Of
The New Synagogue, Now Building At New York, For The Congregation Under
The Pastoral Charge Or The Rev. S. M. Isaacs.
 The
Synagogue is to be fifty feet wide, by eighty-five deep, exclusive of a
semicircular recess in the rear, for the ארון
הקדש (the ark). The style chosen is the
Byzantic, which flourished some centuries back, and was especially used by
the Portuguese and other Jews when persecuted in the middle ages; the
imposing grandeur of the style, together with its Oriental origin, its
deep shadows, bold projections, noble columns, and lofty arches, will
render it best adapted for a building of this class and character. On
looking at the front of the pile, the spectator will at once receive the
impression that the building is intended for a place of worship, not of
the poetical deities of the Greeks, nor the pompous trinity of the
Christians, but of the mighty God of the Jews. The deep front door, with
its heavy arches and simple but boldly-ornamented columns projecting out
from the wall about four feet, encircling the front stoop with their
bases, will, with awe, invite the stranger into the sanctum of the
interior, and there the mind will be most deeply impressed with the
feelings it has been prepared for by the exterior. After passing through a
vestibule, and entering the inside, the holy ark will attract the greatest
attention: five steps leading to it, and a platform six feet wide, will be
covered with Italian marble; the doors will be of mahogany, enriched with
tracery, and slide back into the wall; two columns and two antes will
support an arch crowned with a gable, reaching up to the centre of a large
window, the top of which is to have stained glass, representing the
so-called מגן
דוד (David's Shield). The interior will be
divided into three aisles; the centre aisle twenty-four feet wide, between
the columns which support the semicircular arches, that carry the walls of
the clear story; the side aisles will be about twenty-eight feet high,
containing the galleries for the ladies; the centre aisle will be
forty-two feet high, and will be vaulted by a wooden ceiling, supported by
spandrils; the ribs are to meet in the centre, ending with flowers; the
pews will be neat, comfortable, and have a stand for the prayer-books; the
principal light will be falling down from the upper part of the building
intended to produce a solemn effect; and the whole will be calculated to
turn the mind to the sublime, and to spiritualize the feeling; underneath
the Synagogue, will be excellent apartments for the sexton, trustees'
room, a large school-room, bath, and temporary Synagogue; the building
will be situated in Wooster Street, one of the most central and
respectable locations in the city; the building and ground will cost near
$30,000; the consecration will take place in the ensuing summer. The
architects are Messrs. Eidlitz and Blesch.
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