Central Synagogue (formerly Congregation Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim; colloquially Central) is a

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous rev ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

at 652

Lexington Avenue Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side (Manhattan), East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street (Manhattan), 131st Street to Gra ...

, at the corner with 55th Street, in the

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

neighborhood of New York City. The current congregation was formed in 1898 through the merger of two 19th-century synagogues: Shaar Hashomayim and Ahawath Chesed. The synagogue building was constructed from 1870 to 1872 for Ahawath Chesed. ,

Angela Buchdahl Angela Buchdahl ( Warnick; ; born July 8, 1972) is an American reform rabbi. She was the first East Asian-American to be ordained as a rabbi, and the first East Asian-American to be ordained as a ''hazzan'' (cantor). In 2011 she was named by '' ...

has been Central's senior rabbi. Shaar Hashomayim was founded in 1839 by

German Jews The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

, while Ahawath Chesed was founded in 1846 by

Bohemian Jews The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, historically the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, including the modern Czech Republic (i.e. Bohemia, Moravia, and the southeast or Czech Silesia), goes back at least 1100 years. There is evidence that J ...

. Both congregations originally occupied several sites on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. Central was constructed as the fifth building of Ahawath Chesed, whose members had moved northward during the late 19th century. Though the congregations originally held services in German, they had become largely

Anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

by the time of their merger. Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim became known as Central by 1918 and briefly merged with the

Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Stephen Wise Free Synagogue is a Reform Jewish synagogue at 30 West 68th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The congregation was the first of multiple "free synagogue" branches in the early 20th century. ...

in the 1920s. The building has been renovated several times over the years, including in the 1880s and 1940s; it was extensively rebuilt from 1998 to 2001 following a fire. Designed by

Henry Fernbach Henry Fernbach (1829–1883) was an architect in New York City. Born in Wrocław, Breslau, which then belonged to Germany, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1848 or in 1855. Life Fernbach was a Prussian Jew,Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

style, the building is a

New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

and a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. The facade is made of brownstone with light-stone trim and includes

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows and a geometric

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

; it is topped by octagonal towers. A vestibule leads to the synagogue's sanctuary—a two-level space, arranged similarly to a

Gothic church Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

—and there are various rooms in the basement. Central Synagogue has hosted various activities and programs over the years, and it contains a collection of Jewish artifacts. A community house, across 55th Street, hosts the synagogue's religious school and numerous groups.

Early history

Central Synagogue's congregation was formerly known as Congregation Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim. It is descended from two 19th-century synagogues, Shaar Hashomayim and Ahawath Chesed, which merged in 1898. When the congregations were founded in the

neighborhood of Manhattan, that area was home to many German Jews, and the area was known as Little Germany. Most of these German Jews came to the U.S. starting in the mid-19th century. They had tried to join existing

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

congregations but were shunned by older members, leading them to form their own, breakaway congregations. Central Synagogue's Lexington Avenue structure was originally built as Ahawath Chesed's fifth building.

Shaar Hashomayim

Shaar Hashomayim was founded in 1839 by

. Its name, also spelled Shaarey Hashomayim or Shaar Hashamayim, meant ''Gates of Heaven'' in Hebrew. The first congregants were two groups of men who had left the

Ansche Chesed Ansche Chesed is a Conservative synagogue located at West End Avenue and 100th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. History The congregation was founded in 1828 by a group of German, Dutch, and ...

congregation; they met at 122 Attorney Street. Originally, there was no

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 t ...

; instead, services were led by some of the more knowledgeable congregants. In 1845, Shaar Hashomayim agreed to develop a

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...

in conjunction with two other German Jewish congregations, Ansche Chesed and Rodeph Sholom. It subsequently bought up land at

Salem Fields Cemetery Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Congregation Emanu-El of New York. Salem Fie ...

. Shaar Hashomayim's first rabbi,

Max Lilienthal Max Lilienthal (November 6, 1815 – April 6, 1882) was a German-born adviser for the reform of Jewish schools in Russia and later a rabbi and proponent of Reform Judaism in the United States. Life and religion Work for Russian Government Lili ...

, joined the congregation in 1845. The congregation resisted some of his reforms, and Lilienthal left in 1847. After Lilienthal left, the congregation was led by a ''

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

'', a

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

who was not

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

as a rabbi. Shaar Hashomayim became involved in advocacy for Jewish causes in the 1850s. For example, it helped form the Association for the Free Distribution of Matsot for the Poor after the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission ...

, delivering

matzot Matzah, matzo, or maẓẓah ('','' : matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' (leaven and five grains deemed by Jewi ...

to thousands of Jews, and it was a founding member of

Board of Delegates of American Israelites The Board of Delegates of American Israelites was the first Jewish civil and political rights organization in the United States, modeled after the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The organization was established in 1859 with headquarters in New ...

in 1859.

Raphael Lasker Raphael Lasker (February 19, 1838 – September 12, 1904) was a German-born American rabbi in Ohio, New York City, and Boston. Life Lasker was born on February 19, 1838, in Zirke, Prussia, the son of Meyer and Rose Lasker. Lasker was educated b ...

became Shaar Hashomayim's senior rabbi in 1862, a capacity in which he served for nine years. Shaar Hashomayim subsequently moved to 15th Street on the East Side, where it stayed until 1898. By the 1890s, the congregation had begun using a prayer book in English and Hebrew, and it was considering moving to the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

. Solomon Sonneschein, who joined Shaar Hashomayim in 1895, was its last senior rabbi before the congregation merged with Ahawath Chesed in 1898.

Ahawath Chesed

In 1846, German-speaking

formed a

minyan In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( ''mīnyān'' , Literal translation, lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain Mitzvah, religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Judaism ...

, or

quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

of Jewish adults, which was the predecessor to the Ahawath Chesed congregation. Initially, they hosted social gatherings at the residence of one Leopold Schwarzkopf; the gathering was called a , German for "Bohemian club". Eighteen of these men decided to form a more structured gathering, and they began meeting at a hotel at 69

Ludlow Street Ludlow Street runs between Houston and Division streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Vehicular traffic runs south on this one-way street. Name Ludlow Street was named after Lieutenant Augustus Ludlow, the nava ...

on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Following the arrival of more Bohemian Jews to the U.S., several Bohemian Jews in New York City decided to formally establish a congregation in 1848. They had raised $58.32 and one-half cent by November, which they used to buy a

Torah scroll A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...

Establishment and early years

Ahawath Chesed (sometimes spelled Ahavath Chesed) was officially formed on December 31, 1848; its name meant ''Love of Mercy'' in Hebrew. Ahawath Chesed rented space at 88 Ridge Street in August 1849, paying $100 annually for the upper stories of two structures. At the time, the congregation charged a $1.50 annual membership fee. Initially, Ahawath Chesed was an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

congregation with German-language services, and it had a Jewish cemetery in

Cypress Hills, Brooklyn East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; ...

