The Eldridge Street Synagogue is one of the first synagogues built in the USA by Eastern European Jews (Ashkenazi). One of its founders was Rabbi Eliahu the Blessed (Borok), the former Chief Rabbi of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It opened in 1887 at 12 Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side of New York and served the Congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun. The building was designed by Catholic architects Peter and Francis William Herter. Subsequently, the brothers received many commissions in the Lower East Side and incorporated elements of the synagogue, such as the Stars of David, into their buildings, mostly apartment houses. Upon completion, the synagogue was celebrated in the local press. Writers admired the impressive Moorish Revival style building with its 70-foot dome and vaulted ceiling, magnificent stained-glass rose windows, intricate brass chandeliers, and hand-painted walls.

About 800 families were members of the synagogue during its heyday, from its opening until 1920, and its sanctuary could accommodate 1,000 people; on holidays, police were stationed on the street to control the crowd. Among the community’s rabbis was the famous Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudelovich, author of many Torah works. Throughout these decades, the synagogue functioned not only as a house of prayer but also as an integration agency, a reception place for new Americans. Before settlements were established, and long after, the poor could come to be fed, obtain credit, learn about employment and housing opportunities, and receive care for the sick and dying. In this sense, the synagogue was a mutual aid society.

The synagogue flourished for fifty years. Then membership began to decline as members moved to other regions, immigration quotas limited the number of newcomers, and the Great Depression affected the fate of the congregants. The exquisite main sanctuary was used less and less from the 1930s onward. Despite this, notable events took place there, such as the funeral of Menachem Mendel Beilis, attended by so many people that “the crowd could not be contained in the sanctuary. About a dozen policemen failed to maintain order on the streets.” But by the 1950s, heavy rain and instability of the interior staircase forced the congregants to fence off the sanctuary.

Lacking the resources necessary to heat and maintain the sanctuary, they decided to pray downstairs in the more secluded beth midrash (study hall). The main sanctuary remained empty for twenty-five years, roughly from 1955 to 1980. In 1986, the Eldridge Street Project, a nonprofit organization, was founded to restore the synagogue and renew it based on educational and cultural programs. Paul P. E. Buchson, a former state senator and civil court judge, played an important role in maintaining Orthodox religious services at the Eldridge Street Synagogue and restoring its building. Early in the restoration work, in 1989, a skeleton was found in the synagogue’s basement.

On December 2, 2007, after 20 years of renovation work costing $20 million, the Eldridge Street Project completed the restoration and opened to the public as the Museum at Eldridge Street, housed inside the synagogue. The museum offers educational tours dedicated to the history of American Jews, the history of the Lower East Side, and immigration. From time to time, Jewish religious events are held there, but not in the former main sanctuary.

Efforts continue to return the sanctuary to its Victorian splendor while preserving the features of the original aesthetic and maintaining the patina of age. These include plaster restoration and repair of decorative plaster elements, removal of excess paint, conservation, stencil copying, finishing and decorative wood painting, including wood graining, marbling, and gilding, all performed by skilled craftsmen.

A small number of worshippers from the Orthodox Congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun continue to hold services in the synagogue; since its opening, congregants have rarely missed Shabbat or holiday services.

In 1996, the synagogue was designated a National Historic Landmark.

In 2007, the Eldridge Street Synagogue once again became the majestic building that welcomed worshippers 120 years ago. Visitors can admire the same cream-colored facade that immigrants saw on opening day; inside, they can marvel at the fifty-foot vaulted ceiling, vibrant stained glass, and the majestic carved walnut ark, still draped with the original crimson velvet.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldridge_Street_Synagogue

https://www.nycjewishtours.org/synagogues/eldridge-street-synagogue