OTHER SYNAGOGUES

Eight other synagogue structures, some with active congregations and some "recycled" for other religious and cultural purposes, can be found in walking distance. They are arranged in order of a logical one-hour stroll from, and returning to, the Eldridge Street Synagogue.

Former Pike Street Synagogue (15 Pike Street, between East Broadway and Henry Street). Built in 1903, this impressive Classic-Revival-style building was once home to Congregation Sons of Israel Kalwarie and was one of the Lower East Side's preeminent religious institutions. Eddie Cantor had his bar mitzvah here in 1905, and like Eldridge Street and the First Roumanian-American Congregation (see below), it had an acoustical environment ideally suited for cantorial performances. Now home to a Buddist Temple, the building reflects the neighborhood's evolution from a predominantly Jewish community to a largely Asian one.

Bialystoker Synagogue (7 Willett Street, at Grand Street). Built in 1826 as a Methodist Church, this building was purchased by the Beth Haknesseth Anshe Bialystok Congregation in 1905. This very active synagogue hosts daily, Sabbath and holiday services. Its sanctuary, adorned with murals of zodiac signs, has been beautifully restored.

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol (60 Norfolk Street, between Grand and Broome Streets). Built in 1852 as a Baptist Church, this Gothic Revival Building was purchased in 1885 by congregants who had recently broken away from the Eldridge Street group (who were already planning to build their own house of worship). Beth Hamedrash Hagodol is associated with very learned rabbis, including its esteemed founder Rabbi Abraham Joseph Ash and Rabbi Jacob Joseph. A modest minyan continues to meet for daily, Sabbath and holiday services.

Former Forsyth Street Synagogue (43 Delancey Street, at Forsyth). Once one of the wealthiest and most exclusive houses of worship on the Lower East Side, this former synagogue now houses a Dominican Seventh Day Adventist Church. A large Star-of-David can still be seen above the entrance, and others are visible in the stained-glass windows.

Chasam Sopher (8 Clinton Street, between Stanton and Houston Streets). This is the second oldest synagogue structure in New York, built in 1853 by the German-Jewish congregation Rodeph Sholem. There is still a small community attached to the synagogue.

Congregation Anshe Slonim (172 Norfolk Street, between Stanton and Houston Streets). Built in 1850 for a German-Jewish congregation, this is the oldest extant synagogue building in New York and was once the largest synagogue in the United States, seating 1200 people. The building now houses the Angel Orensanz Foundation, a cultural center.

First Roumanian-American Congregation (89 Rivington, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets). Built as a church in 1857 and home to successive religious groups (both Jewish and missionary Christian), the building was acquired in 1902 by Shaarey Shamoyim, the First-Roumanian American congregation. Yossele Rosenblatt, Moishe Oysher and Jacob Pincus Perelmuth (Jan Peerce) were among those who sang at this synagogue, once recognized as a cantorial center. The "Rumanische shul" conducts daily, Sabbath and holiday services.

Kehila Kedosha Janina (280 Broome Street, between Eldridge and Allen Streets). Built in 1927 by a congregation whose members had emigrated from the town of Janina, Greece in 1906, this is the only Romaniote synagogue in the Western hemisphere. As the name suggests, the history of Romaniote Jews can be traced back to Roman times. A museum of Greek-Jewish history is open on Sundays. Services are held on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

Shtiebel Row (East Broadway, between Clinton and Montgomery Streets). One block long, Shtiebel Row housed dozens of small storefront congregations at the height of Eastern European settlement on the Lower East Side. Today a handful of functioning shuls continue to hold daily services. The Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem, established in 1907 and the oldest yeshiva in America, is also located on this block, at 145-147 East Broadway.

At the height of Eastern European migration to America, the Lower East Side contained hundreds of synagogues of varying sizes and communities. There are many other buildings in the area that once housed synagogues, including Adath Jeshurun of Jassy (58 Rivington Street), Congregation Beth Haknesseth Mogen Avraham (87 Attorney Street), Congregation Senier and Wilno (203 Henry Street), and Congregation Bnai Jacob Anshe Brzezan (180 Stanton Street). Today these buildings have been converted into Christian churches, Buddhist and Taoist temples, stores and private residences.