. The congregation also bought up land at Linden Hill Cemetery during its first 25 years. The Ridge Street synagogue was expanded in February 1850. Further growth of the congregation prompted Ahawath Chesed to acquire a house at 217 Columbia Street in 1854 and relocate its synagogue there. Ahawath Chesed held informal prayer sessions and used Ashkenazic

prayer book A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...

s, though it was less involved in communal advocacy than Shaar Hashomayim. By the 1860s, many congregants were talking with each other or leaving in the middle of prayer sessions, prompting the synagogue's board to enact more stringent rules. In addition, the prayer books were entirely in Hebrew, which many congregants could not understand. In 1864, Ahawath Chesed moved to the Eleventh Presbyterian Church, located at the intersection of Avenue C and Fourth Street in the East Village. The Avenue C synagogue cost $24,050 and was designed by

Henry Fernbach Henry Fernbach (1829–1883) was an architect in New York City. Born in Wrocław, Breslau, which then belonged to Germany, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1848 or in 1855. Life Fernbach was a Prussian Jew, At the time, the congregation had 115 members, whose names were inscribed on the pews. In 1865, the congregation voted to hire a more progressive rabbi in the

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

tradition, running advertisements in Jewish magazines in Europe and the U.S. The congregation also decided to buy its first organ and hired the Bohemian cantor Samuel Weltsch to be their ''hazzan'' that year. Adolph Huebsch, also of Bohemia, was hired as the congregation's rabbi in 1866, and he began holding Reform rituals. The congregation adopted a new prayer book under Huebsch's leadership. He also established a congregational school, which had 127 students by late 1867. Ahawath Chesed continued to grow along with the Jewish population in Little Germany, with 142 members in the late 1860s. The congregation attracted a wider range of Eastern European Jews who worked in a variety of professions, including beer, clothing, dry goods, and real estate—though not those in banking or mercantile trades, who instead joined

Congregation Emanu-El of New York Congregation Emanu-El of New York is the first Reform Jewish congregation in New York City. It has served as a flagship congregation in the Reform branch of Judaism since its founding in 1845. The building it uses – (called " Temple Em ...

. The Lower East Side was also becoming more crowded, prompting wealthier Jews to move uptown.

Development of Lexington Avenue synagogue

Ahawath Chesed's trustees had first considered buying an existing religious building or erecting a new building in June 1867, but they were unable to find any suitable structure south of

42nd Street 42nd Street most commonly refers to: *42nd Street (Manhattan), a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan It may also refer to: *42nd Street (film), ''42nd Street'' (film), a 1933 American Warner Bros. musical film with lyri ...

. The trustees did identify several sites in

, including one near 45th Street and

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

, just before real-estate prices in the area decreased greatly. In 1869, Ahawath Chesed's congregation voted to establish a committee for the acquisition of a new building. The committee reported in April 1870 that it had acquired land further uptown, and it voted to sell its old site shortly thereafter. The site, at the southwest corner of 55th Street and

, covered and cost $63,250. At the time, many of the congregation's members lived near Midtown. The site was also relatively close to the then-recently completed Temple Emanu-El on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

, and the congregation wanted the synagogue's design to compete with that of Temple Emanu-El. Sixty-two people loaned a combined $68,100 for the synagogue's construction. Ahawath Chesed obtained additional money by selling pews, the cost of which ranged from $150 to more than $1,200. Ahawath Chesed's trustees and its allied organizations also loaned some money, and the congregation earned $40,000 or $55,000 by selling its Avenue C property. The congregation hired Henry Fernbach, the architect of its Avenue C synagogue, to design a structure on the lot. The design was controversial; some congregants felt the decorations were excessive. The building was also being developed at a time when the congregation was starting to lose money, prompting concerns that congregants would leave Ahawath Chesed. Huebsch and Isaac Wise, the rabbi of B'nai Jeshurun in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, jointly laid the synagogue's cornerstone on December 14, 1870. The congregation continued to accept more members as the synagogue was built; its religious school expanded from 146 to 276 students between 1871 and 1872 alone. Huebsch consecrated the new synagogue on April 19, 1872. Following the building's dedication, Huebsch described the structure as "not only a house of worship, but an American-Jewish house of worship". A ''Jewish Times'' article, describing the consecration, characterized it as evidence of a growing acceptance of Jews in the U.S. The building had cost $250,000, $264,000, or $272,575 to construct. The synagogue's completion coincided with the development of rowhouses within East Midtown, which had been undeveloped as recently as five years previously.

Late 19th century

Central Synagogue south morning star jeh

After moving to the new synagogue building, Ahawath Chesed began using a two-volume prayer book adapted to reflect more modern views. The new prayer book, known as the ''Seder Tefillah'', remained in use for half a century, even after the congregation began using other prayer books. The opening of the new building coincided with the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "L ...

and its subsequent financial crisis. Nonetheless, the congregation was involved with charitable initiatives such as the Hebrew Charity Fair and Mount Sinai Hospital, and Huebsch continued to expand Ahawath Chesed's school during his tenure. He established a social group for the congregation's young men, which counted sixty members by 1879. The synagogue hosted music and lectures one weekday a month, eliminating the need for a Sunday service. Ahawath Chesed additionally joined the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...

(UAHC), a group of Reform synagogues, in 1878. Huebsch led the congregation until he died in 1884, by which Ahawath Chesed had grown into a largely middle-class congregation. The Hungarian-American orator

Alexander Kohut Alexander (Chanoch Yehuda) Kohut (; April 22, 1842 – May 25, 1894) was a rabbi and orientalist. He belonged to a family of rabbis, the most noted among them being Rabbi Israel Palota, his great-grandfather, Rabbi Amram (called "The Gaon," who ...

succeeded Huebsch as Ahawath Chesed's senior rabbi in May 1885. Kohut's views were more conservative than Huebsch's, though the congregation generally respected him. The building caught fire on February 28, 1886; though no one was killed, firefighters had to destroy most of the stained-glass windows and some of the plasterwork. Media sources estimated that the fire had caused between $5,000 and $7,000 in damage, and the building was renovated afterward. Like his predecessor, Kohut gave sermons in German, although he also gave English sermons as early as 1887. More descendants of Jewish immigrants spoke English. After enrollment at the synagogue's German-only religious school declined, it began teaching in English by 1890. Kohut also agreed to host English services and publish an English translation of the ''Seder Tefillah'', and the synagogue began hosting regular sermons in English in 1893. During his tenure, Kohut also expressed a wish to create a new ''

siddur A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...

'' (prayer book). Kohut's wife Rebekah established a congregational "sisterhood" that, by 1895, had 350 members. Kohut served as the senior rabbi until his death in 1894. Ahawath Chesed took two years to hire its next senior rabbi, in part because the congregation only would talk to scholars who were fluent in English and German. ''The American Israelite'' said the congregation fell "on the brink of despair" due to the lack of a rabbi. David Davidson, a

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

instructor and a leader of various Jewish institutions, ultimately became the congregation's senior rabbi in 1895.; Davidson began holding English-only, Friday-night Shabbat services, but these were suspended in April 1896 after board members complained about reduced Saturday attendance. Instead, he hosted bilingual Saturday-morning Shabbat services. The congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary later that year with special services.

