Remove not the ancient landmarks that thy ancestors set up Proverbs 22:28

HELP SAVE A HISTORIC BUILDING ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol holds a special place in Jewish history. It is considered the oldest Eastern European Orthodox Jewish Congregation in the United States. The Congregation was originally founded in 1852 and, at its height, had over 1400 members and served more than 250,000 worshippers from around the country. The Congregation has dwindled down to a few members who no longer conduct prayer services in the building. Beth Hamedrash Hagodols Synagogue is located at 60 Norfolk Street, between Grand Street and Broome Street on the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. lt was one of the first synagogues to gain New York City Landmark status in 1967. The Synagogue is also listed in the State and National Register of Historical Places. The structure was built in 1850 and was designed by the architectural firm Schneider & Herter for the Norfolk Street Baptist church, whose congregation evolved into Riverside Church on the Upper West Side. Beginning in 1860, it was occupied by the Alanson Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1885 it was acquired by congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol and remodeled as a synagogue. Architecturally, the structure is a restrained example of the Gothic Revival style. Raised on a platform of steps above the street, the recessed central section of the symmetrical facade is flanked by square towers pierced by coupled, pointed-arched windows and drip moldings that light the side vestibules. The focus of the faade is the main double entrance door with over-door panel joining it to the tall tripartite arched window. The whole is surmounted by a pedimented roof crowned by a Star of David. At the top of each tower is a square decorative panel of Gothic quatredfoil design. It currently stands as an endangered vestige of a distinguished past.

Stand up in the presence of the aged, and show respect for the old Leviticus 19:32 Since its inception, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol was recognized as a major center for prayer, religious study and the interpretation of Jewish law. It has also had a tradition of esteemed and learned rabbis. Founded by Russian-born Rabbi Abraham Joseph Ash, the synagogue led the way in training Jewish scholars in America. One of the few Talmud Scholars in New York during the 1860s and 1870s, Ash was considered an authority on Jewish marriage and dietary laws. He brought to America a number of ritual slaughterers and according to his obituary, No orthodox congregation in this country would accept a shochet without a certificate from Rabbi Ash. (New York Times, 10 May 1887) In 1888, the much-revered Rabbi Jacob Joseph became spiritual leader of the Congregation. Joseph was invited to come to America to unite the Orthodox Ashkenazi community under a single leadership. He is recognized as the first and only Chief Rabbi of New York City. He helped to create a European-style Orthodox community in New York, with a rabbinic leadership and a rabbinic court. There is an Orthodox Jewish day school in Staten Island named for Joseph, The Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, which serves students from nursery school until 12th grade. Rabbi Ephraim Oshry held the position of Rabbi from 1952 until his death in 2003. During World War II, as religious leader of the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, Rabbi Oshry helped survivors maintain a Jewish quality of life. The inhabitants of the Kovno Ghetto created a hidden historical archive for posteritythe core of a major exhibit at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Rabbi Oshry was president of the Rabbis Survivors from Concentration Camps and author of the four-volume work, Shealot u Teshuvot Me-Mamakim (Questions and Answers from the Depths), which deals with questions asked by Jews facing annihilation by the Nazis. During his tenure at Beth Hamedrash Hagadol, Rabbi Oshry was regarded as a towering figure in the Lower East Side Jewish community. In his desire to preserve the building, during a period of urban renewal, Rabbi Oshry made a formal request to the Commission for landmark designation that was granted in 1967.

Have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord Leviticus 19:30 Due to structural problems, the building was closed and the congregation no longer meets for prayer services. The roof and ceiling were destroyed by an electrical fire and water damage from attempts to extinguish the flames. For several years, the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, an arm of the United Jewish Council of the East Side has led efforts to rescue the historic synagogue. The Conservancy raised close to $1 million for repairs and restoration and envisioned plans for adaptive use of the building, which included appropriate space for prayer and study. However, synagogue leadership was unwilling or unable to accept funding and has rebuffed all efforts to prevent demolition by neglect allowing the building to deteriorate to its current precarious condition. The Congregation has recently reached out to the development community. In their demolition and hardship application, the Congregation is seeking to demolish the historic landmark building and construct a new mixed use/residential building, utilizing the sites full development potential (45,000 square feet of air rights).

Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his G-d Leviticus 21:12

How you can help Loss of Beth Hamedrash Hagadol would be a devastating blow to the Lower East Side, which has seen so much of its historic fabric disappear through rampant gentrification. Please urge the Landmark Preservation Commission to deny a permit for demolition and to seek a solution that would preserve this important building that stands as a visible link with the Jewish legacy of the Lower East Side. Write to the Landmark Preservation Commission: Honorable Robert B. Tierney, Chairman New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission One Centre Street, 9th floor New York, NY 10007 http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maillpc.html Sign our electronic petition: http://savebhh.epetitions.net Email us if youd like to do more: savebhh@yahoogroups.com