Churches, Missions, and Sunday-schools in the City of New York."][ It built or supported Methodist churches primarily in poor areas, or areas that were being developed,][ including one in the building that would later house the ]First Roumanian-American congregation
The First Roumanian-American Congregation, also known as Congregation Shaarey Shomayim ( he, שַׁעֲרֵי שָׁמַיִם, "Gates of Heaven"), or the Roumanishe Shul (Yiddish for "Romanian synagogue"), was an Orthodox Jewish congregation tha ...
.[ Dolkart (1997), Section 8, p. 2.] Soon after its purchase of the Norfolk Street building, the Church Extension and Missionary Society discovered that the neighborhood had become mostly Jewish and German. By 1884, it realized "the church was too big and costly to maintain", and put it up for sale.[
In 1885 Beth Hamedrash Hagodol purchased the building for $45,000 (today $), and made alterations and repairs at a cost of $10,000 (today $), but made no external modifications by the re-opening. Alterations to the interior were generally made to adapt it to synagogue use. These included the additions of an ]Ark
Ark or ARK may refer to:
Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva''
* Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood
* Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
Hebrew ''aron''
* ...
to hold the Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
scrolls (replacing the original pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
), an " eternal light" in front of the ark, and a '' bimah'' (a central elevated platform where the Torah scrolls are read). At some time a women's gallery
The Women's Gallery was a collectively established and run art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, showing only the work of women, that ran for four years between 1980 and 1984.
History
In 1977, artist Joanna Paul developed a project called " ...
was added round three sides of the nave.[ Mendelson (2009), pp. 115–117.][ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 7, p. 2.][ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 7, p. 3.] Interior redecorations included sanctuary ceilings that were "painted a bright blue, studded with stars".[ ''The New York Times'', August 17, 1885, p. 8.]
In addition to attracting new and wealthy members, the congregation intended the substantial building to garner prestige and respectability for the relatively new immigrant Jews from Eastern Europe, and to show that Jews on the Lower East Side could be just as "civilized" as the reform-minded Jews of uptown Manhattan.[ Kaufman (1999), p. 176.] For this reason, a number of other Lower East Side congregations also purchased or built new buildings around this time.[ They also hired increasingly expensive cantors until, in 1886, Kahal Adath Jeshurun hired P. Minkowsy for the "then-staggering sum of five thousand dollars per annum" (today $).][ Gurock (1998), pp. 49–50.] Beth Hamedrash Hagodol responded by recruiting from Europe the famous and highly paid cantor Israel Michaelowsky[ Gurock (1998), p. 50.] (or Michalovsky).[ By 1888 Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's members included "several bankers, lawyers, importers and wholesale merchants, besides a fair sprinkling of the American element."][ Diner (2000), footnote 52, p. 204.]
Though the building had undergone previous alterations—for example, the Church Extension and Missionary Society had "removed deteriorated parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
s from the towers" in 1880—it did not undergo significant renovations until the early 1890s. That year the rose window on the front of the building was removed, "possibly because it had Christian motifs", and replaced with a large arched window, still in keeping with the Gothic style. The work was undertaken by the architectural firm of (Ernest) Schneider & (Henry) Herter, German immigrants who had worked on a number of other synagogues, including the Park East Synagogue
Park East Synagogue is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in New York City.
Building
The building was built in 1889–1890. The architects were Schneider and Herter, who designed numerous tenements on New York's Lower East Side as ...
. In 1893 they fixed "serious structural problems", the consequence of neglected maintenance. The work included "stabiliz ngthe front steps, add ngbrick buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
es to the sides of the church for lateral support, again in a Gothic style, and replac ngthe original basement columns with six-inch cast iron columns." A later renovation replaced the wooden stairs from the main floor to the basement with iron ones.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 8, p. 4.]
