Central New York's Jewish Sites and Buildings III: Syracuse's Former Temple Beth El

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Nicholas Goffredo, architect, 1965. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Opened 196, closed 2007. Photo:Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Opened 1965, closed 2007. Photo:Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Central New York's Jewish Sites and Buildings III:  
Syracuse's Former Temple Beth El
by Samuel D. Gruber

Continuing our survey of CNY's Jewish sites and buildings, we turn to the former Temple Beth El, built as a new synagogue on East Genesee Street and dedicated on September 11, 1965. the synagogue closed in 2007 and the building now serves a Slavic Full Gospel Church.

As I wrote in previous posts, the synagogue was founded as the result of a merger of The Orthodox Congregation Beth Israel and Congregation Poiley Tzedeck. These congregations were joined in 1974 by Congregation Anshe Sfard.

I was invited by the late Marty Miller to photograph the synagogue in 2007 before it closed, and before many of its furnishings were dispersed and parts of the stained glass windows of the sanctuary removed and reinstalled in the Beth El memorial Room at Menorah Park.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Nicholas Goffredo, architect, 1965. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

The construction of Beth El was remarkable for several reasons. First, when it was built it was the furthest east of all the Syracuse Jewish institutions. Synagogues and the new Jewish Community Center were all clustered on East Genesee Street just east of Westcott Street. Beth El leapfrogged this new Jewish enclave and in so doing began the resettlement of the Jewish community in Dewitt and beyond. Though the congregation soon affiliated with Conservative Judiasm, many members were still traditionally observant and preferred to walk to synagogue on Shabbat and holidays, and thus Jewish settlement in the immediate adjacent neighborhoods increased dramaticall.

Nottingham High School was located nearby and attracted large numbers of Jewish students from the Westcott, Salt Springs, Scottholm, and Meadowbrook neighborhoods. Beth El was also shockingly new in that it was only the second local synagogue to build in an entirely modern style. It was preceded by a few years by the much smaller Orthodox Young Israel congregation at East Genesee and Fellows Avenue. Temple Beth Israel and Young Israel had carried out discussions about merging in in the early 1950s, but these fell through in 1954, leading to each congregation setting out to build a new home.

After Beth Israel's merger with Poiley Tzedeck, Ben Paikin, was head of the building committee of the new Beth El. He chose local architect Nicholas Goffredo to design the building on the generous lot. The building was expanded to the south around 1985, and Allen Kosoff was the architect. The resulting building spreads out horizontally with a footprint that came to include the sanctuary facing East Genesee, but also a large religious school, and other faculties including social hall, kitchen, library and various meeting rooms.

The original 1960s design consisted of interconnected rectangular blocks, all longer than high, so that the horizontality of the building is emphasized, but also that there is a hierarchy of connected spaces. Since many congregants were expected to walk to services, the rear parking areas was amble enough for staff and weekday visitors, but not nearly large enough to accommodate ht entire congregation. From the start the exterior of the building was noteworthy for the application of relief plaques on the east wall representing the twelve tribes of Israel. These are quite striking, and among the most impressive expressions of Judaism in local public art.

The reliefs are on the exterior of the sanctuary's Ark wall, overlooking a narrow exit lane from the rear parking lot, and thus not well suited for exterior viewing. But the grid-like arrangement of the reliefs is echoed in the pattern of the sanctuary windows, which consist of six linked tall rectangular windows on the sanctuary's north and south sides, with the north wall and windows parallel to East Genesee Street.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Cover of Dedication book. Note the original form of the sanctuary windows on the left. Photo of book: Robin Meltzer.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Nicholas Goffredo, architect, 1965. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Nicholas Goffredo, architect, 1965. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

 

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. East Genesee Street. Nicholas Goffredo, architect, 1965. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Each window was originally divided in six courses of differentiated colored panes, arranged in a staggered design of two and three windows per row. At a later date (1980s?) new stained glass panels with a wealth of Jewish symbols and other references were inserted into the windows. These were removed when the synagogue closed and are now installed in the Beth El Memorial room at the nearby Menorah Park. These windows represent Jewish holidays and significant Bible stories.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary seen through accordian walls from social hall. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Ark and bimah. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Ark and Torah scrolls. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Ark and ner tamid (eternal light). Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Torah scroll with commemorative mantles, crowns, rimmonim and breastplate (ḥoshen mishpat). Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. The new synagogue boasted more comfortable theater style seating. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Sanctuary view through accordian walls to social hall. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Like any of the new synagogues of the 1960s, the sanctuary opened up onto a larger social hall or ballroom, which could be added to the worship space for the high Holidays or other well-attended occasions. The Wexler-Hyman Social Hall had a dance floor, and stage, and a wall of north-facing windows.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Social Hall/Ballroom. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Social Hall/Ballroom. Viewto stage. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Social Hall/Ballroom. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY Former Temple Beth El. Social Hall/Ballroom. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Kosher kitchens were nearby the ballroom.  The regular Shabbat Kiddush was in the Gordon Room. The Phillips Room, which was separated from the Gordon Room by a moveable partition, was another social room. Beth El also had a very good Jewish Library which was dispersed when the congregation ended.

Temple Beth El maintained a daily minyan throughout all the years of existence. Daily services were held in the chapel, which also served as a Beth Midrash (study room).

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Ark and Reader's Table. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Small Ark. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Study area. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.

Syracuse, NY. Former Temple Beth El. Daily Chapel/Beth Midrash. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2007.