Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel (), abbreviated as Congregation KTI, is a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
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 ...
located at 575 King Street, in
Port Chester, New York
Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...
, United States.
Early years
Founded on September 19, 1887 (the first day 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 ...
in the year 5648) in the home of one of its members. In its early years, the congregation was made up of Jews who were "dissatisfied" with "a service that did not reflect their achievements and aspirations" nor satisfy their "emotional need for acknowledgement of their European roots" (93 The Jews of Westchester by Shragel and Drimmer). It was a time when Jewish communities bifurcated "as much for social reasons as for differences in ideology" (94). While mostly Orthodox in background, many of the members began to look more flexibly at traditions, which was seen as a somewhat necessary step. Some favored Friday evening services where men could linger. However, social strife crept in and "uncomfortable with the presence of German Jews at Port Chester's Kneses Israel," eight Russian peddlers split off to create Congregation Tifereth Israel in 1903. Both groups were drawn to more flexible conservative practice, which was not yet recognized, but were not seeking the more popular Reform movement. Finding their roots in a more Conservative practice that preserved the bulk of their religious and social traditions, the two congregations merged in 1927, forming what is now Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel.
With more members, meeting at congregants' homes became untenable, and they sought to acquire property. While it is not clear when it was purchased, KTI was housed, for some time, in the Traverse Avenue Synagogue and was sold in 1960 to the Port Chester Carver Center. In 1953, the congregation purchased the land on which it remains and the campus currently houses four buildings (two residences for clergy, the Gantz School building, and the main sanctuary). Today, the congregation draws membership from the greater Westchester area—specifically from
Rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...
, Port Chester,
Rye Brook, and nearby
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...
.
Modern synagogue
The building was designed by the architect
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect who designed modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the postmodern 550 ...
in 1954–56 in the
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
, with a simple interior and a ceiling of curving plaster panels, and completed in 1956. He did not charge a fee. The building has been called "a form of atonement" for his previous pro-fascist and anti-Semitic articles in the late 1930s.
The design of the building was intended to scale for the high holidays when attendance "swells." The original design included a bema decoration by sculptor
Ibram Lassaw. The majority of the bema decor was acquired by the
Jewish Museum in Manhattan following the renovation of the sanctuary in 2006 to increase accessibility and meet the changing needs of the congregation.
Building uses
In 2013, the campus was chosen to be used as the site of
Jonathan Tropper's film adaptation of ''
This Is Where I Leave You''. Interior and exterior scenes of the synagogue were shot on the site and approximately 40 congregants were used as extras.
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kneses Tifereth Israel
1887 establishments in New York (state)
Conservative synagogues in New York (state)
Synagogues completed in 1956
Jewish organizations established in 1887
International style synagogues
International style architecture in New York (state)
Philip Johnson buildings
20th-century synagogues in the United States
Port Chester, New York