Merger

Shaar Hashomayim had proposed merging with Ahawath Chesed as early as the 1860s, after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, though Ahawath Chesed had declined the proposal at the time. A merger was again proposed in 1894, after Shaar Hashomayim's leaders at the time expressed interest in Kohut's translated prayer book, which they later adopted. Negotiations continued over the next several years. Ahawath Chesed and Shaar Hashomayim merged on June 20, 1898, forming Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim, which occupied the Ahawath Chesed synagogue at Lexington Avenue. Shaar Hashomayim's congregation had 77 families, while Ahawath Chesed's had 166 families. The merger boosted the congregations' membership, and the sale of Shaar Hashomayin's old building also raised money. Davidson resigned in 1899, partly due to his opposition to the congregations' merger. With worshippers increasingly speaking English, the trustees decided in 1899 to keep congregational records in English.

Combined congregation

1900 to 1924

Moses leadership

After Davidson's resignation, the trustees of Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim took a year to search for a bilingual rabbi. The trustees interviewed

William Rosenau William Rosenau (1865, Wolsztyn, Wollstein, Province of Posen, Prussia - 1943, United States) was a leader of Reform Judaism in the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States. Biography William Rosenau was born in Wolstein, Germany in ...

, Samuel Sale,

Joseph Stolz Joseph Stolz (November 3, 1861 – February 7, 1941) was an American rabbi who ministered in Chicago for most of his life. Life Stolz was born on November 3, 1861, in Syracuse, New York, the son of David Stolz and Regina Strauss. Stolz attended ...

Israel Abrahams Israel Abrahams, MA ''(honoris causa)'' (b. London, 26 November 1858; d. Cambridge, 6 October 1925) was one of the most distinguished Jewish scholars of his generation. He wrote a number of classics on Judaism, most notably, ''Jewish Life in the ...

, and

Gotthard Deutsch Gotthard Deutsch (; 31 January 1859 – 14 October 1921) was a scholar of Jewish history. Education Deutsch was born in Dolní Kounice, Moravia, Austria, as Eliezer Deutsch, the son of Bernhard L. Deutsch, a merchant, and Elise Wiener. He ...

for the position. They ultimately hired Isaac Moses, who joined the congregation in January 1901. Moses was the last rabbi in the congregation to preach in both German and English, as the congregation's board wanted to transition toward making English the synagogue's primary language. In 1904, the board agreed to use the English-language

Union Prayer Book The ''Union Prayer Book'' was a Siddur published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis to serve the needs of the Reform Judaism movement in the United States. History An original version of the prayer book was published in 1892, based on ...

, which Moses had helped create. During the early 1900s, Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim briefly considered moving uptown, as Midtown's other Jewish congregations did. The members remained involved in charitable causes in the 1900s, and the synagogue's lights were electrified in 1903. The trustees appointed a committee in 1909 to find another site; the committee identified two sites along

Central Park West Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

, but congregants voted against relocating in 1913. Worshippers believed that the alternate sites were too expensive, that the old building had historic value, and that the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

's Lexington Avenue Line (which was under construction) would attract additional worshippers. In addition, nearly as many members lived on the Upper West Side as the Upper East Side. Ahawath Chesed became a founding member of the Jewish Religious School Union of New York in 1913.; and it also assisted the

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Advert Where and how does this article resemble an WP:SOAP, advert and how should it be improved? See: Wikipedia:Spam (you might trthe Teahouseif you have questions). American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a J ...

during World War I. The congregation's sisterhood, on East 101st Street in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...

, operated a kindergarten and children's nursery. Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim also contemplated merging with the West End Synagogue or Temple Beth-El in 1915, but ultimately it decided to remain separate.

Krass leadership and Free Synagogue merger

Moses announced his intention to retire in mid-1917, when the congregation had 900 members. The congregation's trustees selected Nathan Krass as their next senior rabbi,; and Krass led his first service in January 1918. Simultaneously, Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim began referring to itself as Central Synagogue or Central Temple, though the congregation would not be officially renamed Central Synagogue until 1974. The new English name was intended to reflect the congregation's Reform roots and to attract worshippers. The congregation also formed a governing council and introduced revised bylaws in 1918. The bylaws allowed congregants to send their children to Central's religious school for free, as well as special privileges regarding marriages and burial plots. At the time, the congregation had eight committees and three affiliated organizations. During his tenure, Krass paid off the synagogue's $60,000 mortgage. The congregation's membership doubled between 1918 and 1923, bringing the synagogue to near capacity, and there was a waiting list for potential members. Krass's speeches, which discussed a variety of Christian and Jewish topics, attracted both Jews and

non-Jews ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synony ...

. By the early 1920s, the synagogue could not adequately accommodate many social functions and classes, putting it at a disadvantage compared to newer synagogues that had community centers to attract younger, less religious generations. As such, one worshipper named Daniel Kops suggested the construction of a new community house at Ahawath Chesed's 75th anniversary in 1922. Kops wanted to raise $100,000 for the community house, saying that it would attract younger congregants; the congregation ultimately raised $70,000 for the facility. Krass resigned in April 1923 to accept a position at Temple Emanu-El. Central proposed merging with the

,; and the merger was finalized in May 1923, establishing the Central and Free Synagogues.; The Free Synagogue's rabbi Stephen S. Wise became the rabbi of the merged congregation, conducting services variously at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, Central Synagogue's building, and the Free Synagogue's parish house on 68th Street. Stephen Wise wanted to construct a new synagogue for the two congregations. A Tudor-style Synagogue House at 40 West 68th Street was finished in March 1924; it included an auditorium; and offices for the congregation's various departments. The congregations were unable to find a site for a new synagogue,; ; and there were irreconcilable differences between the congregations. For example, Central's classical Reform congregants did not appreciate Wise's neo-Reform services, and the Free Synagogue's practice of open seating clashed with Central's practice of selling pews. In February 1925, Stephen Wise announced that the congregations would split at the end of that May.

1925 to 1959: Jonah Wise leadership

Before and during World War II

Isaac Wise's son

Jonah Wise Rabbi Jonah Bondi Wise (February 21, 1881 – February 1, 1959) was an American rabbi and leader of the Reform Judaism movement, who served for over thirty years as rabbi of the Central Synagogue in Manhattan and was a founder of the United J ...

(no relation to Stephen Wise) was selected as the newly independent Central Synagogue's rabbi in May 1925.; He took up the pulpit that September;; at the time, the congregation had 250 families. Central's board of trustees bought the Studio Club at 35 East 62nd Street in February 1926; for use as a community house. Central dedicated its community house in January 1927; the structure housed the Women's Organization and later the Temple Brotherhood. The Women's Organization replaced Central's existing women's associations in the mid-1920s, while the Temple Brotherhood replaced the Young Men's Association in 1930. The congregation became a founding member of the Association of Reform Congregations in 1927. The Bohemian American Israelite Congregation merged with Central Synagogue in 1928 or 1929. The congregation struggled in the 1930s; it accepted fewer than 12 new congregants annually during that decade. Conversely, nearly a hundred congregants left the congregation in 1937 alone after they were unable to pay their dues. Despite its struggles, Central expanded its charitable efforts beyond local advocacy during the 1930s. For example, Wise chaired the National Joint Distribution Committee (later

United Jewish Appeal The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization for the Jewish Federations system, representing over 350 independent Jewish communities across North Ameri ...

