Congregation Shearith Israel
New York, NY 10023-4601
Phone: (212) 873-0300
Editorial Review for Congregation Shearith Israel – by Helen Zelon
Overview
In 1897, New York's oldest Jewish community consecrated its fifth and most recent home--a stolid, neo-Classical marble edifice facing Central Park--which continues to thrive today. Founded by immigrant merchants in 1654, the community had its first "holy place of worship" on Mill Street, in Manhattan's southernmost reaches. More than a century later, the group pioneered to the West Side, a block south of the Dakota, where real estate was (once) cheap and sheep still grazed in the meadows that became Central Park.
Living, Breathing History
Deftly balancing its historic legacy with active worship and education, the Spanish-Portugese Syngagoge offers religious services seven days a week. Saturday mornings feature its renowned silk-hatted, a capella all-male choir - in concordance with Orthodox law, womens' voices are forbidden temptations, and musical instruments are not permitted on Shabbat. Its spiritual leaders conduct traditional services in the synagogue's grand, richly ornamented interior.
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Insider Tips
Proper ConductDress code is formal: modest skirts or dresses for women, suits and ties for men. Yarmulkes are required of men and boys; women go hatless until married and are often wigged, in Orthodox fashion.
Where to SitOrthodoxy requires separate seating for men and women--who enjoy a birds-eye view from the balcony.
Family AffairsContact the synagogue office for details on educational programs for adults and children.
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