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Congregation Rodeph Sholom (Manhattan)

Congregation Rodeph Sholom is a Reform Jewish synagogue at 7 West 83rd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York. Founded in 1842 by German Jewish immigrants, it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.

History

City directories from the years 1845 to 1853 list the congregation as having met at 156 Attorney Street. The first building constructed by Rodeph Sholom, at 8 Clinton Street on the Lower East Side in 1853, is still in use by Congregation Chasam Sopher. It is the second-oldest surviving synagogue building in New York City and the fifth-oldest synagogue building in the United States.

Rodeph Sholom moved to Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street, to a new Victorian Romanesque building designed by D. & J. Jardine and built in 1872-73 for Ansche Chesed. Simeon Abrahams conveyed land to the congregation for a burial ground in 1842. This cemetery was on 88th Street between Madison and Park Avenues. By 1879, there had not been a burial in twenty-six years. It was removed sometime between 1897 and 1911.

Rudolph Grossman was the rabbi of Rodeph Sholom from 1896 until he died in 1927.

In 1930, Rodeph Sholom moved to its present location at 7 West 83rd Street on the Upper West Side. The move was supervised by Mitchell Fisher; then acting rabbi of the congregation, he would resign a month later due to what he described as "institutional restraint". The Romanesque Revival temple house and sanctuary, designed by Charles B. Meyers, were built between 1929–30 and dedicated on Purim in March 1930. Modern renovations to the lobby and multi-purpose room, overseen by MBB Architects and Chicago-based Judaica expert Amy Reichert, improved the building's accessibility and introduced new artwork.

Benjamin H. Spratt is the senior rabbi. Shoshana Nambi, the rabbinical intern and author of the best selling children’s book, The Very Best Sukkah, grew up in the Ugandan Abayudaya communities.

Day school

In 1970, Rodeph Sholom opened the first Reform movement Jewish day school in the United States. Its goal is to help Jews become self-aware adults in the world today. In 1972, the school expanded to move all the way through sixth grade, and since then it has expanded through eighth grade. The elementary and middle school stands on 79th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue. The Brutalist-era building has been renovated with a modern, accessible entrance and two rooftop playdecks designed by MBB Architects. Danny Karpf is Head of School.