In September 1953, members of the conservative Jewish community entered their new Beth Sholom synagogue (meaning "House of Peace") for the first time. This occurred on the eve of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, which celebrates the creation of the world, symbolizing the beginning of a new year and the conclusion of the past one—when God records in the Book of Life the fate awaiting each person in the coming year. The new building marked the beginning of a new era not only for the Jewish congregation but also for modern religious architecture.
This is the only synagogue in the world designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in Elkins Park, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. It is not only a house of prayer but also an extremely emotional and metaphorical work of art. In the early 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most fashionable and successful architects in the United States, managing to realize many projects that proposed bold and novel architectural solutions for that time. The synagogue’s design refers the viewer to Mount Sinai, where the Lord gave Moses the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments. Beth Sholom synagogue is less known to the general public than the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, and many other famous creations by this architect, although it is known that Wright sought to imbue it with a "cosmic worldview" and deep metaphorical meanings.
“In the design of Beth Sholom, I tried to embody the greatest peak in the history and experience of the spiritual growth of the Jewish people,” Wright said at the time. “I aimed to express through its volumes and lines the great revelation of the Lord to Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai in all the unearthly beauty and reverence of that moment. At first glance, the building can be perceived as Mount Sinai, where God first appeared to Israel.”
It is also known that the idea for the synagogue was suggested to the architect by then-rabbi Mortimer J. Cohen. The rabbi described it as “the dream and hope of the heart” in his letter to Wright in 1953. In response, Wright sent Rabbi Cohen a schematic sketch of the building’s concept, and these two letters laid the foundation for a close spiritual connection that they maintained throughout their lives, leaving a rich epistolary legacy. “They carried on a long and deep correspondence, discussing the building’s design and its metaphorical meanings for six years,” reports Joseph M. Siry, author of the book *Beth Sholom Synagogue: Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Religious Architecture*. This friendship with an exchange of ideas culminated in Wright calling Cohen his co-author in architecture. The architect himself belonged to the Unitarian Church (an anti-Trinitarian movement in Protestantism rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity), and his uncle was even an organizer of the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions. Differences in religious views did not prevent the creator from calling himself and his friend the rabbi “spiritually close workers in the Lord’s vineyard.”
According to Siry (a professor of art history at Wesleyan University in Connecticut), Rabbi Cohen admitted that “he found in Mr. Wright a deeply spiritual person who was able to embody in unique images the great canons of my religion.” The rabbi’s dream and hope were realized when the new synagogue building was consecrated shortly after Wright’s death on September 20, 1959.
In working on the sketches for the temple, Cohen emphasized that he wanted to avoid the traditional upward-elongated volume in favor of a wide space that would give worshippers “a deep and comprehensive sense of unity and reverence,” according to Siry. This idea is embodied in the distinctive floor slopes. They are explained by the fact that Wright “sought to create in the visitor to the temple the feeling that he rests in the hands of God,” as noted in the description of this unique structure published by the American Institute of Architects.
Siry points out in his book that the main volume of the tetrahedral temple, 33 meters high, is intended to create the sensation of a “mountain of light.” “The architect managed to achieve a special radiance and transparency of this volume—both when viewed from inside during the day and from outside at night, when it is illuminated from within,” notes Siry, speaking about the double-layered wall made of glass and plastic, creating the impression of a stretched tent. “The nighttime effect of this glowing structure is absolutely stunning.” According to Helene Mansheim, director of the visitor center, on clear sunset evenings, the last rays of the setting sun ignite the synagogue, and it looks enveloped in a golden glow.
The building is considered an example of the Maya Revival architectural style. With its steeply sloping walls made of translucent corrugated glass, it rises into the sky like a “glowing Mount Sinai” (Wright’s own description). The ceiling is made of fiberglass. Since its construction, no changes have been made to the exterior.
During the day, the interior is illuminated by natural light penetrating through the translucent walls overhead. At night, the entire building glows with internal artificial lighting.
In front of the synagogue, about 7.6 meters (25 feet) away, there is a washing station or fountain. In ancient times, a washing basin (from the word “to rinse” or “to wash”), where people washed their hands before worship, was made of copper. The decorative fountain with running water at the entrance symbolizes the old washing basin as well as purity upon entering worship.
The main sanctuary is large enough to accommodate about 1,020 people. A second sanctuary, seating over 250, is located on the synagogue’s first floor. Rabbi Mortimer Cohen requested that the main sanctuary be on the second floor so that it would be illuminated by natural daylight. The roof height is 110 feet from floor to ceiling, creating the impression that it rises toward the sky. In 2009, the congregation opened a visitor center. Tours are conducted by associates several days a week.
An elevator was added in 2015.
The building’s design has been recognized by critics as the “most expressive” design created by Wright for any house of worship. In 1960, it was listed by the American Institute of Architects as one of 17 American buildings to be preserved as an example of Wright’s contribution to American architecture.
Sources:
https://ru.wikibrief.org/wiki/Beth_Sholom_Congregation_(Elkins_Park,_Pennsylvania)
https://www.sedmitza.ru/text/9239326.html
