Due to quirk of the 2015 calendar, this year sees the unusual occurrence of Easter overlapping with Passover. For those of you who are celebrating the freedom meal of Passover at home, we have gathered a collection of synagogues that express more chutzpah in channeling an emotional story than your average architecture.
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregationby Ross Barney Architects
The Jewish Deconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston, Illinois, was the first synagogue to be LEED certified. As such, JRC has committed to the principle tikkun olam (Hebrew for “repairing the world”), and education about green building. The design of the structure balances out the small space intended for mixed uses: education, worship, and community objectives. The first floor is composed of offices, early childhood classrooms, and a chapel. A religious school and library occupy the second floor. The third floor consists of a sanctuary, a social hall, and a kitchen.
© CetraRuddy
Lincoln Square Synagogue by CetraRuddy
Completed in 2013, the Lincoln Square Synagogue is the largest synagogue built in New York City in some last five decades. The structure has a 5,000-square-foot glass façade, a 450-person sanctuary, and 5,000-square-foot ballroom. In order to support the hosted services, parties, and classes for the “very involved community,” the synagogue has leased its third floor to a third-party non-profit and rents the ballroom in the basement for weddings.
Weinhof Synagogue by Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten
Located in the center of Weinhof, Germany, the new synagogue is just a stone’s throw away from the former synagogue, which was destroyed during the Holocaust. The rooms — foyer, Mikvah (ritual bath), meeting hall, school, and administrative offices — are arranged orthogonally. However, the synagogue follows the line of the only freestanding support in the building, along a diagonal plane. The building directly faces Jerusalem, the spiritual and religious center of Judaism.
Congregation Beth Sholom Synagogue by Stanley Saitowitz / Natoma Architects
The exterior of the orange-slice like building pays tribute to the Jerusalem Western Wall by using the form and color of the stones of the ancient structure. Inside, the sanctuary forms a space in the round, which organically centers the focus on the bimah from where all the services are conducted. Light enters the room from above, through a slice of sky, connecting the wall and ceiling with the illuminating light. The second building, sheathed in zinc, contains a social hall that opens up to the intermediary courtyard. On the plinth, two buildings are placed together, which forms the open space that connects them together.
Scroll of Light Synagogue by Knafo Klimor Architects
As the name suggests, the scroll is central motif in the design of the Scroll of Light Synagogue in Caesarea, Israel. The scroll is an effective way to develop a story fluidly, without the interruption of turning pages, which gradually and continually evolves to form a complete story. The building is designed in that manner, as a spiral, with a core structure whose form signifies the infinite and continual study of the messages of the Torah.