), which aimed to help Jews in Nazi Germany, and the congregation became involved with the Homesteads Project, a housing program financed by the federal government. In addition, the Women's Organization operated a job center for unemployed women within its vestry rooms. The Message of Israel, a weekly radio show broadcast from Central, was launched in 1934; it consisted of a musical program followed by a speech. For Ahawath Chesed's 90th anniversary in 1936, Central hosted various public forums and musical performances. By the mid-1930s, assistance for European Jews comprised a large part of Wise's activities at the synagogue. The congregation's Brotherhood and Sisterhood helped re-house and retrain Jewish refugees before World War II. The interior of the synagogue was repainted in 1937. Central's cantor Frederich Lechner, who joined the congregation the same year, developed music both for the congregation and for ''The Message of Israel'' series. The community house hosted various social events, such as concerts. German Jewish refugees, led by Hugo Hahn, founded

Congregation Habonim The Congregation Habonim is a Conservative synagogue located at 103 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. The congregation was founded in 1939 by German-Jewish immigrants who fled Nazi persecution. The founding rab ...

at Central Synagogue in 1939 and initially used Central's community house and main building. Following rapid growth in Habonim's membership, it split from Central in 1943. Central's Sisterhood raised money for the

Allies of World War II The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international Coalition#Military, military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its principal members were the "Four Policeme ...

during the early 1940s. In 1943, the synagogue also temporarily hosted the Rock

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

congregation, which was developing a church for itself.

After World War II

David J. Seligson joined Central in 1945 and later became an associate rabbi under Wise. Central's congregation celebrated Ahawath Chesed's centennial in 1946; and commissioned a portrait of Wise. Simultaneously, Wise planned to renovate the synagogue to attract worshippers who would otherwise leave for newer synagogues in the suburbs. The renovation, designed by

Ely Jacques Kahn Ely Jacques Kahn (June 1, 1884September 5, 1972) was an American commercial architect who designed numerous skyscrapers in New York City in the twentieth century. In addition to buildings intended for commercial use, Kahn's designs ranged throug ...

, removed many original design features. The stained-glass windows were largely replaced with more abstract motifs, and a metal roof replaced the original slate tiles. The basement was also modified. Though the rest of the facade and most of the interior remained unchanged, a memorial to Isaac Wise was added to the synagogue's vestry room, and the synagogue was converted to electric power. Four plane trees outside the building were also dedicated in 1947 to mark the synagogue's renovation,; and the building was formally rededicated in March 1949. The project cost $270,000 in total. A plaque, dedicated to ten worshippers who died in World War II, was dedicated at Central in 1950.; The synagogue building was rededicated again in 1952 upon the structure's 80th anniversary. Central again began attracting new members in the 1950s, and it had 900 families by 1954. Membership had leveled off at around 1,040 by the end of the decade, in part because of an outflow of older members, and the congregation also had a $200,000 shortfall. When Wise died in February 1959, he had led the congregation for 34 years.

1959 to 1991

Seligson leadership

Seligson was promoted as senior rabbi after Wise's death, and Central's president announced that the community house would be expanded and renamed for Wise. Initially, the congregation planned to replace the existing 62nd Street community house. By the early 1960s, the congregation counted 1,100 or 1,200 families as members. Central also announced plans in 1963 to redecorate the interior and restore some of the stained-glass windows. The congregation acquired land at 125 East 55th Street for a community house in 1964 and began developing it two years later. The congregation destroyed three houses on 55th Street to make way for the community house, which was dedicated in September 1967. Amid a declining local economy, the trustees allowed external organizations to rent space in the community house so the mortgage could be paid off. Meanwhile, Central's membership stopped expanding by the 1960s, and the trustees proposed implementing age-based membership fees to attract congregants. The congregation became more involved in matters involving Israel following the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

in 1967, and it also established a nursery school in 1968. In advance of the Lexington Avenue synagogue's centennial, Central hired a company to find its cornerstone, which was discovered underneath the main steps. To celebrate the centennial, Central's members re-laid the cornerstone on December 13, 1970,; and Central helped curate an exhibit about New York City's Jewish history at the

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

.; Seligson stepped down as the synagogue's senior rabbi in 1972 and became its rabbi emeritus, while

Sheldon Zimmerman Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman (born 1942) is a former rabbinic leader in Reform Judaism. He is a past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In 2000, Zimmerman was suspended ...

, who had been an assistant rabbi, was promoted as senior rabbi.

Zimmerman and Davids leadership

The

Folksbiene The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, commonly known as NYTF, is a professional theater company in New York City which produces both Yiddish theater, Yiddish plays and plays translated into Yiddish, in a theater equipped with simultaneous sup ...

theater company moved to Central in September 1973, hosting performances in the community house. During the 1970s, nearly as many members joined as left; the congregation was composed of 1,025 families by the middle of that decade. According to the historian Jeffrey Gurock, Zimmerman encouraged the congregation to become more involved with Israeli causes, including through celebrations, tours of the nation, and fundraisers. Central became the first synagogue in Manhattan to allow

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

meetings in its building in the 1970s, and it temporarily housed St. Peter's Lutheran Church while the church's sanctuary was being rebuilt as part of

Citigroup Center The Citigroup Center (formerly Citicorp Center and also known by its address, 601 Lexington Avenue) is an office skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Built in 1977 for Citibank, it is tall and has ...

. The congregation also partnered with local churches to feed homeless people. The staff began devising plans to make the synagogue accessible to disabled people in the early 1970s, but progress was delayed for over a decade because preservation laws made it difficult to modify the building. Despite the city's high crime rate and poor economic conditions, many members remained part of the congregation. In 1983, some congregants began holding weekday morning services, led by the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...

. The congregation sold the

air rights In real estate, air rights are the property interest in the "space" above the Earth's surface. Generally speaking, owning or renting land or a building includes the right to use and build in the space above the land without interference by oth ...

over two adjacent buildings to the developer of a neighboring tower in the 1980s, which raised money for the congregation. Zimmerman resigned as senior rabbi in 1985, and Stanley M. Davids was appointed as Central's senior rabbi the next year. Concurrently, the congregation gained new members during the city's economic recovery, and it had 1,300 or 1,400 families by the late 1980s. Central Synagogue began holding

bar and bat mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...

s for adults in 1988 and hosted an estimated 150 adult bar and bat mitzvahs in the next seven years. The main entrance doors were restored in 1988 in advance of Shaar Hashomayim's 150th anniversary, and the synagogue itself was rededicated that year.

1991 to 2013: Rubinstein leadership

Central selected Peter J. Rubinstein as its senior rabbi in 1991. Rubinstein was initially reluctant to join the congregation, as he wanted to wear a

kippah A (plural: ''kippot''), , or is a brimless Jewish cap, skullcap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement that the Head covering, head be covered. It is the most common type of head-coverin ...

(skullcap) and

tallit A tallit, taleth, or tallis is a fringed garment worn as a prayer shawl by religious Jews. The tallit has special twined and knotted fringe (trim), fringes known as ''tzitzit'' attached to its four corners. The cloth part is known as the ''beged ...

