The Actors' Temple, officially named Congregation Ezrath Israel, is a non-denominational Jewish synagogue located at 339 West 47th Street, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.
| The Actors' Temple | |
|---|---|
 The Actors' Temple in May 2007 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | Non-denominational |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership | Rabbi Jill Hausman |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 339 West 47th Street, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, New York 10036 |
| Country | United States |
  Location in Manhattan | |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°45′40″N 73°59′21″W / 40.76111°N 73.98917°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sydney F. Oppenheimer |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Style | Classical Revival |
| Date established | 1917 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1925 |
| Website | |
| theactorstemple | |
Actors' Temple | |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000445[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 2005 |
History
editThe congregation was founded in 1917 as the West Side Hebrew Relief Association, an Orthodox congregation for the shopkeepers in the area. The temple has been located at its current site since 1923,[2] and it was the synagogue of choice for the entertainment industry. Many vaudeville, musical theater, television, and nightclub performers attended services there, including Sophie Tucker, Shelley Winters, Milton Berle, Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Joe E. Lewis, Edward G. Robinson, as well as two of the Three Stooges.[3][4] Bernard Birstein, an aspiring actor himself, was the first rabbi;[5] he died in 1959.[6]
The temple declined after World War II as actors moved to California and the neighborhood changed. The congregation diminished from 300 members to approximately 30 in 2009.[3] In 2005, in order to bring in additional income, the temple started renting out dance rehearsal space to New Dance Group as well as temporarily transforming into a theatre for plays.[7] However, even with this additional income, the $120,000 annual operating costs used up the $2 million endowment by 2009.[3] Despite these challenges, the temple continues to operate. In 2011, the temple had a fundraising program and about 150 dues-paying members, with an average Friday night worship attendance of 20–30 people.[6]
The Temple congregation was once Orthodox, transitioned to Conservative, and is now non-denominational.[5]
The Temple's Rabbi, Jill Hausman, made an appearance in the Weekend Update portion of the season 49 finale of Saturday Night Live, sitting next to Colin Jost during his delivery of jokes written by co-host Michael Che.[8]
Building
editThis section needs expansion with: content on building description and why on NRHP. You can help by adding to it. (December 2023) |
References
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Actors Temple History". The Actors Temple. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
- ^ a b c Dworhin, Caroline H. (April 17, 2009). "Hells Kitchen: Plot Twist at the Actors' Temple". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
- ^ Filip Mazurczak, America's Most Beautiful, Inspiring, and Unique Synagogues (Part 1), National Trust for Historic Preservation (April 18, 2016).
- ^ a b "The Actors' Temple: Inside the synagogue where Broadway's biggest stars used to pray". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Berger, Joseph (November 19, 2011). "Once a Realm of Stars, a Temple Is Now Bereft of Them, and Their Money". The New York Times.
- ^ Robertson, Campbell (November 29, 2006). "Off Broadway and Nearer to God: It's Curtain Time at a Synagogue". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
- ^ Rosenzweig, Jed (May 19, 2024). "Yes, Weekend Update's 'Rabbi Jill' Is a Real Rabbi". LateNighter. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Actors' Temple at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- The Actor's Temple Theatre official site
- The Actors' Temple at the Internet Off-Broadway Database