Park Avenue Synagogue

The Park Avenue Synagogue (Hebrew: אגודת ישרים, Agudat Yesharim, The Association of the Righteous) is a Conservative Jewish congregation located at 50 East 87th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1882, the congregation is one of the largest congregations in the United States.[1]

Park Avenue Synagogue
אגודת ישרים
Religion
AffiliationConservative Judaism
RiteAshkenazic
LeadershipRabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Ph.D.,
Rabbi Neil Zuckerman,
Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky,
Cantor Azi Schwartz,
StatusActive
Location
Location50 East 87th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York
Geographic coordinates40.781217°N 73.957878°W / 40.781217; -73.957878
Website
www.pasyn.org

The congregation was founded in 1882 as the Reform congregation, "Temple Gates of Hope", by a group of German Jews.[2] After several mergers, the congregation took the Hebrew name "Agudat Yesharim", and later petitioned the state of New York to change the official name of the congregation to "Park Avenue Synagogue" in 1923. In 1927, the present Moorish-style building on East 87th Street was constructed.[3] By the 1930s, the congregation changed its affiliation from Reform Judaism to Conservative in order to accommodate the merger of the congregation with several other congregations containing large numbers of Eastern European Jews.

Since July 2008, the synagogue has been led by Senior Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD. In 2009, Cantor Azi Schwartz joined as Senior Cantor.[4] As of July 2013, Rabbi Neil Zuckerman and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky joined the team. The congregation has been led by such famous rabbis as Milton Steinberg and Judah Nadich.[5][6]

Architecture

The synagogue’s grand Moorish-style sanctuary on East 87th Street was dedicated on March 27, 1927, in a ceremony attended by then-mayor Jimmy Walker.[3] The ornate building was added onto in 1954 and again in 1980, with a six-story structure extending west to Madison Avenue.

In 2014, Park Avenue Synagogue undertook a renovation and expansion led by MBB Architects and Judaica artist Amy Reichert,[7] beginning with a master plan for the 87th Street facilities and a newly acquired building on 89th Street.[8][9] The Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center, located in a 1912 Neoclassical townhouse, was dedicated in 2017.[3] The main synagogue house on 87th street, re-dedicated in 2019, was renovated to include community gathering areas, two new dedicated prayer spaces, a glassed-in stair, and the display of modern stained-glass panels designed by American artist Adolf Gottlieb.[10][11][12]

Notable members

References
  1. "Our Mission & History | Park Avenue Synagogue". pasyn.org. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  2. Olitzky, Kerry M. & Raphael; Marc Lee (1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook p. 255. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-3132-8856-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Silow-Carroll, Andrew (2019-12-10). "Park Ave. Synagogue Celebrates A $96 Million Expansion". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  4. "Azi Schwartz". Park Avenue Synagogue. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  5. Brostoff, Marissa (March 19, 2010). "A New Leaf". Tablet. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  6. Green, David B. (August 26, 2013). "This Day in Jewish History 2007: Highest-ranking WWII Jewish Chaplain Dies". Haaretz. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  7. Burnham, Mary; Reichert, Amy. "The Spiritual Union of Architecture and Art". Faith and Form: The Interfaith Journal on Religion, Art and Architecture. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  8. "For New York's Growing Synagogue, MBB Creates Urban Community, Expands Campus". Design Raid. 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  9. "History". Park Avenue Synagogue. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  10. "MBB celebrates synagogue renovation". Real Estate Weekly. 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  11. Magalhaes, David (2021-05-30). "Modern Lighting Transforms Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan". Daily Design News. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  12. "The Spiritual Union of Architecture and Art". Faith & Form. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
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