Two Stars of David
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
were added to the center of the facade. One is seen in the old photograph (above left), over a palmette ornament at the top of the window arch. The other, mounted above the top of the gable, remains visible in the modern photograph (top). The unusual cupola-like structure on legs seen above the gable in the old photograph, now gone, was also added by the synagogue, as was the square structure on which it sat.[ The panel with a large Hebrew inscription over the main doors was added in this period, before the older photograph. The decorations to the upper parts of the central section of the facade survived until at least 1974, as did the tracery to the square windows on the towers; this Gothic ornamentation was removed after it deteriorated.][
]
Jacob Joseph era
Ash died in 1887,[ and the United Hebrew Orthodox Congregations (now called The Association of American Orthodox Hebrew Congregations) began a search for a successor, to serve as rabbi of Beth Hamedrash Hagodol and as ]Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
of New York City.[ Weissman Joselit (1990), p. 5.] This search was opposed by Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes, of Congregation Shearith Israel. Mendes felt that the money and energy would be better spent on supporting the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...
(JTSA), which he had co-founded with Sabato Morais
Sabato Morais ( he, שבתאי מוראיס; April 13, 1823 – November 11, 1897) was an Italian-American rabbi, leader of Mikveh Israel Synagogue in Philadelphia, pioneer of Italian Jewish Studies in America, and founder of the Jewish Th ...
in 1886. In his view, training American-born rabbis at the Seminary would be a much more effective means of fighting the growing strength of American Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...
: these native English-speaking rabbis would appeal to the younger generation far more than imported, Yiddish-speaking ones.[ Gurock (1998), p. 256, footnote 14.]
The Association of American Orthodox Hebrew Congregations rejected Morais's position, and offered the role to a number of "leading East European Orthodox rabbis", all of whom turned it down. They eventually narrowed the field to two candidates, Zvi Rabinovitch and Jacob Joseph.[ Although Rabinovitch received "massive support" from "leading east European rabbis", the congregation hired Jacob Joseph as the first—and what would turn out to be only—Chief Rabbi of New York City.][See Caplan (2008), p. 173, and Tannenbaum (2007).]
Born in Kroz, Lithuania, Joseph had studied in the Volozhin yeshiva under Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (20 November 1816 in Mir, Russia – 10 August 1893 in Warsaw, Poland), also known as Reb Hirsch Leib Berlin, and commonly known by the acronym Netziv, was an Orthodox rabbi, ''Rosh yeshiva'' (dean) of the Volozhin Ye ...
; he was known there as Rav Yaakov Charif ("Rabbi Jacob Sharp") because of his sharp mind.[ Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy.] He was one of the main disciples of Yisroel Salanter
Yisrael ben Ze'ev Wolf Lipkin, also known as "Israel Salanter" or "Yisroel Salanter" (November 3, 1809, Zhagory – February 2, 1883, Königsberg), was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist. ...
, and in 1883 had been appointed the '' maggid'' (preacher) of Vilna
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...
.[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol, the Eldridge Street Synagogue, and 13 other Lower East Side synagogues had raised $2,500 (today $) towards the creation of a European style '' kehilla'' to oversee New York's Orthodox community, and had imported Joseph in an attempt to achieve that (ultimately unfulfilled) goal.][ Joseph's salary was to be the then-substantial $2,500 per year, "with an additional $1000 for rent, furnishings, and utilities". Though Joseph's appointment was, in part, intended to bring prestige to the downtown Orthodox congregations, his primary task as Chief Rabbi was to bring order and regulation to New York's chaotic kosher slaughtering industry.][ Rischin (1977), p. 148.]
Joseph arrived in New York on July 7, 1888, and later that month preached his inaugural Sabbath sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...
at Beth Hamedrash Hagodol.[See Caplan (2008), p. 173, and ''The New York Times'', July 22, 1888, p. 8.] The speech attracted a huge crowd, with over 1,500 men crowded into the sanctuary, and thousands more outside.[ Blondheim (1998), p. 191.] The police had to call extra reinforcements to control the throng, and to escort Joseph into the synagogue.[ Though he had been chosen, in part, for his "fabulous skills as an orator", his speaking style and sermons, which had been so beloved in Europe, did not impress New York audiences. According to ]Abraham Cahan
Abraham "Abe" Cahan (Yiddish: אַבֿרהם קאַהאַן; July 7, 1860 – August 31, 1951) was a Lithuanian-born Jewish American socialist newspaper editor, novelist, and politician. Cahan was one of the founders of ''The Forward'' (), a ...
