TheBialystoker Synagogue is anOrthodox Jewishsynagogue at 7–11 Bialystoker Place (also known as Willett Street[2][3][4]) on theLower East Side ofManhattan inNew York City, New York, United States. The building was constructed in 1826 as the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church; the synagogue purchased the building in 1905.[5]
The synagogue was designated aNew York City Landmark in 1966. It is one of only four early-19th century fieldstone religious buildings surviving from the late Federal period in Lower Manhattan,[2] and is the oldest building used as a synagogue in New York City.[6]
The Bialystoker Synagogue was first organized in 1865 on Manhattan's Lower East Side as theChevra Anshei Chesed of Bialystok, founded by a group of Jews who came from the town ofBiałystok, at that time located in theRussian Empire, but now inPoland. The congregation was begun in a building onHester Street, it later moved toOrchard Street, and ultimately to its present location 7–11 Bialystoker Place on the Lower East Side.
In order to accommodate the influx of new immigrants from that area of Poland, in 1905 the congregation merged with congregation Adas Yeshurun, also from Bialystok, and formed theBeit Ha-Knesset Anshei Bialystok (The Bialystoker Synagogue). The newly formed congregation then purchased (and moved into) the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church at 7 Willet Street, which was later renamed Bialystoker Place. During theGreat Depression a decision was made to beautify the main sanctuary, to provide a sense of hope and inspiration to the community.
The community today is the biggest synagogue on the Lower East Side with several dailyminyanim.[7] Rabbi Menachem Tuchman serves as therabbi.
The fieldstoneMethodist Episcopal Church building was built in 1826 with a simplepedimented roof and round arched windows.[3] The building is made ofManhattan schist from a quarry on nearbyPitt Street. The exterior is marked by three windows over three doors framed with round arches, a low flight of brownstone steps, a low pitched pediment roof with a lunette window and a wooden cornice.
The elaborateTorah Ark is believed to have been carved in Bialystok and shipped to New York.
As the synagogue is home to an Orthodox Jewish congregation, abalcony section was constructed to accommodate female congregants. In the corner of the women's gallery a small hidden door in the wall leads to a ladder going up to an attic, lit by two windows. When the building was first opened, it was a rest stop for theUnderground Railroad movement; runaway slaves found sanctuary in this attic.
When the air conditioning was updated in the 1990s, an issue arose concerning the possible construction of rooftop units because of the building's historical landmark status. Because of these concerns, the cooling units were installed on the side of the building.
In 1988, the congregation restored the interior to its original splendor, and the former Hebrew school building that is attached, but had become dilapidated, was renovated and reopened as The Daniel Potkorony Building. The magnificent stained glass windows were recently completely recreated and renewed.
^Brawarsky, Sandee (January 19, 2001)."Safe Havens on the Freedom Line".The New York Times.BIALYSTOKER SYNAGOGUE, landmark structure (built as Willett Street Church), 7–13 Willett Street (renamed Bialystoker Place)…
