Naval Academy Jewish Chapel

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Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel
Uriah-P-Levy-Center.jpg
The chapel exterior in 2010
Religion
Affiliation Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
StatusActive
Location
Location Annapolis, Maryland
CountryUnited States
USA Maryland relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Maryland
Geographic coordinates 38°58′49″N76°28′52″W / 38.980278°N 76.481189°W / 38.980278; -76.481189
Architecture
Architect(s) Joseph Boggs
General contractor The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
GroundbreakingNovember 2, 2003
Completed2005
Construction cost$8 million
Specifications
Interior area35,000 square feet (3,300 m2)
Materials Jerusalem stone
Website
usna.edu/chapel/faithcommunity/jewishcommunities.php
[1] [2]

Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel is the Jewish chapel at the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland.

Contents

The center is named in honor of Commodore Uriah P. Levy (1792–-1862), the first Jewish commodore in the United States Navy, who is famous for refusing to flog his sailors. [3] [2] The Levy Center is adjacent to Mitscher Hall and contains a 410-seat synagogue, a fellowship hall, a Character Learning Center, classrooms, and offices for the Brigade's social director, the academic board, and the academy's Honor Board. [2]

Before the chapel was completed in 2005, Jewish midshipmen attended Congregation Knesset Israel in downtown Annapolis, [4] or held services in the interfaith chapel at Mitscher Hall.

History

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 2, 2003, [2] and the building was dedicated in September 2005. [5]

The Levy Center cost $8 million to design, build and furnish; of which approximately $1.8 million was paid for with military construction funds, [2] and the remaining amount was paid for by donations raised by the Friend of the Jewish Chapel, a campaign headed by Jewish alumni of the academy and others. [2] [1]

Naval Academy Jewish Chapel USNA-Jewish-Chapel.jpg
Naval Academy Jewish Chapel

Architecture

The 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) building was designed by Maryland architect Joseph Boggs [1] and was built by The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. [2] The entrance pavilion has elements related to the center bay of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Levy purchased Monticello in 1834 and restored it because of his admiration for Jefferson, who died in 1826. [4] The chapel includes a nearly 45-foot (14 m) high wall that is a replica of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The wall is made of Jerusalem stone. [4] The roof of the building is constructed of copper. [2] The architecture of the exterior is consistent with nearby Bancroft Hall.

The chapel was awarded the Maryland AIA Honor Awards 2006, Public Building of the Year; Institutional. [6]

See also

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The Commodore Levy Chapel, established in 1942 and renamed in 1959 in honor of Uriah P. Levy, is the United States Navy's oldest Jewish chapel, located at Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia. It is part of a chapel complex in the Naval Station's Frazier Hall that also includes Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim Chapels.

Commodore Uriah P. Levy Chapel may refer to:

Levy Chapel may refer to:

Commodore Levy Jewish Chapel may refer to:

Levy Jewish Chapel may refer to:

Uriah P. Levy Chapel may refer to:

Commodore Levy Jewish synagogue may refer to:

The Reverend Prof. George Jones was a minister of the Episcopal Church, United States Navy chaplain, academic, and writer.

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A statue of American Founding Father and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson by the French sculptor David d'Angers stands in the Capitol rotunda of the U.S. Congress. Jefferson is portrayed holding a copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, which he mainly drafted in 1776 as a member of the Committee of Five during the Second Continental Congress. The painted plaster model also stood in the chambers of the New York City Council.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lebovich, William (May 3, 2006). "Navy Temple". Architecture Week. p. D1.1. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Facts: The Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel". Public Affairs Office. U.S. Naval Academy . Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  3. Bailey, Steve (August 22, 2008). "In Annapolis, Md., the Past Is Always at Hand". The New York Times . Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Harris, Hamil R. (September 17, 2005). "Jewish Chapel Is Set to Open at Naval Academy". Washington Post. p. B09. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  5. "Press Kit: Uriah P. Levy Center Dedication Ceremony 18 September 2005". U.S. Naval Academy. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007.
  6. "Levy Center, U.S. Naval Academy". Archiplanet.org. Retrieved March 18, 2010.

Further reading