Meserich Synagogue

Last updated

Meserich Synagogue
Adas Yisroel Anshe Meseritz Synagogue.jpg
Meserich Synagogue restored façade in 2017
Religion
Affiliation Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
StatusActive
Location
Location415 East 6th Street, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York
CountryUnited States
Location map Lower Manhattan.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Lower Manhattan
Geographic coordinates 40°43′34″N73°59′7″W / 40.72611°N 73.98528°W / 40.72611; -73.98528
Architecture
Architect(s) Herman Horenburger (1910)
TypeResidence; later as a synagogue
Style Neo-classical
Date established1888 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1841 (as a residence)
  • 1910 (as a synagogue)
Construction cost$15,000 (1910)
Specifications
Direction of façadeSouth
Materials Stone
[1]

Meserich Synagogue, Meserich Shul or Meseritz Shul, also known as Edes Israel Anshei Mesrich, Edath Lei'Isroel Ansche Meseritz or Adas Yisroel Anshe Mezeritz ("Community of Israel, People of Mezertiz"), is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 415 East 6th Street, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.

Contents

The congregation was established in 1888, comprising immigrants from Międzyrzec Podlaski, a city in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, known as a center of Jewish learning. [1] The synagogue building was designed by Herman Horenburger in the Neo-Classical style, was completed in 1910, and is located between Avenue A and First Avenue. [1]

Pesach (Paul) Ackerman served as Rabbi from 1969 until his death on June 14, 2013. [2]

Jewish life in Międzyrzec

Międzyrzec was home to a large Jewish community from the 16th century. At the end of the 1930s in the reborn Polish Republic approximately 12,000 inhabitants, or 75% of its population, were Jewish.[ citation needed ]

Architecture

Meserich Synagogue restored sanctuary in 2017 Meserich Synagogue.jpg
Meserich Synagogue restored sanctuary in 2017

The congregation, founded in 1888, originally worshiped in a building on Clinton Street. The building which now houses the synagogue was originally built in 1841 as a 2 1/2-story house for J. B. Murray. Herman Horenburger designed the conversion into a synagogue in 1910. It is similar in style to Congregation Kolbuszower Teitelbaum Cheva Banai at 622 East 5th Street, which was also built in 1910; both have sunburst pediments. [3]

The synagogue is unusual in being a very small, urban congregation on a narrow lot that has an extremely beautiful Neo-Classical facade, and is the last operating "tenement synagogue" in the East Village. [4] Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation called it "an intact historic gem." [5] [6]

Architectural historian and New York University professor Gerald R. Wolfe describes the synagogue's "most attractive interior... The unusually narrow building has balconies which extend almost to the middle of the sanctuary, and through the intervening space, broad rays of light from two overhead skylights seem to focus on the Ark and on a large stained glass panel above it. The soft-yellow-colored panes of the two-story-high window are crowned by an enormous Mogen David [Star of David] of red glass which seems to dominate the entire room." [7]

Andrew Dolkart, a Columbia University professor of historic preservation, believes that the building should be preserved, because cities should preserve "architecture that not only reflects the lives and history of the rich, but also the incredibly history of common people in New York." [2]

Re-development

After experiencing dwindling attendance and facing financial difficulties due to the ongoing maintenance of the synagogue building, [8] the congregation began negotiations with Joshua Kushner, part of the family that owns the New York Observer newspaper. Kushner planned to tear down the present synagogue and build a six-story residential building, housing the synagogue in a modern space on the lowest two floors. [9] According to historic preservationist Samuel D. Gruber, there was a feasible, yet more costly, alternative which would preserve the synagogue building and construct apartments above it. [10] A coalition of neighborhood groups including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the East Village Community Coalition, and Jewish groups have rallied to save the building [4] and have asked the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the building. [11]

The Kushners later withdrew from the development deal. [12] In October 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Commission created the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, which included in its boundaries the Meserich Synagogue. [1] In 2013, the congregation entered into a $1.2 million 99-year lease with East River Partners to build apartments on the upper stories of its building. [13] The synagogue temporarily relocated during the development and reopened in March 2017 [14] with a ceiling put at balcony level above the restored sanctuary to separate it from the luxury apartments that were built. The building façade was restored. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldridge Street Synagogue</span> Synagogue in Manhattan, New York

The Eldridge Street Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 12 Eldridge Street in Chinatown, in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in New York City, New York, United States. Built in 1887, the National Historic Landmark is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Roumanian-American Congregation</span> Former synagogue in Manhattan, New York

The First Roumanian-American Congregation, also known as Congregation Shaarey Shomayim, or the Roumanishe Shul, was an Orthodox Jewish congregation at 89–93 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The congregation was organized in 1885 by Romanian-Jewish immigrants, serving the Lower East Side's large Romanian-Jewish community. The Rivington Street building, erected around 1860, switched between being a church and a synagogue and was extensively remodeled in 1889. The First Roumanian-American congregation purchased it in 1902 and again remodeled it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun</span> Synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun is a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 126 East 85th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The synagogue was founded in 1872. The synagogue is closely affiliated with the Ramaz School. The lower school is co-located in an adjacent building and is across the street from the middle school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Shaare Zedek (Manhattan)</span> Synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Congregation Shaare Zedek is a Conservative synagogue located on West 93rd Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Hamedrash Hagodol</span> Synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol is an Orthodox Jewish congregation that for over 120 years was located in a historic building at 60–64 Norfolk Street between Grand and Broome Streets in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was the first Eastern European congregation founded in New York City and the oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George F. Pelham</span> American architect

