Congregation B'nai Israel (Millburn, New Jersey)

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Coordinates: 40°43′17″N 74°17′33″W / 40.7215°N 74.2926°W / 40.7215; -74.2926
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For similarly named synagogues, see B'nai Israel (disambiguation).

Congregation B'nai Israel
Religion
Modernist
Date established1924 (as a congregation)
Completed1951
Website
cbi-nj.org

B'nai Israel is an architecturally notable

Jewish congregation and synagogue in Millburn, Essex County, New Jersey
, in the United States.

History

Founded in 1924, the congregation hired Max Gruenewald as rabbi in 1946. He had been the rabbi of the Haupt Synagogue in Mannheim, Germany when it was destroyed during the Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938. In 1950, two stones from the Haupt Synagogue were retrieved and placed in the walls of the sanctuary.[1] Rabbi Gruenewald served the congregation until his 1970 retirement, and also ran the Leo Baeck Institutes in New York, London, and Jerusalem.[2]

As of August 2020, the

Rabbi Emeritus
.

Synagogue building

Percival Goodman's design for B'nai Israel, constructed in 1951, has been called "the first truly modern synagogue",[4][5] and "a revolutionary moment in American synagogue design."[6][7] Goodman became known for his integration of modern sculpture and art into modernist buildings.[8]

The Jewish Museum in New York.[11] The Gottlieb-designed curtain for the Torah Ark was stitched by the women of the congregation.[12] Gottlieb's wife supervised the sewing of the curtain, which was made of velvet in two-tiers, with appliqués and metallic thread embroidery. By 1987, the curtain required extensive (and expensive) restoration, and the congregation decided to donate it to the Jewish Museum, which carried out the restoration and displays the curtain in special exhibitions.[13][14]

In 2009, historic preservationists objected to renovation plans thought likely to negatively impact the building's architectural integrity.[1][15] The Motherwell and Ferber artworks were taken down for the renovation, and loaned to The Jewish Museum in New York for an exhibition reuniting them with the original Gottlieb curtain.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Rispoli, Mike (March 24, 2009). "Renovations to Percival Goodman-designed synagogue raises ire". The Star-Ledger.
  2. ^ "Obituary: Max Gruenewald, 93, A Rabbinical Scholar". The New York Times. December 29, 1992.
  3. ^ "Clergy". Congregation B'nai Israel. Retrieved November 21, 2010.[self-published source?]
  4. ^ James, George (March 28, 1999). "Places of the Heart; Historic Houses of Worship, From Soaring Spires to Simple Quaker Meeting Houses". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Baigell, Matthew (2006). Jewish Art in America: An Introduction. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 108.
  6. ^
    The Jewish Museum. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original
    on August 31, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Zeaman, John (March 18, 2010). "Jewish Museum exhibits modern art commissioned by Millburn congregation nearly 60 years ago". The Star-Ledger.
  8. ^ Wise, Michael Z. (March 9, 2001). "America's Most Prolific Synagogue Architect". The Forward. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Baigell Matthew (2006). Jewish art in America: an introduction. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 108.
  10. doi:10.1080/00043249.1994.10791658
    .
  11. The Jewish Museum
    . Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  12. ^ Cobb, Caroline T. "William Halsey: Abstract Expressionist in the South". Carolina Arts. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  13. ^ Falkenstein, Michelle (July 18, 2004). "Jersey Footlights". The New York Times.
  14. The Jewish Museum
    . Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  15. ^ "Percival Goodman-designed synagogue in Millburn faces questionable renovation". Preservation New Jersey. April 3, 2009.

External links

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