(prayer shawl) during services, even though Central's previous clergy had not worn these things. By the 1990s, the congregation included six affiliate organizations and 16 committees. Its budget had increased tenfold in three decades, not only because of inflation but also because of the additional operating costs and the need for renovations. Rubenstein further encouraged the congregation to support Israel through such activities as

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...

classes and missions to Israel. During the late 20th century, congregants also established or sponsored various social-advocacy programs to help people who were hungry, homeless, or had

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

1990s restorations

A renovation of Central Synagogue's facade began in 1995, at which point the renovation was scheduled to cost $500,000.

SLCE Architects SLCE Architects is an American architecture firm which provides architectural services in both the public and private sector. Between 2010 and 2015, the firm received the most commissions for residential developments in New York City. The firm is ...

was hired to design the initial renovation. The Phyllis and Lee Coffey Foundation donated part of a $10 million bequest to Central Synagogue that year. At the time, Central Synagogue had an endowment fund of $10 million; the congregation hired a full-time development director in 1996 to raise money. By mid-1998, congregants had raised $16 million. The congregation temporarily relocated to its community house so the main building's roof, interior, and air conditioning systems could be renovated. At the time, Central Synagogue had 1,400 families and was nearing capacity. During

High Holy Days In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, th ...

, which attracted up to 5,000 people, the synagogue had to host at least two services a day. On August 28, 1998, the synagogue caught fire while it was being renovated. Although there were no casualties, the interior was damaged extensively when firefighters used water to fight the flames. The fire also caused the weakened roof to collapse into the synagogue. The synagogue's

Torah scrolls A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...

and

architectural drawings An architectural drawing or architect's drawing is a technical drawing of a building (or building project) that falls within the definition of architecture. Architectural drawings are used by architects and others for a number of purposes: to deve ...

had been moved off-site before the fire, and other artifacts such as a menorah survived the fire. Almost 50 institutions offered temporary space to Central Synagogue, while people from around the world offered to help finance the synagogue's reconstruction. The Israeli prime minister,

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

, donated a

mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew language, Hebrew verses from the Torah, which Jews affix in a small case to the doorposts of their homes. These verses are the Biblical pa ...

to the synagogue as well. Ultimately, the state government agreed to lease the

Park Avenue Armory The Park Avenue Armory, also known as the 7th Regiment Armory, is a historic armory for the U.S. Army National Guard at 643 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed in the Gothic Revival style ...

to the congregation for High Holy days celebrations,; and prayer books, Torah scrolls, and pews were moved to the armory.; The congregation met at the community house for services. The fire also displaced the Folksbiene, which moved from the synagogue's community house to Theater Four in West Midtown. The congregation decided to restore the synagogue's original appearance, rather than redesign it in a more modern style. The restoration was supervised by Hugh Hardy of

Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates' (HHPA) was an internationally recognized American architecture firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Established by Hugh Hardy, Malcolm Holzman and Norman Pfeiffer in 1967 in New York, HHPA was noted fo ...

, who was selected for the project in 1999.

Thornton Tomasetti Thornton Tomasetti is an American science and engineering consulting firm headquartered in New York City, United States. It operates globally and employs over 1,500 people. It was formerly known as the Thornton-Tomasetti Group, Thornton Tomasett ...

and LZA Technology were the engineers, and DPK&A was the restoration consultant. Various consultants were hired for other aspects of the project. The congregation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation exactly one year after the fire. The renovation included restoring the original architectural detail, upgrading mechanical systems, deepening the basement, and rebuilding the roof. Workers consulted various archives during the renovation; for example, they recreated the roof by looking at World War II-era surveillance photographs. After the roof was completed at the end of 2000, Hardy then restored the interior. The '' bimah'' (or

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

) and the

audiovisual Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions. Audiovisual service provide ...

equipment were also upgraded. In total, 700 workers spent a combined million man-hours on the renovation.

2000s and early 2010s

By 2001, Central Synagogue had one of the United States' largest Jewish congregations with 4,000 people. The synagogue building was rededicated on September 9, 2001, in advance of

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

, the Jewish New Year. The project had cost almost $40 million, of which $16 million came from insurance payouts and $24 million from fundraising. That October, the synagogue settled a lawsuit against

Turner Construction The Turner Construction Company is an American construction company with presence in 20 countries. It is a subsidiary of the German company Hochtief. It is the largest domestic contractor in the United States as of 2020, with a revenue of $14.4 ...

, the original renovation contractor whose worker had accidentally started the fire. The project received a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the

New York Landmarks Conservancy The New York Landmarks Conservancy is a non-profit organization "dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and reusing" historic structures in New York (state), New York state. It provides technical and financial skills to owners of historic propert ...

, and the

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

gave the project an honor award for the interior restoration. Following a $2.5 million donation from the businessman Michael A. Wiener and his family, the synagogue dedicated the Gabe M. Wiener Memorial Organ in 2002, replacing an organ destroyed in the fire. After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

(two days after the synagogue's reopening), the congregation hired additional security guards and added concrete bollards outside the building.; Rubinstein said that 400 families had joined the congregation in the three years following the fire, bringing the total membership to 1,700 families by 2001. Central Synagogue started publishing a monthly calendar in 2004 to replace its newsletter, and it began hosting a concert series, Prism Concerts, in 2005.; The synagogue had reached its capacity of 2,000 families by 2007, and it was known as a "mega-shul". Free livestreams of services began in 2008. Central expanded its music program and school, launched programs to attract younger Jews, and formed partnerships with other synagogues. By 2011, the synagogue had 100 staff members, a $30 million endowment, and of space. Potential worshippers had to wait as long as three years to join the congregation.

2014 to present: Buchdahl leadership

Rubinstein announced in March 2013 that he would resign from Central, and the congregation's board recommended that its senior cantor, Angela Warnick Buchdahl, be promoted as senior rabbi. Buchdahl was installed as Central Synagogue's senior rabbi in 2014, becoming the first woman and the first Asian-American to hold that position. In addition to the in-person membership, at least 20,000 worshippers attended services online. The

Jewish Broadcasting Service Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS) is an American Jewish television network. JBS programming includes daily news reports from Israel, live event coverage and analysis, and cultural programming of interest to the North American Jewish community. ...

began broadcasting some of Central's holiday services in 2013 through its ShalomTV channel,; and it also began broadcasting Shabbat services the next year. The synagogue's sound system was upgraded in 2015 to accommodate the congregation's livestreams. In the early 2010s, the administration of Mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

proposed the Midtown East rezoning, which would allow St. Bartholomew's Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Central Synagogue to sell the

above their buildings;; the three houses of worship were previously only allowed to sell their air rights to adjacent buildings, but there had been no potential buyers. The rezoning was approved in 2017, allowing the three institutions to sell their air rights across a wider area. Subsequently, Central sold some of its air rights to

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...

for the construction of 270 Park Avenue. The synagogue needed $3.4 million in repairs, which had to be deferred until the air rights were sold. In March 2019, the Islamic Society of Mid-Manhattan's nearby mosque was damaged by a fire; at Buchdahl's invitation, the Islamic Society held services in the synagogue until the mosque was repaired. Central closed its building temporarily in March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

,; hosting services remotely for several months. During the pandemic shutdown, Central's

and

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

livestreams each recorded hundreds of thousands of viewers from around the world. In-person services had resumed by 2021, initially with strict capacity limits.