, of the very people who drank in his words thirstily in Vilna left the synagogue in the middle of his sermon here."[
In October 1888, Joseph made his first significant statement as Chief Rabbi. He issued new regulations for New York's Jewish poultry business, in an attempt to bring it into accordance with Jewish law. The funds for supporting the agency supervising adherence to these regulations were to be raised through an increase in the price of meat and chicken. The affected vendors and consumers, however, refused to pay this levy.][ They likened it to the '' korobka'', a tax on meat in Russia they despised,][ and "organized a mass meeting in January 1889 against 'the imported rabbi'". Joseph never succeeded in organizing the kosher meat business.][
Joseph was also unable to stop those who came to hear him speak from desecrating the Sabbath, and his Yiddish sermons had no impact on the younger generation.][ Gurock (2003), p. 52.] In addition, he had to contend with a number of obstacles: he had no administrative experience or training, local Orthodox rabbis (particularly Joshua Seigel) and Jews outside his congregation did not accept his authority, and non-Orthodox Jews and groups criticized him.[See Rischin (1977), p. 148, Marcus (1989), p. 342, Sherman (1996), p. 194, Caplan (2008), p. 173, and Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 8, p. 4.] These problems were exacerbated by a stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
suffered in 1895, which partially incapacitated him, followed by a relapse in 1900 which left him bedridden.[See Rischin (1977), p. 148, Sherman (1996), p. 110, and ''The New York Times'', July 29, 1902, p. 9.]
In the late 19th century, other synagogues in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
often served a particular constituency, typically Jews from a single town in Russia, Poland, or Romania. Beth Hamedrash Hagodol prided itself in welcoming and assisting all Jews, regardless of origins.[ The synagogue's ]Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...
Relief Committee—dedicated to providing funds and food to poor Jews so that they could properly celebrate the holiday of Passover—stated "In dispensing money and matzos to the poor, all are recognized as the children of one Father, and no lines are drawn between natives of different countries."[ Rischin (1977), p. 105.] By the turn of the 20th century, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol was distributing approximately $800 (today $) a year to the poor for Passover supplies, compared to a total synagogue income of around $5,000 (today $). This was on top of its average $15 (today $) weekly contributions to the poor, and those of individual congregational members of around $2,000 (today $) per annum.[ ''American Jewish Year Book'', Vol. 1, p. 193.] By 1901, annual revenues were around $6,000 (today $), and the congregation had 150 members.[ ''American Jewish Year Book'', Vol. 2, p. 350.]
During Joseph's tenure, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol helped found the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (the "Orthodox Union
The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...
"). In the spring of 1898, 50 lay officials from a number of Orthodox New York synagogues—including Congregation Ohab Zedek
Ohab Zedek, sometimes abbreviated as OZ, is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Manhattan, New York City noted for its lively, youthful congregation. Founded in 1873, it moved to its current location on West 95th Street in 1926. The current clergy are ...
, the Eldridge Street Synagogue
The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a synagogue and National Historic Landmark in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1887, it is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews.
The Orthodox congregat ...
, Congregation Shearith Israel and Beth Hamedrash Hagodol—convened to create the organization.[ Weissman Joselit (1990), p. 6.] By the 1980s the Orthodox Union had over 1,000 member congregations.[ Raphael (2003), p. 90.]
