Astoria Center of Israel
Encyclopedia
The Astoria Center of Israel (1925–26) is an historic synagogue located in the Astoria, Queens
neighborhood of New York City, listed on both the New York State and the National Registers of Historic Places.
in Queens. The building features a brick façade, two-stories tall, and five-bays wide. The trim is cast-stone, and features double-height Ionic piers flanking round-arched windows. The piers support an entablature
and are topped by a balustrade. Its round-arched entrance is topped with a cartouche within which is inscribed a Star of David
.
Among the synagogue’s features is a set of murals by French artist Louis Pierre Rigal added a few years after the building was completed.
In 1926, efforts were begun to enlarge the building that housed the new Astoria Center of Israel, and by 1929 ACI "had become a fully operational 'Center' of Jewish life in Queens." It was added to the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2009.
became the Center's first rabbi. He had been drafted into the Russian Army during WWI, fleeing to the United States to enlist and serve with American forces in Europe before returning to New York to attend rabbinical school and become a rabbi. With the outbreak of WWII, Goldberg returned to the U.S. military, this time as a chaplain, as the first rabbi to serve with the U.S. Navy in WWII. In 1951, he was named rabbi emeritus of ACI.
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
neighborhood of New York City, listed on both the New York State and the National Registers of Historic Places.
Design
The Astoria Center was designed by architect Louis Allen Abramson as one of the earliest synagoguesOldest synagogues in the United States
The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
in Queens. The building features a brick façade, two-stories tall, and five-bays wide. The trim is cast-stone, and features double-height Ionic piers flanking round-arched windows. The piers support an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
and are topped by a balustrade. Its round-arched entrance is topped with a cartouche within which is inscribed a Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
.
Among the synagogue’s features is a set of murals by French artist Louis Pierre Rigal added a few years after the building was completed.
History
According to the Center's website, the “roots” of The Astoria Center of Israel can actually be traced back to Jewish congregation Mishkan Israel, begun sometime in the 1880s, constructing a building in 1906. In 1921 that congregation built a "Talmud-Torach" center next to its first building, where education could "implant in our children a love and reverence for our noble tradition." That education building later became the home of the Astoria Center of Israel, with the original Mishkan Israel building later destroyed in a fire.In 1926, efforts were begun to enlarge the building that housed the new Astoria Center of Israel, and by 1929 ACI "had become a fully operational 'Center' of Jewish life in Queens." It was added to the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2009.
Rabbis
In 1926, Rabbi Joshua L. GoldbergJoshua L. Goldberg
Joshua Louis Goldberg was a Belarusian-born American rabbi, who was the first rabbi to be commissioned as a U.S...
became the Center's first rabbi. He had been drafted into the Russian Army during WWI, fleeing to the United States to enlist and serve with American forces in Europe before returning to New York to attend rabbinical school and become a rabbi. With the outbreak of WWII, Goldberg returned to the U.S. military, this time as a chaplain, as the first rabbi to serve with the U.S. Navy in WWII. In 1951, he was named rabbi emeritus of ACI.