The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side: A Retrospective and Contemporary View, 2nd Edition

T. Bnai Tifereth Yerushelaim

t. bnai tifereth yerushelaim (Sons of the Glory of Jerusalem) (Sold to Another Religious Institution and Later Repurposed) 87 Eldridge Street (between Grand and Hester Streets) the former synagogue building has undergone a numberof architectural and religious institutional changes. Originally, the structure had been a tenement that was purchased in 1888 and then remodeled into a synagogue. The building served Tifereth Yerushelaim until the late 1960s at whichtimeitwasacquiredbyaSyrianOrthodox(Christian) institution, Achim Aram Zobah (Association of Syrian Rites). Shortly afterward, the building was sold to the Lincoln African Methodist Episcopal Church, which occupied the building until the late 1970s. Then, the building was acquired by a developer and converted to a dry-goods warehouse and subsequently to residential space. Today, the building houses an artist’s studio with accompanying living space. TiferethYerushelaimtransformedthetenementbuilding into a remarkably handsome structure. Note the unusual high-arched windows, the decorative “horseshoe” arches on the top floor, and the plaque in Hebrew high above the entrance, with the name of the original synagogue, and the Hebrew date 5649 (1888), when the congregation first occupied the building. This was also the original home of Mesivtha (Talmud Torah) Tifereth Jerusalem (Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim)— one of the oldest existent yeshivas in New York City. Founded in 1907 at 87 Eldridge Street, the Talmud Torah Tifereth Jerusalem grew quickly. First moving to 115 Hester Street, then 240 Madison Street, and then 13 Montgomery 167 18317-Wolfe_Synagogues 9/24/12 12:05 PM Page 167 168 the “lost” or endangered synagogues Street, the yeshiva finally settled into two adjacent lots on 145–147 East Broadway. The East Broadway structure was built in 1912 and offers a full range of classes, from prekindergarten through post high school. AfterWorld WarII, MTJ as it is known in the neighborhood , became strongly associated with its rosh yeshiva, Rov MosheFeinstein,afamousposek(andrespectedadjudicator of questions of Jewish law). His funeral in 1986 was the last of the great Lower East Side funerals; more than 20,000 people filled the streets. The second campus, also known as the Yeshiva of Staten Island, contains high school and post– high school facilities. Bnai Tifereth Yerushelaim—sold and converted to residences 18317-Wolfe_Synagogues 9/24/12 12:05 PM Page 168 ...