Overview

It has often been said that nowhere in the United States can one find a greater collection of magnificent and historic synagogues than on New York's Lower East Side. As the ultimate destination for millions of immigrant eastern European Jews during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it became the new homeland and hoped-for goldene medinah (promised land) for immigrants fleeing persecution, poverty, and oppression, while struggling to live a new and productive life. Yet to many visitors and students today these synagogues are shrouded in mystery, as documentary information on them tends to be dispersed and difficult to find. With The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side, Gerard R. Wolfe fills that void, giving readers unparalleled access to the story of how the Jewish community took root on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Using archival photographs taken by Jo Renee Fine and contemporary shots taken by Norman Borden alongside his text, Wolfe focuses on the synagogues built or acquired by eastern European Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants during the great era of mass immigration, painting vivid portraits of the individual congregations and the new and vital culture that was emerging. For many, the Lower East Side became the portal to America and the stepping-stone to a new and better life. Today, the synagogues in which these immigrants worshiped remain as a poignant visual reminder of what had become the largest Jewish community in the world. Originally published in 1978, The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side became the authoritative study of the subject. Now completely revised and updated with new text, photographs, and maps, along with an invaluable glossary, Wolfe's book is an essential and accessible source for those who want to understand the varied and rich history of New York's Lower East Side and its Jewish population. Its readable and illuminating view into the diversity of synagogues-large and small, past and present-and their people makes this book ideal for teachers, students, museum educators, and general readers alike.

Full Product Details

Author:   Gerard R. Wolfe ,  Jo Renee Fine ,  Norman Borden ,  Joseph Berger
Publisher:   Fordham University Press
Imprint:   Fordham University Press
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 22.90cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 20.30cm
Weight:   0.794kg
ISBN:  

9780823250004

ISBN 10:   0823250008
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   01 November 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction The Intervening Years The Discovery The Active Synagogues: Street Map of the Active Synagogues 1. Congregation Khal Adas Jeshurun with Anshe Lubz / The Eldridge Street Synagogue / The Museum at Eldridge Street 2. The Bialystoker Synagogue 3. Congregation Chasam Sopher 4. Congregation Bnai Jacob Anshe Brzezan (""The Stanton Street Shul"") 5. Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum 6. Congregation Anshe Slonim / Originally Ansche Chesed/ Now: Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts. 7. Beth Tomche Torah V'Zikne Yisroel / Formerly: House of Sages; Now: Home of the Sages of Israel 8. East Side Torah Center 9. Erste Lutowisker Chevra 10. Downtown Talmud Torah Synagogue 11. The Community Synagogue 12. Congregation Tifereth Israel / Town and Village Synagogue 13. The Bialystoker Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (""The Bialystoker Home"") The East Side Mikvah Building The Shtieblach and Beyond The ""Lost"" or Endangered Synagogues Landsmanshaftn and Banks The ""Lost"" or Endangered Synagogues A. Beth Hamedrash Hagodol B. First Roumanian-American Congregation, Shaarey Hashomayim C. Young Israel Synagogue of Manhattan D. Congregation Beth Haknesseth Mogen Avraham E. Sons of Israel Kalwarie (""The Pike Street Shul"") F. Erste Warshawer Congregation G. Congregation Beth Haknesseth Etz Chaim Anshe Wolozin H. Congregation Senier and Wilno I. Congregation Kochob Jacob Anshe Kamenetz Lite J. Congregation Anshe Abatien K. Congregation Anshe Baranove L. Congregation Anshe Czernowitz-Bukoviner M. Congregation Adas Yisroel Anshe Mezeritch N. Congregation Ahawath Jeshurun Shara'a Torah O. Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Anshe Ungarn P. Congregation Bnai Rappaport Anshe Rembrava Q. Congregation Kehilas Bnai Moshe Yakov Anshe Zavichost veZosmer (""The 8th Street Shul"") R. Congregation Poel Zedek Anshe Illiya (""The Forsyth Street Shul) S. Congregation Kol Israel Anshe Poland and Mishkan Israel Suwalki T. Congregation Tifereth Yerushelaim U. Congregation Chevra Kadisha Ansche Sochesteczewa Appendix A. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum B. The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy C. Chronology of Major Hebrew Congregations, 1854-1875 D. Recommended Readings E. Glossary

