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American synagogues are closing at a record rate. This retired judge is rescuing their stained glass windows.

JL;DR SUMMARY Retired Judge Jerry Orbach dedicates his efforts to rescuing stained glass windows from closed or abandoned synagogues across the Midwest. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryChicagoJewish HeritageImmigrationArtCulturePreservationSynagogue ClosuresJerry OrbachStained Glass

Places mentioned

Chicago, Illinois, United States
"In Chicago, he found one filled with the rescued light of seven vanished shuls."
Northbrook, Illinois, United States
"Jerry Orbach moves through the sanctuary of Northbrook Community Synagogue with the practiced eye of a man whos spent years rescuing pieces of a fading world."
Southfield, Michigan, United States
"Wooden crates line the walls, some open, others nailed shut. Inside are stained-glass windows that have yet to find a new home towering panels from Beth Achim synagogue in Southfield, Michigan, each 13 feet tall and 3 feet wide."
Saginaw, Michigan, United States
"Among Orbachs most prized rescues are a set of stained-glass windows from Saginaw, Michigan luminous panels manufactured in France and salvaged just before their synagogue was torn down."
Kingston, New York, United States
"Standing before the crowd that day, Cooper described the scene shed witnessed when windows were removed from Ahavath Israel in Kingston, New York, which Orbach also rescued and relocated to Northbrook."
Lakeview, Illinois, United States
"Hanging above the entryway are two stained-glass windows he salvaged years ago from a shuttered synagogue in Lakeview, Illinois, where he used to go for minyan."

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Cairo Item ID 65491
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-10-30 05:30:59 UTC
Curated 2025-10-30 08:30:57 UTC