Temple Emanu-El
— — a sanctuary the size of a cathedral.
Not only on a wall.
“A Reform congregation founded in 1845 on the Lower East Side, now housed in a Romanesque Revival sanctuary on Fifth Avenue across from Central Park. Dedicated in 1929, it is one of the largest synagogues in the world by volume — the main sanctuary seats about 2,500 under a coffered ceiling stencilled in red, gold, and Mediterranean blue. The bronze doors are heavy. Inside, the bimah is set in a deep arched apse lit by long mosaic panels. from the studio
Temple Emanu-El, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Temple Emanu-El stands on Fifth Avenue at East 65th Street, facing Central Park on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The congregation was founded in 1845 by 33 German Jewish immigrants meeting on the Lower East Side, and was the first Reform congregation in New York. The current building, designed by Robert D. Kohn, Charles Butler, and Clarence Stein with the consulting architect Mayers, Murray & Phillip, was dedicated in 1929. The main sanctuary seats roughly 2,500 worshippers, which makes it among the largest synagogues in the world by capacity. The site sits about a block south of the Central Park Zoo.
The exterior is Romanesque Revival in limestone, with a wheel window above the great arched portal and bronze doors at the entry. Inside, the nave runs about 175 feet to the Ark, with a coffered ceiling stencilled in red, gold, and Mediterranean blue and side walls of warm Indiana limestone. The Ark itself is set in a deep apse faced with marble and mosaic, with stained-glass medallions by Oliver Smith and mosaic work by Hildreth Meière. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 2017 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The sanctuary is open to visitors most weekdays outside of services, with the Bernard Museum on the ground floor showing the congregation's archive of Judaica, ceremonial silver, and the original 1868 sanctuary's stained glass. The Friday evening Shabbat service is the principal weekly gathering and is open to all; many travellers attend on a first New York visit. The congregation maintains a strong concert programme through the year. Photography of the sanctuary interior is permitted outside of services. The closest subway stops are 68th Street–Hunter College on the 6 line and Fifth Avenue–59th Street on the N, R, and W lines.