Reviews

""This book bears vital testimony to the central place of religion in immigrant social ties, to the architectural legacy constituted by grand and modest synagogue structures, and to the presence of the past in perhaps the most fascinating corner of a fascinating city."" Jonathan Boyarin, author of Mornings at the Stanton Street Shul

This book bears vital testimony to the central place of religion in immigrant social ties, to the architectural legacy constituted by grand and modest synagogue structures, and to the presence of the past in perhaps the most fascinating corner of a fascinating city. Jonathan Boyarin, author of Mornings at the Stanton Street Shul

... details the active synagogues (12) and the lost: or endangered synagogues, and also includes a great chronological chart documenting shul mergers and breakaways in New York City 1654-1875. -The Jewish Week Wolfe, an architectural historian, unpeels layers of the past behind the congregations and their building...[An] excellent new edition ... -The Jewish Week Gerard R. Wolfe, joined by the photographers Jo Renee Fine and Norman Borden, has completely overhauled The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side , originally published in 1978. This volume, which is illustrated with black and white photographs and has a foreword by The Times's Joseph Berger, uses historic houses of worship as a prism to explore immigrant life and culture. -Sam Roberts, The New York Times [The] love for a history all American Jews share--four out of five of descendants of the eastern European immigrants of the late 1800s and early 1900s trace their beginning to the Lower East Side--is palpable in this valuable and important book. -Joseph Berger, from the Foreword This book bears vital testimony to the central place of religion in immigrant social ties, to the architectural legacy constituted by grand and modest synagogue structures, and to the presence of the past in perhaps the most fascinating corner of a fascinating city. -Jonathan Boyarin, author of Mornings at the Stanton Street Shul This book stands as a loving tribute to Jewish life on the Lower East Side. It is filled with Wolfe's erudite narrative and beautiful archival and contemporary photographs of synagogues, Jewish life, and the restoration projects. -Jewish Book Council Readers interested in Judaism, architecture, history or New York City will all find something to learn from and enjoy in Wolfe's book. -Greater Phoenix Jewish News

Author Information

Gerard R. Wolfe, PhD, is an architectural historian and former administrator and Professor of Romance Languages at New York University and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has written a number of books on a variety of subjects, including the original version of The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side, published in 1978 by NYU Press. Among his more recent books are: New York: A Guide to the Metropolis, Chicago: In and Around the Loop, New York: 15 Walking Tours, Twenty-four essays for The Encyclopedia of New York City, and The House of Appleton, the history of a major book publisher. Professor Wolfe was the recipient of a number of academic awards, among which, ""An Award for Excellence in Creative Programming"" from the Governor of Wisconsin; he was designated ""Professional Continuing Educator of the Year"" by the University Continuing Education Association; and his Chicago guidebook was hailed as ""Non-fiction Book of the Year 1998,"" by the Council for Wisconsin Writers. He received special recognition for ""Having Discovered and Organized a Program to Save the Eldridge Street Synagogue,"" held at the Synagogue's 100th Anniversary Celebration. Prof. Wolfe has also been recognized for being the first to offer historical-architectural walking tours of the Lower East Side. Jo Renee Fine, Ph.D., is Director of Training and Content Development at Harris, Rothenberg International. She is a trainer and educator with more than 30 years of program development and management experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. Norman Borden is a photographer and writer who earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and honed his photographic skills at the International Center of Photography in New York City and the Maine Media Workshops. Responsible for the contemporary photographs in this book, he has exhibited his work at the Washington Square East Galleries and at Soho Photo Gallery in NYC where he is on the board of directors. A native New Yorker, Norman lives conveniently near the Lower East Side, which facilitated his documenting a close-up view of the neighborhood and its synagogues, as well as the opportunity to record the many important changes that have occurred in recent years.

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