After nearly six years of construction, the $50 million Lincoln Square Synagogue is finally ready to open its doors this weekend, making it the first new synagogue built in Manhattan in five decades.
The new building, at 180 Amsterdam Ave. and West 68th Street, is just two doors away from Lincoln Square Synagogue’s old facility, which served several hundred families.
But the old synagogue, built in 1971 at 200 Amsterdam Ave., “didn’t age well” and “was cramped and constrained,” said Senior Rabbi Shaul Robinson, who has been with the modern Orthodox congregation for seven years.
A deal gave them $20 million to put toward constructing the new synagogue at 180 Amsterdam Ave. and left the land at 200 Amsterdam Ave. for ACP. A 50- or 60-story building is planned at the synagogue’s former location, Robinson said.
The remaining $30 million in building and construction costs came from the congregation, including a $20 million gift from an anonymous donor. “Hundreds of of people contributed in getting the building built,” Robinson said.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
“making it the first new synagogue built in Manhattan in five decades”
“But the old synagogue, built in 1971”
????????????
Perhaps one of the few large Ashkenazic shuls built recently, but certainly not the first shul “in five decades.” For example, the Sephardic Safra shul on the East Side was built only about ten years ago. There’s an interesting piece on how R Riskin spoke with the Lubavitcher and with R Soloveitchik in the 60s about the advisability of being at Lincoln Square at the very beginning, and the three tenaim R Soloveitchik gave in his heter to go before they had a mechitza. It took from Rosh HaShana until Purim to get a mechitza, but as a result, with the kiruv and shiurim based there, easily hundreds if not thousands of people are Shomer Shabbos as a result. We have no concept of the zechus they get. Well worth listening to (try to listen to the whole thing – you can maximize to full-screen by clicking at the bottom right of the little window, just to the right of the “HQ”):
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/1124826/jewish/The-Rebbe-Trained-me-to-be-a-%E2%80%9CShliach%E2%80%9D.htm
Did they bring what was known as the “wink and stare” mechitzah to the new sanctuary?