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Sacred Space

JL;DR SUMMARY Louis Kahn, a renowned Jewish American architect, played an influential role in modern synagogue design, although many of his projects were not realized in his lifetime. 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 SpiritualityCultural HeritageModernismCongregation Mikveh IsraelJewish ArchitectureMikveh IsraelSynagogue DesignLouis KahnArchitecture CriticismSusan Solomon

Places mentioned

Ewing, New Jersey, United States
"Three projects, the partially built Trenton Jewish Community Center, commonly known as the Trenton Bath House (which is actually in Ewing, New Jersey, and which Solomon has written about previously),"
Estonia
"Born in Estonia in 1901, he immigrated to America in 1905, and came of age in an era of opportunity and anti-Semitism."
Jerusalem, Israel
"and the unbuilt designs for Mikveh Israel and the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem (surprisingly not covered in this study), have survived as icons of modern architecture"
Pennsylvania, United States
"This approach was a reaction against the awe-inspiring effect of Frank Lloyd Wrights Beth Sholom in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, (1953-1959) or Minoru Yamasakis North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois, (1959-64)."
Rochester, New York, United States
"but his First Unitarian Church in Rochester, New York (1961-63) gave a clearer indication of where his architectural direction."
Glencoe, Illinois, United States
"light of revelation, Kahn preferred a diffuse light for reflection and contemplation. That Kahns approach differed from the dominant movement in synagogue design is undeniable, but, initially at least, it was as much due to the nature of the commission as from any direction from Kahn."
Syracuse, New York, United States
"Samuel D. Gruber is director of the Jewish Heritage Research Center in Syracuse, New York."

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