Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights

Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights
Religion
Affiliation	Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Church 1932–1973) Synagogue (since 1973)
Leadership	Rabbi Paula Feldstein
Status	Active
Location
Location	551 Fort Washington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York
Country	United States
Location in New York City
Geographic coordinates	40°51′13″N73°56′15″W / 40.85361°N 73.93750°W / 40.85361; -73.93750
Architecture
Architect(s)	William John Cherry Herbert E. Matz
Type	Church (original design)
Style	Art Deco
Date established	1905 (as a congregation)
Completed	1932 (as a church) 1973 (as a synagogue)
Dome(s)	One
Website
hebrewtabernacle.org
Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, The
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
NRHP reference No.	11000620
Added to NRHP	August 31, 2011
[1] [2]

The Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights is a historic Reform Jewish synagogue located at 551 Fort Washington Avenue, on the corner of 185th Street, in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The domed Art Deco style building was built as a church for the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1932 and converted to a synagogue in 1973. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

History as a church

The Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist was founded in 1896 as West Side Church of Christ, Scientist. Initially located in the Solon Spencer Beman-designed Neoclassical building at West 178th Street and Fort Washington Avenue, it sold the church building to provide land for the George Washington Bridge. The building at 551 Fort Washington Avenue, across from Bennett Park on West 185th Street, was designed by architects Cherry & Matz of Manhattan and built during the years 1931 to 1932. ^[6] It is Art Deco, with a bold and chalky limestone facade, with stainless steel and brass. ^{[6] [7]}

The Fourth Church is no longer in existence. ^[8]

Synagogue

The Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation purchased the building in 1973, as the church faced a dwindling congregation and increasing costs, and the building became a synagogue. The Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation, founded in 1905 in Harlem by German-Jewish founders, had outgrown its 1920s building on West 161st Street between Broadway and Fort Washington Avenue, and its Jewish congregants there were becoming increasingly isolated. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

As of 1982, many of the synagogue's members had come to New York in the 1930s as Jewish refugees from central Europe (in fact, so many German Jews were in the neighborhood, that it was jokingly referred to as "Frankfurt on the Hudson"), and the synagogue had 500 families as members. ^{[12] [13]} The congregation is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. ^[3]

On August 31, 2011, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. ^{[2] [14] [15]}

Notable members

• Mark Levine, New York City Council member for the 7th district, nominee for Manhattan Borough President ^{[16] [17]}
• Ruth Westheimer, commonly known as "Dr. Ruth", German-American sex therapist, talk show host, author, professor, and Holocaust survivor ^[13]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 110th Street
• List of former Christian Science churches, societies and buildings

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. "Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, The". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. August 31, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
3. "Hebrew Tabernacle Bulletin" (PDF). Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights. January–February 2019.
4. Quack, Sibylle (2002). Between Sorrow and Strength; Women Refugees of the Nazi Period. Cambridge University Press – via Google Books.
5. Rischin, Moses; Asher, Raphael (1991). The Jewish Legacy and the German Conscience; Essays in Memory of Rabbi Joseph Asher – via Google Books.
6. Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion; A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. Columbia University Press – via Google Books.
7. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). American Institute of Architects' Guide to New York City. Oxford University Press – via Google Books.
8. The Christian Science Journal, February, 2007, p. 110
9. Snyder, Robert W. (2014). Crossing Broadway; Washington Heights and the Promise of New York City. Cornell University Press – via Google Books.
10. Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee (1996). The American Synagogue; A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook – via Google Books.
11. Lowenstein, Steven M. (1989). Frankfurt on the Hudson; The German-Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933-1983, Its Structure and Culture. Wayne State University Press. – via Google Books.
12. "Hebrew Tabernacle Marking 75th Anniversary". The New York Times . May 2, 1982.
13. Crowns, Crosses, and Stars; My Youth in Prussia, Surviving Hitler, and a Life Beyond – via Google Books.
14. Robbins, Tony. "Draft NRHP nomination form" (PDF). New York Parks.
15. "National Park Service: NRHP weekly listings". National Park Service. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012.
16. Kassel, Matthew (April 13, 2021). "Mark Levine, NYC's pandemic darling, vies for Manhattan borough president". Jewish Insider.
17. Gergely, Julia (November 2, 2021). "NYC mayoral and City Council elections: Here's what Jewish voters need to know". Jewish Telegraphic Agency .

External links

• Official website
• Episode 4: Lillian (Opus 85, No. 6) (podcast). Mendelssohn on the Hudson – via Apple Podcasts.