Beth Sholom Congregation is a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

synagogue located at 8231

Old York Road Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...

in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

suburb of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. It is the only synagogue designed by famed

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 ...

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

. ''Beth Sholom'' is

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

for House of Peace. Completed in 1959, it has been called a "startling, translucent, modernist evocation of an ancient temple, transposed to a Philadelphia suburb by

.Joseph M. Siry, ''Beth Sholom Synagogue: Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Religious Architecture'' (University of Chicago Press, 2011) It was 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 listed ...

in 2007 for its architecture.

Congregation

The congregation originally established a synagogue in the Logan neighborhood of

in 1919. It was one of the first congregations to move to the suburbs at its present home in the 1950s. Bernard Wolfman, Dean of the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

, and his family attended the synagogue.

Clergy

Rabbis

* 1919–1964:

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 ...

Mortimer J. Cohen * 1964–2000: Rabbi Aaron Landes * 2000–2003: Rabbi Gershon Schwartz * 2003–2004: Rabbi Frederic Kazan (interim) * 2004–present: Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin * 2004–present: Rabbi Andrea Merow

Cantors

*1957–1967:

Cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

Seymour Schwartzman Seymour Schwartzman (December 7, 1930 – January 18, 2009) was an American cantor and opera singer. He was a principal baritone at New York City Opera where he sang over thirty roles and also performed internationally in opera houses and on the ...

*1968–1971: Cantor Neil Newman *1971–1975: Cantor Robert H. Albert *1975–2011: Cantor David F. Tilman 2012 - 2014: No full time Cantor *2014–2019: Cantor Jeffrey Weber *2020-present: Cantor Jacob Agar

Building

The building was designed by

, who accepted the commission in September 1953. The building was completed and consecrated in 1959. It has been cited as an example of the

Mayan Revival Mayan Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. History Origins Though the name of the s ...

architecture style. With its steeply inclined walls of

translucent In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale (one in which the dimensions ...

corrugated wire glass, it projects skyward like a "luminous

Mount Sinai Mount Sinai ( he , הר סיני ''Har Sinai''; Aramaic: ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ ''Ṭūrāʾ Dsyny''), traditionally known as Jabal Musa ( ar, جَبَل مُوسَىٰ, translation: Mount Moses), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is ...

" (Wright's own description). The ceiling is a fiberglass material. Neither material was designed by Wright. A sample of the roof is on display in the visitor center. No modifications have been made to the exterior since initial construction. During the day, the interior is lit by natural light entering through the translucent walls overhead. At night, the entire building glows from interior artificial lighting. phila-bethsholom

In front of the synagogue, and separated from it by about , is a '' laver'', or fountain. In ancient days, the ''laver'' (from the word "to lave," or "wash"), in which people washed their hands before worship, would have been made of copper. The ornamental fountain with flowing waters in front of the entrance is a symbol of the old laver and is also a symbol of purity upon entering into worship. The main sanctuary is large enough to hold about 1020 people. The second sanctuary, which holds over 250 people, is on the first floor of the synagogue. Rabbi Mortimer Cohen had requested the main sanctuary be on the second floor to be lit by natural light during the day. The roof is 110 feet from floor to ceiling, giving the impression of rising towards the heavens. In 2009 the congregation opened a visitor center. Tours are given by docents several days a week. In 2015 an elevator was added. The design has been considered by critics to be the "most expressive" design drafted in Wright's career for any house of worship. In 1960, it was listed by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

as one of the 17 American buildings which are to be preserved as an example of Wright's contribution to

American architecture The architecture of the United States demonstrates a broad variety of architectural styles and built forms over the country's history of over two centuries of independence and former Spanish and British rule. Architecture in the United States ...

Gallery

File:FLW B Sholom alter.jpg, Looking southeast File:FLW B Sholom looking up.jpg, Roof File:FLW B Sholom looking out.jpg, Looking west File:FLW B Sholom light fixture.jpg, Light fixture File:FLW B Sholom entrance.jpg, Entrance, looking north File:Beth Sholom 02.jpg, View from the side File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Beth Sholom Synagogue 7.JPG, Roof detail File:Beth Sholom 03.jpg, Roof detail File:Cheltenhamtwp 22.JPG, Front View File:Cheltenhamtwp 19.JPG,

plaque

References

External links

Official Congregation homepageBeth Sholom Preservation FoundationBeth Sholom , The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit HatfutsotPhotos on Arcaid
{{Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright buildings Conservative synagogues in Pennsylvania Elkins Park, Pennsylvania Religious buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state historical marker significations Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Jewish organizations established in 1919 1919 establishments in Pennsylvania 1959 establishments in Pennsylvania Synagogues completed in 1959 Modernist architecture in Pennsylvania