Temple B'rith Kodesh (Rochester, New York)

Temple B'rith Kodesh is a Reform synagogue in Rochester, New York. It is the oldest synagogue and the largest Reform congregation in the greater Rochester area.[1]

History

Temple B'rith Kodesh was founded in 1848 as an Orthodox congregation with 12 members.[2][3][4] The congregation maintains a section in the historic Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester.

Architecture

The Temple's current building was designed by architect Pietro Belluschi. The sanctuary is roofed with a domed wooden drum intended to evoke the Wooden synagogues of Poland.[5][6] Sculptor Luise Kaish was commissioned to create the Temple's ark, which Samuel Gruber calls “one of the major works of the last half century . . . even today the presence of Kaish’s figures on the ark is an exciting shock” in American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community.[7]

Art collection

The Temple has a noted collection of menorahs by contemporary artists including Salvador Dalí.[8]

Image

References

  1. Affirming the Covenant, by Peter Eisenstadt, 1999
  2. Affirming the Covenant, by Peter Eisenstadt, 1999
  3. Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee. The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook, Greenwood Press, June 30, 1996, pp. 267–268.
  4. PHILIP S. BERNSTEIN PAPERS, University of Rochester
  5. The Blueprint: How a 1959 book changed the architecture of American synagogues, Samuel D. Gruber, Nextbook, 01.07.09
  6. Gruber, Samuel (2003). American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community. Rizzoli.

Coordinates: 43°7′28.2″N 77°34′45.9″W / 43.124500°N 77.579417°W / 43.124500; -77.579417

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