Joseph served as the synagogue's rabbi from his arrival in the United States in 1888 until his death in 1902 at age 62.[See ''The New York Times'', July 29, 1902, p. 9, and Tannenbaum (2007).] During this time, his family slipped into poverty, as he did not receive his salary, which had been based on the anticipated taxes on kosher meats and vendors, and on ''matzos''.[See Marcus (1989), p. 341, and Caplan (2008), p. 173.] After his death, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol secured the right to bury him in its cemetery by promising his widow $1,500 (today $) and a monthly $15 stipend; in turn, individuals offered the congregation large sums—$5,000 (today $) in one case—for the right to be buried near him.[ Goren (1999), p. 233, footnote 16.] His funeral was attended by up to 100,000 mourners, "clouded by the guilt-driven attempt of New York's Orthodox Jews to honor him for the last time, as partial compensation for the way they treated him during his life."[
]
Post-Joseph era
Joseph was succeeded by Rabbi Shalom Elchanan Jaffe, a founder of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis and a strong supporter of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Jaffe, who was born near Vilna
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...
, had, like Joseph, studied at the Volozhin yeshiva, and had received his rabbinic ordination from Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor. The author of several books of religious commentary, Jaffe was an influential rabbi on the Lower East Side, in part because of his authority over kosher supervision of New York's butcher stores and slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
s.[ Sherman (1996), pp. 108–109.] He was also a strong anti-Zionist
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...
and "rejoiced when Herzl Herzl is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name:
*Herzl Berger
*Herzl Bodinger
*Herzl Rosenblum
*Herzl Yankl Tsam
Surname:
*Theodor Herzl
See also
*Mount Herzl
*''Herzl (play)
''Herzl'' is a 1976 play w ...
died".[ Marcus (1989), p. 699.]
Harry Fischel
Harry Fischel (1865 - 1948) was an American businessman and philanthropist based in New York City at the turn of the 20th century.
Fischel was one of the leading pioneers in the growth of American Judaism, in general, during the dynamic and pre ...
was the congregation's Vice President until 1902; there he first met and eventually attended the Bar Mitzvah of his future son-in-law, Herbert S. Goldstein
Herbert S. Goldstein (February 8, 1890 – January 1970), was a prominent American rabbi and Jewish leader. He was the only person to have been elected president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Rabbinical Council of Am ...
.[ Goldstein (1928), p. xvi.] Goldstein, who was ordained by Jaffe at the JTSA,[ Gurock (2003), p. 58. Gurock spells Jaffe "Jaffee".] founded the Institutional Synagogue in 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), ...
. He is the only person to have been president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Rabbinical Council of America (first presidium), and the Synagogue Council of America The Synagogue Council of America was an American Jewish organization of synagogue and rabbinical associations, founded in 1926. The Council was the umbrella body bridging the three primary religious movements within Judaism in the United States. It ...
.[ Reichel (2005).] It was in response to an April 1929 telegram from Goldstein, asking if Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
believed in God, that Einstein stated, "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and actions of human beings."[ Jammer (2002), pp. 48–49.]
Beth Hamedrash Hagodol had 175 member families by 1908, and the synagogue's annual revenues were $10,000 (today $).[ ''American Jewish Year Book'', Vol. 9, p. 287.] In 1909, the synagogue was the site of a mass meeting to protest the 20th Central Conference of American Rabbis
The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...
, described as "the malicious misrepresentation of Judaism by the so-called reformed rabbis in conference in this city",[ ''The New York Times'', November 17, 1909, p. 7.] and in 1913 the synagogue was the site of a "historic mass meeting" to raise funds for the first Young Israel synagogue, at which Jacob Schiff
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...
was the guest speaker.[ Kaufman (1999), p. 203.] Membership had fallen to 110 families by 1919.[ ''American Jewish Year Book'', Vol. 21, p. 459.]
