Find more Congregation Rodeph Sholom Events
Description
An Illustrated Lecture by Dr. Samuel Gruber
This talk will explore:
The development and design of approximately a dozen synagogues on the Upper West Side
The commonalities and differences between these synagogues
The role of three generations of Jewish architects in shaping Jewish identity
Within a generation of arriving in New York City, immigrant Jews began moving Uptown. German-speaking Jews led this migration in the mid-19th century, followed by Yiddish-speaking Jews in the early 20th century. This movement was part of a broader process of acculturation and greater affluence, in which European Jews became Americans.
The construction of impressive synagogues Uptown served as both a link to cultural traditions and a testament to the Jewish community’s successful integration into New York’s diverse ethnic and religious landscape. In the first half of the 20th century, the newly developed—and still evolving—Upper West Side became home to a growing number of middle-class and upwardly mobile Jewish families. Over the century following World War I, New York’s Uptown Jewish communities fostered a rich architectural legacy, commissioning many large and often ornate synagogues designed by Jewish architects.
About Dr. Samuel D. Gruber
Dr. Samuel D. Gruber (BA, Princeton University; Ph.D., Columbia University) has been a leader in the documentation, protection, and preservation of historic Jewish sites worldwide for 35 years. He was the founding director of the Jewish Heritage Program at the World Monuments Fund (1988-1996) and later served as Research Director of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad (1998-2008). Currently, he directs Gruber Heritage Global, a cultural resource consulting firm, and serves as president of the non-profit International Survey of Jewish Monuments.
From 1994 to 2022, Dr. Gruber taught Art History and Jewish Studies at Syracuse University and has also lectured at Binghamton, Colgate, Cornell, Temple Universities, and Le Moyne College. His expertise in synagogue architecture has led him to curate several online exhibitions, including Life of the Synagogue, Synagogues of the South, and Romaniote Memories. Most recently, he curated Sacred Space: Synagogue Architecture and Identity at the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Since 2021, Dr. Gruber has been a lead researcher on the International Holocaust Memorial Monument Database project, a collaboration between the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University, the Miller Center at the University of Miami, and the International Survey of Jewish Monuments.
He is the author of Synagogues (1999) and American Synagogues: A Century of Architecture and Jewish Tradition and has published numerous articles, book chapters, and reports. His blog, Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art and Monuments, along with many recorded lectures, can be found online.
Beginning this summer, Dr. Gruber will present a six-part lecture series on the History of the Jews of Rome.
Date & Time
Wed, May 7, 2025 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue Details
Congregation Rodeph Sholom
7 West 83rd StreetNew York, New York 10024
