Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue
historic place
The Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue in New York, New York, holds a significant history. The Gothic Revival building was completed in 1850, originally as the Norfolk Street Baptist Church. In 1885, the Beth Hamedrash Hagodol congregation acquired it. Founded in 1852, this was New York City's first Eastern European congregation and the oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in the United States. It served as a crucial center for Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Leaders included Rabbi Jacob Joseph, New York City's first Chief Rabbi, from 1888 to 1902. Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, a Holocaust survivor, served from 1952 to 2003. Designated a New York City Landmark in 1967 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the building closed in 2007. A 2017 fire led to its demolition. This site marks a key part of Eastern European Jewish immigrant history in America.