Dr. Benjamin Fleischer, a noted orator, was elected rabbi of Beth Hamedrash Hagodol in September 1924.[ ''The New York Times'', September 24, 1924, p. 8.] While serving as Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's rabbi he published his 1938 philosophical work ''Revaluation. Miscellaneous essays, lectures and discourses on Jewish religious philosophy, ethics and history'' and his 1941 military history ''From Dan To Megiddo''. In May 1939, he and two other rabbis (and a fourth rabbi as secretary) formed the first permanent ''beth din
A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
'' (court of Jewish law) in the U.S.[See ''The New York Times'', May 10, 1939, p. 8 and ''TIME'', May 15, 1939.]
In the early-to-mid-20th century the congregation's financial footing was still not sound; though the Norfolk Street building had been purchased in 1885 for $45,000 (and $10,000 in alterations and repairs),[ in 1921 it still owed $40,000 (today $) on the mortgage.][ ''The New York Times'', October 10, 1921, p. 2.] Additional costs were incurred by work done on the building; two years earlier, architect George Dress had rearranged the toilet facilities, in 1934 architect Philip Bardes designed a small brick extension at the building's south-east corner,[ and in the 1930s or 1940s the walls and four of the five spandrels in the sanctuary interior were painted with colorful "Eastern European-inspired" pictures and murals of ]Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and "Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
landscapes and Biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
scenes".[ ''Jewish Heritage Report'', Winter 1997–98.] At the end of December 1946, then-president Abraham Greenwald stated that unless $35,000 (today $) were immediately raised for the repair of the building, it would have to be demolished.[ ''The New York Times'', December 30, 1946, p. 13.]
Ephraim Oshry
Ephraim Oshry (1914–2003), was an Orthodox rabbi, posek, and author of ''The Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry''. He was one of the few European rabbis to survive the Holocaust.
Early life
Ephraim Oshry was born in Kupiškis, Lithuania. He stu ...
, noted Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
scholar and religious leader in the Kovno Ghetto, and one of the few European Jewish legal decisors to survive The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, became the synagogue's rabbi in 1952, a post he retained for over 50 years.[ Amateau (2003).] During the Holocaust the Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
had made him the custodian of a warehouse that stored Jewish books intended for an exhibit of "artifacts of the extinct Jewish race". He used the books to help him write ''responsa
''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
'', answering questions asked of him regarding how Jews could live their lives in accordance with Jewish law
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...
under the extreme conditions imposed by the Nazis. He also ran "secret nightly worship services", and helped Jews bake ''matzos'' for Passover, under threat of death if discovered. After the war he founded a yeshiva
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...
for Jewish orphans in Italy, and then another religious school in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, before moving to New York to take up the position of rabbi at Beth Hamedrash Hagodol.[ Martin (2003).] There, his Sunday afternoon lectures were so popular that the entire 1,200-seat sanctuary was filled, and the overflow had to sit on the stairs.[ While rabbi of Beth Hamedrash Hagodol, he founded another yeshiva in Monsey, New York for gifted ]high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
aged boys.[
The congregation's building was again threatened with demolition in 1967, but Oshry, possibly the first Lower East Side rabbi to recognize the value of landmark designation, was successful in having it designated a ]New York City landmark
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
, thus saving it.[ Dunlap (2004), p. 22][ Mark (2006).][ Siegel (2006).] At that time the congregation claimed 1,400 members.[
In 1974, the ]New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
applied to have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, and considered significant at the state level; on the application the building's condition was described as "excellent".[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, March 13, 1974.] The case was reviewed on June 19, 1974, and the site was deemed ineligible.[ Letter from Lynn A. Beebe, Division of Historic Preservation, Office of Parks and Recreation, to Assemblyman Anthony G. DiFalco, May 13, 1975.] The building was repainted and repaired in 1977,[ Sanders & Gillon (1980), p. 47.] but in subsequent years deteriorated and suffered damage.
Late 1990s to present
In the summer of 1997, a storm blew out the main two-story[ window at the front of the building, and the window's wooden frame was rotten, cracked and could not be saved.][ The window remained unrepaired, which left the sanctuary open to the elements for a month before the congregation, down to approximately 100 members, asked for assistance. The congregants had, by then, long held services in a smaller room, using the sanctuary only on the ]High Holidays
The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe")
#strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...