Building

The synagogue building at 652 Lexington Avenue was designed by Henry Fernbach. It is the only remaining synagogue building designed by Fernbach, who also designed commercial buildings in Manhattan, as well as institutional buildings such as the German Savings Bank,

Harmonie Club The Harmonie Club is a private social club in New York City. Founded in 1852, the club is the second oldest social club in New York. It is located at 4 East 60th Street, in a building designed by Stanford White. History Originally named th ...

Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York The Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York (HOA) was a Jewish orphanage in New York City. It was founded in 1860 by the Hebrew Benevolent Society. It closed in 1941, after pedagogical research concluded that children thrive better in foster care or ...

, and Staats-Zeitung Building. The structure incorporates a mixture of

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

architectural features, an allusion to the history of Jews in Muslim countries. An ''Israelite'' article from 1870 described the building as a "Moorish Byzantic" structure; Central was one of several synagogues in the U.S. designed in such a style during the 1860s and 1870s. ''The New York Times'' cites the building as the state's oldest synagogue in continuous operation, and Central has been continuously used by a congregation for longer than any other synagogue in New York City. Central is also Midtown Manhattan's only remaining 19th-century synagogue and one of the oldest existing synagogue buildings in the United States. The site measures across; the synagogue occupies most of the site, measuring wide on Lexington Avenue and on 55th Street. The building narrows to at its rear on the western end. When the building was constructed, Ahawath Chesed paid for custom street lights on the adjacent streets. The current lanterns are replicas, which were installed in 1989. The site was originally surrounded by residential buildings, which gave way to commercial buildings and office skyscrapers. The synagogue still shares the block with several of these structures, including 116 and 122 East 55th Street.

Exterior

The facade shares some design features with those of the

Dohány Street Synagogue The Dohány Street Synagogue ( ; ; ), also known as the Great Synagogue () or Tabakgasse Synagogue (), is a Neolog Judaism, Neolog Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Dohány utca, Dohány Street in Erzsébetváros (VIIth dis ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

and the

Isaac M. Wise Temple The Isaac M. Wise Temple (formerly the Plum Street Temple), commonly called the Wise Temple, is an historic Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States. The congregation's historic Plum Street temp ...

, Ohio. It is made of New Jersey brownstone, though some of the trim was sourced from Ohio. The Ohio stone has a lighter yellow hue, contrasting with the dark brownstone. While other synagogues in New York City are generally oriented toward

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in the east, Central Synagogue faces west. This is because the congregation wanted that land lot with the building's main entrance on Lexington Avenue.

Facade

Central Synagogue's Lexington Avenue

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

is divided vertically into three

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s, similar to the Dohány Street Synagogue. The central bay contains an entrance with three arches. The outermost bays also include "stair wings", which lead to side entrances that connect with the

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s and the

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: * Gallery (surname), a surname Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery ** Online art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ' ...

level. These outer bays are based on the design of two structures that flank the Dohány Street Synagogue. The main stairway was shortened during a 2001 renovation; prior to the modifications, each step was higher than normal. There is a geometric

above the main entrance, as well as a small row of arches just below the cornice. The northern elevation, on 55th Street, has a wheelchair ramp from the sidewalk to the basement. There are six double-height

windows each on the north (55th Street) and south elevation; these are topped by circular

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows. A stone band stretches across the facade at the second story, passing through the stained-glass windows. One of the stained-glass windows is dedicated to

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

firefighters who responded to the 1998 fire and saved that window. Almost all of the windows are replicas, as the original windows were mostly destroyed in the fire. Two of the windows are replicas of the 1872 originals, while the other windows are replicas of windows that existed in 1998. The exterior is dominated by two octagonal towers. They had been built against the advice of Ahawath Chesed's financial committee, which had wanted simpler structures. The tops of the onion-shaped domes are decorated with gilded bands. The modern-day domes are ornamented with 23-

karat The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardn ...

gold leaf from Germany, and they also contain depictions of gold stars. The domes are topped by

crenellation A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

s made of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

, which are replicas of the original

galvanized steel Galvanization ( also spelled galvanisation) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are coated by submerging them in a bath of ...

crenellations. Two smaller copper finials were removed in the 1920s, and replicas were added to the roof in 2001. There are also bands of

cast stone Cast stone or reconstructed stone is a refined artificial stone, a form of precast concrete. It is used as a building material to simulate natural-cut masonry in architectural features such as facings and trim; for statuary; and for garden or ...

beneath the

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

s of the towers.

Roof

The slate roof, measuring , is covered in 30,000 gray and red shingles. The modern roof, built in 1999, is a nearly exact replica of the original that existed between 1872 and the 1940s. Unlike the original roof, there is a layer of plywood and a protective membrane below the modern slate roof. The modern roof also has five ventilators, which supplement several restored

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

-style copper ventilators on the roof. The synagogue's ''bimah'' is illuminated by a

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History O ...

at the roof's western end. Under the skylight are three windows measuring .

Interior

The building was restored in its original style after the 1998 fire. Sixty-nine hues were used, including shades of red, blue, brown, and gold. The decorations included geometric shapes such as circles and lines, in addition to motifs like small flowers and stars. Over five thousand stencils were used to decorate the interior, and there are more than 200 distinct patterns on the walls. The ''

AIA Guide to New York City The ''AIA Guide to New York City'' by Norval White, Elliot Willensky, and Fran Leadon is an extensive catalogue with descriptions, critique and photographs of significant and noteworthy architecture throughout the five boroughs of New York City. ...

'' described the interior as being "stenciled with rich blues, earthy reds, ocher, and gilt – Moorish, but distinctly 19th century American." A source from the synagogue's opening described the interior as having

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

ornamentation. The original bright interiors were toned down during the 2001 renovation, since modern illumination was more powerful than in the 1870s. There is also woodwork, wainscoting, plasterwork, and floor tiles. The synagogue contains 70,000 tiles, including 30,000 replicas manufactured in 2001 by the English firm that built the original tiles. An air-conditioning system was installed in the synagogue in 2001.

Vestibule

Originally, the steps on Lexington Avenue led up to a vestibule measuring across. The vestibule had three doors leading into the main sanctuary and two leading to the gallery. The original lobby was located at the same level as the sanctuary, but the lobby was lowered by or during the synagogue's 2001 renovation. As part of the renovation, two steps in the lobby were removed and replaced with four new stairs in the sanctuary itself. According to the then-rabbi, Peter Rubenstein, the lowered lobby created the effect that one is "rising up into the sanctuary". Inside the vestibule were originally two sets of stairs, one of which was removed in the 2001 renovation.

