Central Synagogue (Congregation Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim; yi, צענטראַל-סינאַגאָגע) is a notable

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

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 wor ...

located at 652

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 i ...

, at the corner of East 55th Street in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

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 built in 1870–1872 and was designed by

Henry Fernbach Henry Fernbach (18291883) was an architect in New York City. Born in Breslau in Germany, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1848 or in 1855. Life Fernbach was a Prussian Jew,Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...

style as a copy of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

Dohány Street Synagogue The Dohány Street Synagogue ( hu, Dohány utcai zsinagóga / nagy zsinagóga; he, בית הכנסת הגדול של בודפשט, ''Bet ha-Knesset ha-Gadol shel Budapesht''), also known as the ''Great Synagogue'' or ''Tabakgasse Synagogue'', ...

. It has been in continuous use by a congregation longer than any other in the state of New York, except Congregation Berith Sholom in

Troy, New York Troy is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Huds ...

, and is among the oldest existing synagogue buildings in the United States. The building was 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 ...

by 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 ...

in 1966, and was 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 ...

in 1970. It was then designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

in 1975. and

History

The Ahawath Chesed congregation was founded in 1846 on

Ludlow Street Ludlow Street runs between Houston and Division Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Vehicular traffic runs south on this one-way street. Name Ludlow Street was named after Lieutenant Augustus Ludlow, the naval off ...

in Manhattan by German-speaking Jews from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. It merged in 1898 with Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, which was founded by German Jews in 1839 on

Albany Street Albany Street is a road in London running from Marylebone Road to Gloucester Gate following the east side of Regent's Park. It is about three-quarters of a mile in length. History The street was laid out during the 1820s, and takes its name ...

., p.40 The combined congregation bought the lot at Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street and engaged Henry Fernbach, the country's first prominent Jewish architect, to design it. The dramatic style of the building was the subject of much debate during the construction. Some felt its excess would inspire envy and stand in the way of assimilation. Construction was completed in 1872. After a fire in 1886, the building was restored by

Ely Jacques Kahn Ely Jacques Kahn (June 1, 1884September 5, 1972) was an American commercial architect who designed numerous skyscrapers in New York City in the twentieth century. In addition to buildings intended for commercial use, Kahn's designs ranged throug ...

. The building was restored in the original style after an accidental fire in August 1998, which occurred just as a major renovation was nearing completion. The fire destroyed the roof and its supports. During the fire, the firefighters' sensitivity for the building saved all but the central pane in the rose window that dominates the eastern (Lexington Avenue) wall. Marble plaques on the north wall of the foyer honor the firefighters of the 8th Battalion of the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

. The restoration of the building was supervised by Hugh Hardy of

Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates' (HHPA) was an internationally recognized American architecture firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Established by Hugh Hardy, Malcolm Holzman and Norman Pfeiffer in 1967 in New York, HHPA was noted ...

. Hardy restored some details to the interior that Ely Jacques Kahn had removed during the earlier restoration in 1886. The recent restoration was completed on September 9, 2001. In March 2019, the mosque of the nearby Islamic Society of Mid-Manhattan was damaged by a fire in an adjoining restaurant. A rabbi of the synagogue invited the congregation of the mosque to hold services in the synagogue until its structure could be repaired.

Architecture

Although the brownstone exterior is "the finest extant example of the Moorish Revival style in New York City", the plan of the interior is

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

in nature. The exterior is dominated by two octagonal towers topped by globular domes, as well as by the

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' ...

of geometric design. A small row of arches just below the cornice, at the roof line, adds to the richness of the facade. The north facade, on East 55th Street, features six

stained-glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s framed by Moorish arches. The interior is "stenciled with rich blues, earthy reds, ocher, and gilt – Moorish, but distinctly 19th century American."

Services

Sensitive to the evolving interests and needs of the

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 sear ...

community, Central Synagogue explores both traditional and alternative modes of prayer. In addition to daily morning ''minyan'',

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stori ...

, holiday services, and celebrations of lifecycle events, the synagogue offers "Tot Shabbat" for children, and healing and community services. They have introduced Mishkan services on Saturday morning, which offer intimate, participatory Shabbat morning services.

Notable clergy

Cantor Angela Warnick Buchdahl (8575188810) (cropped)

* Richard Botton, senior cantor (1974-1998) *

Angela Warnick Buchdahl Angela Warnick Buchdahl ( ko, 앤절라 워닉 북달; born July 8, 1972) is an American rabbi. She was the first Asian-American to be ordained as a rabbi, and the first Asian-American to be ordained as a ''hazzan'' (cantor). In 2011 she was name ...

(born 1972), senior cantor from 2011 to 2014, senior rabbi since 2014 * Daniel Mutlu, senior cantor (since 2017) * Deborah Prinz, assistant rabbi (1978-1981) * Peter Rubinstein, senior rabbi (1991-2014) *

Sheldon Zimmerman Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman (born 1942) is a former rabbinic leader in Reform Judaism. He is a past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In 2000, Zimmerman was suspended f ...

(born 1942), senior rabbi (1972-1985)

Notable members

Source:

Gallery

File:Central Synagogue 2012-09-10 16-12-08.jpg, The entrance to the synagogue (2012) File:Central Synagogue (05289).jpg, Front stained glass and organ pipes (2019) File:Central Synagogue south morning star jeh.jpg, Moorish Revival detail, south tower of the Central Synagogue (2011) File:Central Synagogue 1-2 Panorama.jpg, Interior (2010) File:Central Synagogue 4.JPG, A detail of the interior (2010)

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

*
Central Synagogue Restoration Booklet
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York, state=collapsed 1872 establishments in New York (state) Burned religious buildings and structures in the United States Czech-Jewish culture in the United States German-Jewish culture in New York City Lexington Avenue Midtown Manhattan Moorish Revival architecture in New York City Moorish Revival synagogues National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Reform synagogues in New York City Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1872 Synagogues in Manhattan Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City