Once it was the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn Shul - Now it is their East Seventh Street Dream Home

We haven't done much architectural blog content in the past. This story from the Times caught our eye today. It describes the transformation of the former Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn Shul into an East Village couple's East Seventh Street dream home.

From the pictures it looks like current creative owners made a great transition from a sacred space into a stylish space. The article comes with ten "after" photos. You will have to imagine what the original shul space looked like.

On Location
Once Sacred, Now Their Showcase
By MIMI ZEIGER

DOMINIQUE CAMACHO is passionate about the old architecture of the East Village. She holds sustainability workshops, supports preservation as a member of the East Village Community Coalition and, for much of the past 15 years, has gazed enviously at a former synagogue on East Seventh Street.

“I was captivated by the history and grandeur of the facade,” said Ms. Camacho, 40, an entrepreneur who operated a T-shirt boutique on Avenue A before opening Sustainable NYC, an eco-friendly store, last year. “Sometimes I’d pause, walk up the synagogue steps and touch the door.”

Built in 1908, the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn — which means Great House of Study of the People of Hungary — features a handsome limestone facade and a double set of pilasters supporting a pediment. After falling into disrepair, it was converted by a developer in the 1980s into five private residences.

So when the top floor of the converted synagogue came on the market in 2006, she and her partner, Gary Hirschkron, 51, president of AXA Partners, a life insurance company based in Farmington, Conn., jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, they were too late — the apartment was already in contract.

A bit crestfallen, Mr. Hirschkron looked sporadically for other places within a two-block radius of Tompkins Square Park, but never found anything half as exciting. Then about a year later, while casually surfing the Web over breakfast, he saw that the apartment was back on the market. The couple sprang into action and immediately put down a bid. They ended up buying the 1,600-square-foot apartment for $1.5 million in 2007.

Despite decades of neglect and renovations, the spiritual history of the space was still palpable. In the double-height living room, where the prayer sanctuary was originally situated, daylight streams through the large arched windows that bathed the ark and congregation in light. ...more...

Howard Megdal speaks about his new book, "The Baseball Talmud"

Who was the greatest Jewish baseball player of all time? Hank Greenberg or Sandy Koufax? Howard Megdal will tell you based on not just his opinion, but on "modern sabermetrics."

What is that? According to the book by Gabriel Costa, Michael R. Huber and John T. Saccoman, "Understanding Sabermetrics: An Introduction to the Science of Baseball Statistics,"

"Born in the 1970s as a radical challenge to traditional baseball statistics, sabermetrics has developed into a new way of understanding many aspects of the game. Its practitioners have created new statistical tools and revised our old ways of thinking about established measures such as the batting average, tactics such as the sacrifice bunt, and even who among the greats was truly great...[using] ... concepts including normalization, peak versus career performance, linear weights and runs created, as well as popular calculations like OPS (On-Base plus Slugging), WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched), PF (Park Factor) and others increasingly used by baseball fans."

While we haven't read Megdal's book, Tzvee's Talmudic blog can recommend any book about baseball and the Talmud sight unseen. Actually we wonder if this book has anything at all to do with the Talmud (from what we can tell on Amazon, it does not).

Be that as it may, if the book provides a "trenchant analysis" of its subject, using advanced techniques like sabermetrics, then we must approve of the use of Talmud in the title and of the book itself.

Howard Megdal "The Baseball Talmud"

Hear him speak: Sunday, Apr 5 2:00p at Borders Ramsey, Ramsey, NJ

A definitive position-by-position ranking of Jewish baseball players by New York Observer sports writer and radio commentator, Howard Megdal.

Man-o-Manischewitz - What a Quintessential American Jewish Family

We surely recall the advertisements, "Man-o-Manischewitz, What a Wine!" Well we can make exclamations about the family too.

We have a Teaneck contingent here in town via Ofra Parmett, great granddaughter of the founder. Accordingly our local paper. the Bergen Record, picked up the story from the RNS and improved upon it.

From wine to matzo to snacks, the foods from Manischewitz are ubiquitous in the Jewish community and synonymous with quality. (By the way remember that Tam Tam crackers, mentioned in the article, are great snacks, but they are not kosher for Passover.)

Family's name spells generations of pride
BY NICOLE NEROULIAS, via NorthJersey.com from the RELIGION NEWS SERVICE

For many Jews, the thought of Passover conjures up images of families feasting on matzo, kosher wine and for a few brave souls, perhaps, gefilte fish.

Chances are, the name on the packaging is always the same: Manischewitz.

For the family that traces its lineage back to Behr Manischewitz and the Cincinnati bakery he opened in 1888, the labels remind them of their family's pioneering efforts to make kosher food widely available, though it's a responsibility they gave up when they sold the Manischewitz Co. nearly 20 years ago.

While their family name remains synonymous with bustling factory inspections and community fanfare, Manischewitz's descendents now celebrate Passover — which begins at sundown Wednesday — quietly at home, just like any other Jewish family.

