Join us on Sunday, December 18 for our annual guided tour in Hebrew! Every year we treat our students and friends to a guided tour in Hebrew of a cultural attraction in NYC. This year we will visit two unique synagogues on the Lower East Side.
Our first stop will be at the Angel Orensanz Center at 172 Norfolk Street, the oldest surviving synagogue building in New York City. The synagogue was built in 1850 by Ansche Chesed and was subsequently used by other congregations until 1974. Spanish sculptor and painter Angel Orensanz bought the property in 1986 and transformed it into an art gallery and performance space. www.orensanz.org
We'll then take a 10-minute walk to the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum at 280 Broome Street (off Allen Street). KKJ is the only synagogue in the western hemisphere that serves the Romaniotes, an obscure branch of Judaism with traditions rooted in Roman times. After the destruction of the Second Temple, a slave ship carrying Jews bound for Rome was forced to land in Greece instead. Over the next 2000 years, the Romaniotes developed different ethnic and religious customs. The tour will include homemade Greek doughnuts. www.kkjsm.org/
Please RSVP as soon as possible so we can make arrangements with the synagogues. This is a free event - our gift to our students and friends.
PHOTO CREDIT: Angel Orensanz
