| B'nai Yosef Synagogue | |
|---|---|
.jpg) B'nai Yosef Synagogue, in 2020 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Sephardi |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership | Rabbi Haim Benoliel |
| Status | Active |
| Religious features | Murals byArchie Rand |
| Location | |
| Location | 1616Ocean Parkway,Brooklyn,New York City,New York |
| Country | United States |
  Location inNew York City | |
| Coordinates | 40°36′33″N73°58′04″W / 40.609222°N 73.967897°W /40.609222; -73.967897 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | c. 1973 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Interior area | 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2) |
| Materials | Brick |
| Website | |
| bnaiyosef | |
| [1] | |
TheB'nai Yosef Synagogue (orCongregation Bnai Yosef, formerlyMagen David Congregation of Ocean Parkway) is anOrthodoxJewishsynagogue located at 1616Ocean Parkway and Avenue P inBrooklyn,New York City,New York, United States. The congregation practices in theSephardirite. The synagogue is considered "America's busiest synagogue for Middle and near-Eastern Jews", with over 30 prayer services daily.[2]
Built inc. 1973, it became known asThe Painted Shul, because its 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) interior is covered in brightly paintedmurals, making it the only completely muraled synagogue in the world. The synagogue is also unusual in that it was built and is funded by an anonymous individual; thus members are not required to pay any dues.[1]
The B'nai Yosef congregation is made up ofSephardi Jews, mostly fromSyria,North Africa andIran, and thenusach (style of prayer service) isOrthodoxSephardi. The congregation is strict in its observance, with most males having had ayeshiva education.
Therabbi is Haim Benoliel.[3][4]
The synagogue was built inc. 1973 by an anonymous individual. The three-story, brick-facaded building is unremarkable from the outside. The synagogue walls have tall, smoked glass windows that allow light into the sanctuary, where an elaboratechandelier hangs over thebimah.[1]
The synagogue is known as "The Painted Shul", because its 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) interior is covered in brightly paintedmurals, making it the only completely muraled synagogue in the world.[1][5] Every inch of wall space, including the prayer hall, is covered with murals painted byArchie Rand, professor of art atBrooklyn College, fellow of theGuggenheim Foundation, and aLaureate of theNational Foundation for Jewish Culture. Rand's involvement in painting the synagogue began when, unable to pay the tuition fees at his daughter's school, he painted three murals for the school in exchange for a year's tuition. The school loved the murals and Rand was approached to paint the interior of the new B'nai Yosef synagogue.[1]
Rand had only a basicHebrew school education, and had to engage in intensive study one-on-one with yeshiva students, including at theLakewood yeshiva inLakewood, New Jersey,[1] in order to learn about thesymbolism that would be most meaningful to the congregation.
Completed between 1974 and 1977,[6] the work was controversial at first, with a group of community rabbis accusing Rand ofidolatry. Rabbi Lopian, a local supporter of the murals, took the dispute to RabbiMoshe Feinstein, who was regarded at the time as thede facto supreme rabbinic authority in North America forOrthodox Jewry. Feinstein declared that "the work iskosher and the spirit under which the work was done is commendable,"[1] and so Rand was able to complete his project. The murals have since become much loved within the community, and the former Sephardicchief rabbi ofIsrael, RavOvadia Yosef, has been a frequent visitor.[7]
The murals include an illustration of the bronzemenorah byBenno Elkan that stands outside theKnesset inJerusalem, and representations of the first days ofcreation, with the first ten things created before the firstSabbath represented by images that include a donkey's head,Noah'srainbow, andMiriam's well.[1] At the back of the prayer hall, there is a blue-circlemandala containing the meditation: "My Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your Praise."[8]
The women's section upstairs contains images ofJewish holidays, such asRosh Hashanah andPassover, and a depiction ofRachel's Tomb.[8]
The murals, started in 1974, took three years to complete.[9]
A documentary entitled "The Painted Shul", was made about the murals and Archie Rand's experience by filmmaker Amala Lane and produced by Marji Greenhut in 2003, with minor changes made more recently in 2006. Featuring extensive footage of the stunning and widely varied painting styles, viewers get a glimpse of one of the world's few 'painted shuls'. The tradition of religious painting in synagogues is centuries old, but such murals can only be found in ruins or modest replicas. B'nai Yosef is an actively used synagogue and the murals which were painted in the early 1970s look vibrant and new today.
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