Temple B'rith Kodesh (Rochester, New York)

Temple B'rith Kodesh
The synagogue interior in 2019
Religion
AffiliationReform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
Leadership
  • Rabbi Peter W. Stein
  • Rabbi Rochelle Tulik (Associate)
StatusActive
Notable artworksSalvador Dalí-designed menorah
Location
Location2131 Elmwood Avenue, Brighton, Rochester, Monroe County, New York 14618
CountryUnited States
Temple B'rith Kodesh (Rochester, New York) is located in New York
Temple B'rith Kodesh (Rochester, New York)
Location in New York
Geographic coordinates43°7′28″N 77°34′46″W / 43.12444°N 77.57944°W / 43.12444; -77.57944
Architecture
Architect(s)Pietro Belluschi
TypeSynagogue
Date established1848 (as a congregation)
Completed1962
Website
tbk.org

Temple B'rith Kodesh is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 2131 Elmwood Avenue, in the suburb of Brighton, in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, in the United States. It is the oldest synagogue and the largest Reform congregation in the greater Rochester area.[1]

History

Temple B'rith Kodesh was founded in 1848 as an Orthodox congregation with 12 members.[1][2] By 1894 the congregation had grown to over 250 members and a building was purchased in downtown Rochester. During this period, a gradual change from Orthodoxy to Classical Reform began.[3]

On Simchat Torah in 1962 a new building in the suburb of Brighton was dedicated.

Felix A. Levy was rabbi of the Temple from 1907 to 1908.[4]

Synagogue building

The Temple's current building was designed by architect Pietro Belluschi. The sanctuary is roofed with a domed wooden drum intended to evoke the wooden synagogues of Poland.[5][6] Sculptor Luise Kaish was commissioned to create the Temple's ark, which Samuel Gruber calls “one of the major works of the last half century . . . even today the presence of Kaish’s figures on the ark is an exciting shock” in American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community.[7]

In 2001, the Temple was gifted one of the largest private holdings of menorahs in the world, inclusive of work by Salvador Dalí.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Eisenstadt, Peter (1999). Affirming the Covenant.
  2. ^ Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee (June 30, 1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook. Greenwood Press. pp. 267–268.
  3. ^ "TBK History". Temple B'rith Kodesh.
  4. ^ Landman, Isaac, ed. (1942). The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York, N.Y.: The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. p. 10 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ The Blueprint: How a 1959 book changed the architecture of American synagogues, Samuel D. Gruber, Nextbook, 01.07.09 [1]
  6. ^ "Temple B'rith Kodesh, Rochester, NY - Our Building". www.tbk.org. Archived from the original on November 5, 2007.
  7. ^ Gruber, Samuel (2003). American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community. Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847825493. American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Community.
  8. ^ Clemens, Chris (December 24, 2016). "The Extraordinary Menorah Collection of Temple B'rith Kodesh". Exploring Upstate. New York. Retrieved December 29, 2023.