.[ ''Los Angeles Times'', February 14, 1998, p. B-5.] The New York Landmarks Conservancy's Endangered Buildings fund gave $2,500 for a temporary metal window, and assisted in getting approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the work required to repair the damage,[ but the congregation did not have the $10,000 required to pay for it.][ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol received an additional $2,000 from the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Sacred Sites program in 1998 for a conditions survey.][See Daily News (New York), June 29, 1998. and ''Jewish Heritage Report'', Spring-Summer 1998.] In 1999 a second application for National Historical designation was made, this time successful; the building was deemed significant at the local level,[ Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue NRHP Registration Form, June 20, 1999, Section 3.] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 30.[
The congregation raised $40,000 in 2000 for emergency repairs, and was awarded a $230,000 grant by the for restoration work, including roof repair, but had not been able to raise the matching funds required to receive the grant. On December 6, 2001, a fire and subsequent fire-fighting efforts severely damaged the roof, ceiling, mural paintings and decorative plasterwork.][ Dewan (2001).]
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
designated the building an endangered historic site in 2003,[ National Trust for Historic Preservation (2003).] the only synagogue on the list.[ It still retained a number of significant architectural features, including "the ornate ark and pulpit, central ''bimah'' (reader's platform) with etched glass lamps, cantilevered balconies, Gothic vaulted ceiling, and colorful wall paintings"; the lighting included "converted gas fixtures".][ Wolfe (2003), p. 175.] Features retained from the original construction included Gothic Revival style woodwork and cast-iron railing that follows the lot line,[ Dolkart & Postal (2009), p. 49.] and the original wooden pew
A pew () is a long bench (furniture), bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating Member (local church), members of a Church (congregation), congregation or choir in a Church (building), church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
Overview
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s.[ That same year Oshry died. His successor—designated by Oshry himself—was his son-in-law, Rabbi Mendl Greenbaum.][
By 2006, $1 million of an estimated required $3.5 million had been raised for repairs to the structure.][ In 2007, Greenbaum made the decision to shut the synagogue down, as its membership had dwindled to around 15. The building was mostly closed to the public as its damaged interior was considered a hazard for visitors.][ Austerlitz (2007).] The synagogue, "the home of the oldest Orthodox congregation continuously housed in a single location in New York" sat "padlocked and empty" with holes in the roof and plaster falling from the ceiling.[ In 2011, the Buildings Department issued a vacate order.][ Litvak (2013).]
Reportedly, the Lower East Side Conservancy The Lower East Side Conservancy, also known as The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC), is an educational and advocacy organization, created in 1998 by Holly Kaye to preserve the synagogues and cultural heritage of the Lower East Side. Thr ...
was trying to raise an estimate $4.5 million for repairs, with the intent of turning the building into an educational center. It was granted $215,000 by the United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
and was promised an equal amount by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Several years earlier the Conservancy had also been promised a total of $980,000 from New York State, the City Council, Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
Bloomberg, and the Manhattan Borough President's office, but had yet to receive most of the city funds. The group was also trying to raise $400,000 from private donors for the first phase of the renovation, which would secure the structure and roof.[ Led by Greenbaum, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol was down to around 20 regularly attending members, and was sharing facilities with a congregation on Henry Street.][
By the end of 2012 at least a million dollars in grants for repairs to the building had gone unused and were rescinded.][ Singer (2013).] In December 2012 the leadership of the synagogue under Greenbaum filed a “hardship application” with the Landmarks Preservation Commission seeking permission to demolish the building to make way for a new residential development. In place of the synagogue, Greenbaum envisioned a 45,000 square foot condo building with room for a small synagogue on the ground floor, and possibly a ''kollel
A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
''.[ Ungar-Sargon (2013).] This application was withdrawn—at least temporarily—in March 2013, but the group ''Friends of the Lower East Side'' described Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's status as "demolition by neglect
Demolition by neglect refers to the practice of allowing a building to deteriorate to the point that demolition becomes necessary or restoration becomes unreasonable. The practice has been used by property owners as a means of sidestepping historic ...
