Beth Sholom Congregation (Elkins Park, Pennsylvania)

Beth Sholom Congregation
Beth Sholom Congregation
Religion
Affiliation	Conservative Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin
Status	Active
Location
Location	8231 Old York Road, Elkins Park, Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania
Country	United States
	Location in Philadelphia
Geographic coordinates	40°4′56″N 75°7′36″W / 40.08222°N 75.12667°W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Frank Lloyd Wright
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Modernist Mayan Revival
Date established	1919 (as a congregation)
Completed	1959
Specifications
Capacity	1,270 worshippers
Height (max)	110 feet (34 m)
Materials	Corrugated wire glass; fiberglass
Website
	bethsholomcongregation.org
	Beth Sholom Synagogue
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark
	Pennsylvania state historical marker
Area	3.9 acres (1.6 ha)
NRHP reference No.	07000430
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	March 29, 2007
Designated NHL	March 29, 2007
Designated PHMC	September 21, 2008

Beth Sholom Congregation (transliterated from Hebrew as "House of Peace") is a Conservative Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 8231 Old York Road in Elkins Park, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the only synagogue designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1959, it has been called a "startling, translucent, modernist evocation of an ancient temple, transposed to a Philadelphia suburb by Frank Lloyd Wright".^[4] The synagogue building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2007 for its architecture.^[5]

History

The congregation originally established a synagogue in the Logan neighborhood of Philadelphia in 1919. It was one of the first congregations to move to the suburbs at its present home in the 1950s.^{[citation needed]}

Clergy

Rabbis

1919–1964: Rabbi Mortimer J. Cohen
1964–2000: Rabbi Aaron Landes
2000–2003: Rabbi Gershon Schwartz
2003–2004: Rabbi Frederic Kazan (interim)
2004–present: Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin
2004–2020: Rabbi Andrea Merow

Cantors

1957–1967: Cantor Seymour Schwartzman
1968–1971: Cantor Neil Newman
1971–1975: Cantor Robert H. Albert
1975–2014: Cantor David F. Tilman
2014–2019: Cantor Jeffrey Weber
2020–present: Cantor Jacob Agar

Building

The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who accepted the commission in September 1953. The building was completed and consecrated in 1959. It has been cited as an example of the Mayan Revival architecture style.^[6] With its steeply inclined walls of translucent corrugated wire glass, it projects skyward like a "luminous Mount Sinai" (Wright's own description). The ceiling is a fiberglass material.^[4] Neither material was designed by Wright.^[4] A sample of the roof is on display in the visitor center. No modifications have been made to the exterior since initial construction.

During the day, the interior is lit by natural light entering through the translucent walls overhead. At night, the entire building sometimes glows from interior artificial lighting. In front of the synagogue, and separated from it by about 25 feet (7.6 m), is a laver, or fountain. In ancient days, the laver (from the word "to lave," or "wash"), in which people washed their hands before worship, would have been made of copper. The ornamental fountain with flowing waters in front of the entrance is a symbol of the old laver and is also a symbol of purity upon entering into worship.

The main sanctuary is large enough to hold approximately 1020 people. The second sanctuary, which holds over 250 people, is on the first floor of the synagogue. Rabbi Mortimer Cohen had requested the main sanctuary be on the second floor to be lit by natural light during the day. The roof is 110 feet (34 m) from floor to ceiling,^[4] giving the impression of rising towards the heavens. In 2009 the congregation opened a visitor center. Tours are given by docents several days a week.

In 2015 an elevator was added.

The design has been considered by critics to be the "most expressive" design drafted in Wright's career for any house of worship.^[7] In 1960, it was listed by the American Institute of Architects as one of the 17 American buildings which are to be preserved as an example of Wright's contribution to American architecture.