| Ramath Orah | |
|---|---|
 Ramath Orah synagogue | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Modern Orthodox Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | West 110th Street,Upper West Side,Manhattan,New York City,New York |
| Country | United States |
  Location inManhattan | |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°48′13.24″N73°57′58.02″W / 40.8036778°N 73.9661167°W /40.8036778; -73.9661167 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Style | Georgian Revival |
| Founder |
|
| Date established | 1941(as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1942(converted the West SideUnitarian Church) |
| Materials | Brick; rolledasphalt;granite,limestone |
| Website | |
| ramathorah | |
West Side Unitarian Church – Congregation Ramath Orah | |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000608 |
| Added to NRHP | September 17, 2015 |
Ramath Orah is aModern Orthodoxsynagogue located on West 110th Street on theUpper West Side ofManhattan, inNew York City,New York, United States. Located close toColumbia University the synagogue occupies aneo-Georgian building that was built in 1921 as the first stage of a large West SideUnitarian Church.[1][2][3]
The building was entered into theNational Register of Historic Places on September 17, 2015.[4]
The congregation was founded in 1942 by Rabbi Dr.Robert Serebrenik, his wife Mrs. Julia Serebrenik (née Herzog), and sixty-one other Jewish refugees from Luxembourg. Serebrenik, who was born in Vienna in 1902, had been Chief Rabbi of Luxembourg since 1929. About 1000 Jews fled into France at the time of the Germaninvasion of Luxembourg, May 10, 1940. Luxembourg had approximately 4,000 Jewish residents at the beginning of WWII, about half of whom had recently sought refuge there from Nazi countries. Rabbi and Mrs. Serebrenik stayed and organized a series of clandestine escapes of about 2,000 members of the Jewish population into southern, unoccupied France and elsewhere. On March 20, 1941, Serebrenik met in Berlin withAdolf Eichmann who demanded that Luxembourg must be “Judenrein”, and was given eleven days to complete the emigration of the Jewish population from Luxembourg. Serebrenik managed to secure the exit of a further 250 Jews before he and his wife were driven out by the Gestapo.[5][6] According to theNew York Times, Serebrenik stayed, working to secure visas for more Jews, “until he was seized by the Gestapo and beaten unconscious.”[7]
With the new century, Ramath Orah experienced a revival with a dynamic, young Rabbi Stephen Friedman.[8] TheColumbia Spectator describes it as “very popular among Columbia students who want a spirited, liberal, Orthodox service."[9]
The Hebrew name Ramath Orah is said to reflect a translation of the nameLuxembourg asMountain of Light, although the former's etymology is a Germanic name meaninglittle castle.
Ramath Orah is the synagogue described inAri L. Goldman’s book,Living a Year of Kaddish.
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