".[
]
2017 fire
On May 14, 2017, shortly after 7 p.m., a three-alarm fire
One-alarm fires, two-alarm fires, three-alarm fires, etc., are categories classifying the seriousness of fires, commonly used in the United States and in Canada, particularly indicating the level of response by local authorities. The term multip ...
broke out in the unused synagogue after what an eyewitness called a "big explosion". The fire was brought under control at around midnight by approximately 150 firefighters[Brito, Chris (May 14, 2017]
"Fire destroys historic Lower East Side synagogue"
PIX 11. Retrieved May 14, 2017.—who, during the fire, allowed Rabbi Yehuda Oshry, the son of Ephraim Oshry, to rescue the Torah scrolls
A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...
—but not before it "largely destroyed" the structure. Although still under investigation as of Monday May 15, the fire was said to seem "suspicious" due to surveillance video that showed three young people running from the area just before the fire broke out. The fire brought down the ceiling and walls of the synagogue, creating a pile of rubble. On May 17, three days after the fire, a 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged with setting the fire; the boy's two companions were questioned and released, although they are considered to be witnesses. The Fire Department's investigation into how the fire was started was being held up by the need to install supports in order to safely enter the building.[Southall, Ashley and Dunlap, David W. (May 17, 2017]
"Teenager Set Manhattan Synagogue Ablaze, Police Say"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' By mid-June, the city's Legal Department was still investigating, and prosecutors had not charged the boy who had been arrested.[
Hobbs, Allegra (June 19, 2017]
"Arson-Ravaged Historic LES Synagogue Files for Demolition Permit"
'' DNAinfo''
In the aftermath of the fire, the synagogue took steps for the possible demolition of the building. The city's Department of Buildings had determined that the remains of the building was unstable, but would not approve an emergency demolition, so a board member filed an application with the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
(LPC) for a general demolition permit, which did not specify how much of the structure was planned to be razed; that will depend on a determination of "structural findings". The synagogue also provided materials to Manhattan Community Board 3, with a request that their application be heard by an advisory panel. Prior to the fire, Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum had been in discussion with groups such as the Chinese-American Planning Council and the Gotham Organization about selling the building's air rights in connection with the potential development of a neighboring parcel, to help pay for the possible renovation and preservation of the synagogue. The LPC responded on July 11 with a permit for removal of unsafe parts of the building, but required that other parts be evaluated for possible preservation. The LPC's engineers would monitor the demolition.
After the fire, the Chinese-American Planning Council and the Gotham Organization originally planned to incorporate the remnants of the synagogue building into their 30-story residential development. However, in June 2019, the LPC's engineers announced that the remnants of the south tower would have to be destroyed due to its structural instability.
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External links
Exterior views
A Curious Proceeding-A Synagogue in Trouble.; Supreme Court—Chambers.
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', August 23, 1862, p. 6.
Rabbis Censure New York Jewish Seminary; Orthodox Only in Name, National Convention's Opinion. Dr. Schechter Criticised; An Apostle of the Higher Criticism, Which, Says Dr. Weinberger, Has No Place in Orthodox Jewish Teaching.
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', July 4, 1904, p. 5.
East Side Jews Honor Rabbi Josephs' Memory; Throngs Flock to the Unveiling of His Tombstone. Leaders Praise His Work; Impressive Ceremonies at the Grave of the Man Whose Funeral Caused a Riot.
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', September 17, 1906, p. 9.
Curran at Synagogue.; Speaks at Seventieth Anniversary of Beth Hamedrash Hagodol.
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', October 10, 1921, p. 2.
{{Authority control
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Lower East Side
Orthodox synagogues in New York City
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