Sanctuary

The synagogue's sanctuary was arranged in a similar manner to a

. The interior is divided into two aisles, which flank a central

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. Original plans had called for a sanctuary measuring across and tall. The nave and the aisles are separated by wooden piers measuring across; these support a

above each of the aisles. The woodwork is made of black walnut, with oak trim. The rear end of the nave is from the organ gallery and contains the ''bimah'', which was originally a raised platform with a

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

. There was a

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

behind an ornate arch leading from the rear of the nave. The original elevated, stationary ''bimah'' was replaced in 2001 by a movable ''bimah'' that can slide down toward the pews. The interior is divided into several sections, including the organ gallery, nave, and

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. There was originally an organ gallery above the entrance leading from the lobby. The original three- manual organ in the gallery was built in 1872 by George Jardine & Son; it was replaced in 1937 by another three-manual organ, which burned down in 1998. The current organ, the Gabe M. Wiener Memorial Organ, was dedicated in 2002 and has four manuals with a total of 4,345 pipes. There is a smaller, two-manual organ at the ''bimah'', which was installed in 2001. The

Torah ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Kod ...

is placed at the west end of the sanctuary. The ark is high and is coated with worn-down gold sheeting. Central originally had a seating capacity of 1,500, but this was reduced to 1,400 seats in 2001. Unusually for a

synagogue, Central Synagogue contains a balcony. In contrast to

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...

synagogues, where balconies are used to segregate the genders, Central Synagogue's balcony is used by both genders. There are microphones, speakers, and cameras concealed within the balcony, allowing live broadcasts of services. Each pew originally had eight seats and bore the names of congregational members who paid for them. Some of the original stationary pews were replaced with movable pews in the late 1990s. By 2001, the synagogue had 148 pews in total; the front rows have movable pews. The current pews are made of milled wood. The pews directly beneath the balcony are positioned at a 45-degree angle toward the center of the nave. An elevator connects the balcony, main level, and basement. The ceiling is decorated in a bright-blue color and is interspersed with eight-pointed gold stars. Twelve large chandeliers illuminate the main part of the sanctuary, while twelve smaller chandeliers in the gallery and various

accent lighting Accent lighting focuses light on a particular area or object. It is often used to highlight art or other artifacts. Common types of accent lights include wall sconces, floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial l ...

fixtures provide additional illumination. There are also six bronze grilles on the ceiling, which contain star patterns. The roof above the sanctuary measures or tall. It is made of wooden beams measuring as much as long and wide. When the roof was reconstructed, workers used wood because it is more fire-resistant than steel, even though steel can carry heavier loads. The roof is supported by seven timber trusses between the clerestory walls, measuring or long.

Other spaces

The basement is placed on a foundation of solid rock. The basement was originally supported by

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

columns atop piers. At the time of the synagogue's construction, religious buildings had only just started using cast-iron columns. When the Lexington Avenue synagogue was built, it did not have any offices, classrooms, or other ancillary spaces. As such, the basement was expanded during the synagogue's 1998–2001 renovation. The basement floor was lowered by , while the cast iron columns were supported by sturdier steel columns. In addition, a multipurpose room and classrooms were built in the basement. In contrast to the main sanctuary, the basement space contains little ornamentation.

Commentary and landmark designations

When the current synagogue building was completed, one writer said that the building was "not so impressive" as Temple Emanu-El but also "less faulty". Hugh Hardy wrote that the building's "exterior form and detail were—and still are—in sharp contrast to other religious structures of the city". ''

The Forward ''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...

'' said the building "practically oozed excess" and that its pulpit "placed the rabbi on a stage fit for a Broadway play." Conversely, ''The Forward'' said that, in the years after the synagogue's completion, there were concerns that the synagogue's ornate design dissuaded congregants from talking among each other. The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...

(LPC) described the brownstone exterior in 1966 as "the finest extant example of the Moorish Revival style in New York City". When the synagogue partially burned down in 1998, UAHC president

Alexander M. Schindler Alexander Moshe Schindler (October 4, 1925 – November 15, 2000) was a rabbi and the leading figure of American Jewry and Reform Judaism during the 1970s and 1980s.Jacques SteinbergRabbi Alexander Schindler, Reform Leader and Major Jewish Voice, D ...

said the building had been "a place that made the spirit soar". A writer for ''The Forward'' said the synagogue had "a similar architectural effect to Notre Dame in Paris, or the Dmitrevsky Sobor of Vladimir, Russia", and that the architecture had compelled congregants to worship. Following the 2001 restoration, architectural critic

Paul Goldberger Paul Goldberger (born December 4, 1950)Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C''Who's who of Pulitzer Prize winners'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Cfp.87on Paul Goldberger

wrote that "This isn't one of those old buildings that coddle you. It wakes you up."

The New York Community Trust The New York Community Trust (The Trust) is a community foundation that serves New York City's five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County. The Trust administers more than 2,200 charitable funds. Established in 1924, The Trust is one of the ...

and

Municipal Art Society The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city. The organization was ...

installed a plaque outside Central Synagogue in 1958, commemorating the building's history. The LPC designated the building as an official city landmark in 1966, three years after the LPC proposed designating it as one of the city's first official landmarks. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1970 and was designated a

(NHL) in 1975. A plaque marking the NHL designation was placed outside the synagogue in 1976. Central Synagogue is one of four synagogues in the United States with NHL designation , the others being

Eldridge Street Synagogue The Eldridge Street Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 12–16 Eldridge Street in the Chinatown and Lower East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1887 for Congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun, the synagogue ...

in Lower Manhattan, Beth Sholom Congregation in Pennsylvania, and

St. Thomas Synagogue St. Thomas Synagogue, officially Congregation Beracha Veshalom Oogemiluth Hasadim () or The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, is a historic Reform Jewish synagogue located at 2116 Crystal Gade, Queens Quarters, in Charlotte Amalie on the islan ...

in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Clergy

Central Synagogue's senior rabbi is

. Central's other clergy include senior cantor Dan Mutlu, cantor Jenna Pearsall, and rabbis Maurice A. Salth and Ari S. Lorge. Several rabbis also direct specific parts of the synagogue, including Sarah Berman, the adult education director; Hilly Haber, the social justice and education director; Andrew Kaplan Mandel, the online community engagement director; Rebecca Rosenthal, the youth and family education director; Lisa Rubin, the Center for Exploring Judaism director; Sivan Rotholz, the Adult Education director; J. Rubinstein, the rabbi emeritus; and Richard Botton, the cantor emeritus. Previous senior rabbis of Central Synagogue and its predecessors have included: Central Synagogue has had numerous

lay Lay or LAY may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada * Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France * Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Lay Dam, Alaba ...

presidents, who were not part of the clergy but controlled its governance. All the lay presidents were men until the 1980s. Although the lay presidents' wives were named to the synagogue's board of trustees, in practice they deferred to their husbands. Central's presidents in the early 21st century have included Abigail Pogrebin and Shonni Silverberg. , Jon May is Central's president.