George Frederick Pelham was an American architect and the son of George Brown Pelham, who was also an architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breed Street Shul</span> Former synagogue listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in Los Angeles, California

Breed Street Shul, also known as Congregation Talmud Torah of Los Angeles or Breed Street Synagogue, is a former Orthodox Jewish synagogue in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles, California, in the United States. It was the largest Orthodox synagogue west of Chicago from 1915 to 1951, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Orensanz Center</span> Art and performance space in Manhattan, New York

The Angel Orensanz Center is an art and performance space at 172 Norfolk Street, between Stanton Street and East Houston Street, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was originally built as a synagogue, running through a succession of congregations and continues to be used as one occasionally as The Shul of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mark</span> Former church, now synagogue and historical building, in Lower Manhattan, New York

The German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mark is an historic former church and current synagogue building located at 323 East 6th Street between First and Second Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, in New York City, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Village/Lower East Side Historic District</span> Historic district in Manhattan, New York

The East Village/Lower East Side Historic District in Lower Manhattan, New York City was created by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on October 9, 2012. It encompasses 330 buildings, mostly in the East Village neighborhood, primarily along Second Avenue between East 2nd and 6th Streets, and along the side streets. Some of the buildings are located in a second area between First Avenue and Avenue A along East 6th and 7th Streets. The district is based on the one which had been proposed by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, with only minor changes, and is the result of a two-year effort to protect the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Saeltzer</span>

Alexander Saeltzer was a German-American architect active in New York City in the 1850s and 1860s. His work includes the Anshe Chesed Synagogue, Academy of Music, Theatre Francais, the Duncan, Sherman & Company building and the South Wing of the Romanesque revival structure at 425 Lafayette Street built between 1853 and 1881 as the Astor Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Congregation B'nai Abraham</span> Historic Orthodox synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Historic Congregation B’nai Abraham, officially B’nai Abraham Chabad, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 523-527 Lombard Street, in the Society Hill neighborhood of the Center City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Established as a congregation in 1874 and the current synagogue building completed in 1910, worshipers can access daily, Shabbat, and holy day services in the Ashkenazi rite. B'nai Abraham is home to a Jewish Preschool, as well as Lubavitch of Center City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Reuben Anshe Sfard</span>

B'nai Reuben Anshe Sfard is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue located in the Queen Village neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1883. In 1904, the congregation constructed a synagogue at 615 S 6th Street near South Street in the city's Jewish quarter. The congregation vacated the synagogue building in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Street (Manhattan)</span> Street in Manhattan, New York

Charles Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It runs east to west from Greenwich Avenue to West Street. The street was named after Charles Christopher Amos, who owned the parcel the street passed through. Amos is also the namesake of Christopher Street, two blocks to the south, and the former Amos Street, which is now West 10th Street. Charles Lane is a one-block alley located between Charles and Perry Streets and Washington and West Streets. From 1866 to 1936, the section of Charles Street between Bleecker Street and West 4th Street was called Van Ness Place after a farm, owned by the Van Ness family, which had occupied the square bounded by Bleecker, West 4th, Charles and Perry Streets until 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth-El (New York City)</span> Former Reform synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Temple Beth-El was a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 945 Fifth Avenue and 76th Street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, in the United States. The synagogue operated between 1891 until c. 1929, and was demolished in 1947. The Temple Beth-El congregation merged with Congregation Emanu-El of New York in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shul of New York</span> Liberal non-denominational synagogue in New York City

The Shul of New York is a Jewish liberal non-denominational congregation and synagogue that is located within the Angel Orensanz Center, at 172 Norfolk Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brazee, Christopher D. (October 9, 2012). Betts, Mary Beth (ed.). "East Village/Lower East Side Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. p. 126.
  2. 1 2 Chan, Sewell (August 14, 2008). "Fate of Lower East Side Shul Stirs Emotions". The New York Times . Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  3. Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN   0-231-12543-7. pp.7, 126
  4. 1 2 "Preservation Alert from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation: Congregation Mezritch Synagogue". Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. August 15, 2008.
  5. Dobnik, Verena (August 14, 2008). "Old Manhattan synagogue is in danger of demolition". Newsday .
  6. Friedlander, David (August 15, 2008). "East Village temple may be demolished". AM New York . Archived from the original on August 17, 2008.
  7. Wolfe, Gerald R. (1978) Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side, New York.
  8. Schulz, Dana (January 22, 2015). "East Village's Historic Meseritz Synagogue Gets Ready for Restoration and Condo Conversion". 6sqft New York. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  9. Amateuu, Albert (July 30, 2008) "Rebuild plan for shul fuels debate in congregation" The Villager
  10. Gruber, Samuel (March 29, 2016). "Poland: Krakow's Beit Midrash Hevra Tehilim. How Should The Wall Paintings Be Presented?". Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments.
  11. "Congregation Mezritch" on the GVSHP website
  12. Freedlander, David (August 15, 2008). "Kushners pull out of plan to demolish and redevelop historic synagogue in East Village". AM New York . Archived from the original on August 18, 2008.
  13. Nathan-Kazis, Josh (February 22, 2017). "Century-Old East Village Synagogue Reopening After $1.2M Development Deal". The Forward. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  14. Hobbs, Allegra (February 20, 2017). "Historic East Village Synagogue to Resume Services After Four-Year Closure". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  15. Meir, Noam (January 26, 2015). "New York's Historic Adas Yisroel Anshe Mezritch Synagogue to Soon Reopen". Jewish Business News.