Services and programs

, Central hosts numerous weekly services, including a morning

, two Shabbat services (one each on Friday and Saturday), and a Shabbat

mishkan According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

service. Since the 2010s, some of the synagogue's services have been broadcast online. Central charges membership dues, which have sometimes been waived for worshippers who could not afford them. Over the years, Central has also had various affiliate organizations and committees. During much of the mid-20th century, the Central Synagogue Brotherhood sponsored

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

and

Girl Scouts Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of The Girl Guides ...

programs, adult education, synagogue usher services, and programs for the blind. The congregation has continued to offer these programs through the 21st century. , Central operates a nursery for children under 5 years old, and a religious school. Docents also lead tours of the synagogue once a week.;

Community houses

Central Synagogue's first community house opened in 1927 at 35 East 62nd Street. The structure had been built in 1905 as Miss Keller's School for Girls. The facility, serving as Central's social center, had space for the congregation's offices, library, and 300 religious-school students. It hosted the Temple Brotherhood's events and meetings, as well as the Women's Organization's dances, meetings, exhibits, and classes. The community house included a meeting room, built in 1947 and named after Julius and Hilda Loeb. After Central moved out of the building, it became a school and a residence. Central Synagogue operates the Phyllis and Lee Coffey Community House, which is housed in a nine-story granite structure at 125 East 55th Street designed by Kahn and Jacobs. The current community house was completed in September 1967. The center includes a 450-seat sanctuary with fused-glass panels, in addition to an auditorium and theater, meeting rooms, and 16 classrooms. It houses the synagogue's collection of artifacts, as well as its religious school, a gift shop, and various spaces for other activities. When the community house opened, it was used by the Boy and Girl Scouts, blind and deaf persons' organizations, and the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

Artifacts

Central Synagogue contains a collection of Jewish artifacts. A Torah from the Czech town of Lipnik, which was printed in the early 19th century and owned by the Memorial Scrolls Trust, was loaned to Central in 1967. Prior to 1998, Central also contained two brass menorahs measuring high. One of the menorahs was fabricated in the 18th century and was a bequest from one of the congregation's founding members. In the mid-20th century, the congregation also owned three

shofar A shofar ( ; from , ) is an ancient musical horn, typically a ram's horn, used for Jewish ritual purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player's embouchure. The ...

musical horns.

Notable people

The synagogue has had numerous notable members, some of whom have had their funerals there. *

Bill Ackman William Albert Ackman (born May 11, 1966) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager who is the founder and chief executive officer of Pershing Square Capital Management, a hedge fund management company. His investment approach has made him ...

, hedge fund manager *

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

, theatrical producer * Barbara Fedida, news executive *

Stanley H. Fuld Stanley Howells Fuld (August 23, 1903 – July 22, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1967 to 1973. Life Born in Manhattan, New York City, Fuld was the son of Emanu ...

Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals The Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, also known as the Chief Judge of New York, supervises the seven-judge New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York ...

Jay Furman Jay Furman (July 15, 1942 – January 4, 2015) was an American developer and owner of real estate located in thirty-nine U.S. states and Puerto Rico. He had significant interests in more than 150 shopping centers, office buildings, hotels and in ...

, real estate developer * Samuel B. Hamburger, lawyer *

Henry M. Goldfogle Henry Mayer Goldfogle (May 23, 1856 – June 1, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician who served seven terms as a United States representative from NYCongDel, New York from 1901 to 1915. Biography Born in New York City, he attended t ...

, U.S. representative * Jacob K. Javits, U.S. senator; *

Evelyn Lauder Evelyn Lauder (née Hausner; August 12, 1936 – November 12, 2011) was an Austrian American businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist who has been credited as one of the creators and popularizers of the pink ribbon as a symbol for awareness of ...

, businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist *

Ronald Lauder Ronald Steven Lauder (born February 26, 1944) is an American businessman and pro-Israel political activist. He and his brother, Leonard Lauder, are the sole heirs to the Estée Lauder Companies, Estée Lauder cosmetics company, founded by their ...

, businessman * Howard Michaels, real estate developer *

Neri Oxman Neri Oxman (; born February 6, 1976) is an American-Israeli designer and former professor known for art that combines design, biology, computing, and materials engineering. She coined the phrase "material ecology" to define her work. Oxman wa ...

, designer and professor *

Fred Pressman Fred Pressman (1923 – July 14, 1996) was the chairman of Barneys New York. He assumed the role after taking over from his father, Barney Pressman. Under Fred Pressman's leadership, the store changed from being a discount men's suit shop to a ...

, fashion executive *

Richard Ravitch Richard Ravitch (July 7, 1933 – June 25, 2023) was an American politician and businessman who served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 2009 to 2010. He was appointed to the position in July 2009 by New York Governor David Paterson. A ...

, transportation executive * Julia Richman, educator * A. M. Rosenthal, journalist *

Samuel Roxy Rothafel Samuel Lionel "Roxy" Rothafel (July 9, 1882 – January 13, 1936) was an American theatrical impresario and entrepreneur. He is noted for developing the lavish presentation of silent films in the deluxe movie palace theaters of the 1910s and 1 ...

, theatrical operator * Lewis Rudin, real estate investor and developer *

Jerry Speyer Jerry I. Speyer (born June 23, 1940) is an American real estate developer. He is one of two founding partners of the New York real estate company Tishman Speyer, which controls Rockefeller Center. Speyer was featured in the Forbes 400 list in 2021 ...

, real estate developer * Stephen Susman, attorney *

Jonathan Tisch Jonathan Mark Tisch (born December 7, 1953) is an American businessman. He is the former CEO of American luxury hospitality company Loews Hotels. Tisch is also a board member of the Tribeca Film Institute. He is a co-owner of the New York Gian ...

, businessman *

Whitney Tilson Whitney Richard Tilson (born November 1, 1966) is an American former hedge fund manager, author, and Democratic Party political activist. He is a candidate in the 2025 New York City mayoral Democratic primary. Early life and education Whitney ...

, hedge fund manager * Laurence A. Tisch, businessman and investor * Morris C. Troper, accountant It has also hosted memorial services, including those for

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

and first responders who died in the September 11 attacks. The synagogue has also hosted weddings, such as those of the businessman Jonathan Tisch; the actress

Emmy Rossum Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. The accolades she has received include a Saturn Award and Critics' Choice Movie Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award, an Independ ...

and writer–director

Sam Esmail Sam Esmail (born September 17, 1977) is an Egyptian-American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter who runs the production company Esmail Corp. He is best known as the creator, writer, and director of the award-winning USA Net ...

; the TV anchor

Maria Bartiromo Maria Sara Bartiromo (born September 11, 1967) is an American conservative journalist and author who has also worked as a financial reporter and news anchor. She is the host of ''Mornings with Maria'' and ''Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street'' on t ...

; and Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman.

References

Notes

Explanatory notes Inflation figures

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Central Synagogue Restoration Booklet
{{Portal bar, Architecture, Judaism, National Register of Historic Places, New York City 1846 establishments in New York (state) 19th-century synagogues in the United States Burned religious buildings and structures in the United States Czech-Jewish culture in the United States German-Jewish culture in New York City Jewish organizations established in 1839 Jewish organizations established in 1846 Lexington Avenue Midtown Manhattan Moorish Revival architecture in New York City Moorish Revival synagogues National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County Reform synagogues in New York City Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1872 Synagogues in Manhattan Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City 1870s architecture in the United States