"People ask us about it, when they hear our name, but in my generation, the interest, in general, had waned in making a career at the company," explained Jack Manischewitz, 66, the founder's great-grandson and a retired grant manager for the National Institutes of Health.

About six dozen Manischewitz descendants are scattered from California to North Jersey to Israel. Most have different surnames, and none have anything to do with the kosher factory that's now headquartered in Newark.

Ofra Parmett, 54, a great-granddaughter of Behr Manischewitz who lives in Teaneck, said growing up with the last name Manischewitz wasn't always easy.

Jokes about the sweet wine licensed by the company were a particular favorite of Parmett's classmates.

"People always asked me if my feet were purple from stomping on the grapes," she said.

But Parmett, an artist, said the company and the family name that remains attached to it also have been a source of tremendous pride over the years. Stories about the company's humble Midwestern roots long ago entered family lore, Parmett said, recalling that her grandparents opened their Cincinnati home to Jewish cross-country travelers.

"Jewish travelers who needed Jewish food would stop there," she said. "Their home was very open. They'd be feeding all these people."

Giving up the company — and for the married women, their last name — came as something of a relief for Parmett's cousins, Jack Manischewitz and his sister Laura Alpern. In their youth, they had grown tired of jokes about their name, particularly in connection to the sweet wine.

But as adults, and especially at this time of year, when their family name graces supermarket shelves and seder tables across the country, they embrace a sense of pride in their past. They can also pass the family history on to their own children now, chronicled in Alpern's 2008 book, "Manischewitz: The Matzo Family — The Making of an American Jewish Icon."

Alpern, 63, a librarian in Switzerland, traveled to Ohio, Latvia and Lithuania for her research, aided by older family members and archival materials saved by previous generations and Jewish collectors. Her inquiries confirmed that the Manischewitz name, assigned to the family in America, is unique. She has found only a handful of Manischewitzes who are not related to her family.

American Jewish historian Jonathan Sarna, who wrote the introduction to Alpern's book, credits the "iconic" Manischewitz clan as helping devout immigrants succeed without having to sacrifice their religious traditions, a marked difference from those who had assimilated before them.

"The image was, if you wanted to make it in America, you had to abandon these rituals. You couldn't be too Jewish. You had to Americanize," he said. "And suddenly, here was this company that became a major company and its legitimacy, certainly in the early years, was tied in with the fact that they were Orthodox."

The family's machine-made, square matzo was deemed acceptable by traditionalists, even though the crackers bore little resemblance to the handmade, round variety that had endured for thousands of years. Mass production made the product affordable and accessible to all Jews, bringing back to the fold some who had abandoned rituals that seemed impractical for America.

"There's a large group of people for whom their only connection to Judaism is that box of Manischewitz matzo or the bottle of wine on their table at Passover time," said Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz, the company's director of kosher operations.

"It's the matzo they saw at their parents' table, at their grandparents' table."

Each generation modernized production and expanded the offerings — adding the popular Tam Tam crackers and wine during the 1940s — but by the time Behr Manischewitz's great-grandchildren had become adults, none had any interest in working in the family business, opting for careers in the arts or sciences instead.

Alpern thinks that perhaps if the women, who had assumed leading roles in Jewish organizations, had been encouraged to get involved in the business, the company would have remained under family control longer.

Then again, her brother noted, traditional women were homemakers, ritually restricted from handling matzo during certain times of the month. Only older women could be hired for the baking process.

This year, the Manischewitz descendants all plan to celebrate Passover at home: Parmett in Teaneck, Manischewitz in Maryland and Alpern in Switzerland. Parmett and Manischewitz stock up on their favorite Manischewitz staples for the occasion. Alpern has to settle for ingredients from Israel or France, but her family still prepares dishes from her treasured 1972 Manischewitz Passover cookbook.

"Manischewitz products have been sold in Europe for over 70 years, but Switzerland is too small a market for the company's products," she said. "When I am in New York, I always stock up on my favorite Tam Tams and macaroons."

Parmett said she is reminded of her family legacy almost every time she visits a supermarket.

"It's nice," she said. "You know, I guess in some ways I'm so used to it. You go to the store and you see your name on the box, and every once in a while you think, 'Oh, wow, that's my name!' " she said. "You've been used to it since you were a baby, but it's nice."

Staff Writer William Lamb contributed to this article.

Bulletin: Passover Cancelled - Rabbis Put the Holiday Celebration on 28 Year Cycle

Rabbis of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem announced today that the Passover celebration has been cancelled this year.

"After studying the laws for the blessing of the sun which occurs this year on its 28 year cycle," said Rabbi Steinsaltz, the head of the synod, "we realized that Pesach too should actually be celebrated once in 28 years."

Women were seen dancing in the streets of Jerusalem. Wine and matzo merchants congregated for an emergency protest at the Sanhedrin office.

The next celebration of the holiday will take place in 5796.

“The math is the math” - Al Franken prevails in court on the road to the Senate

The battle of the frozen chosen is nearly over -- in a way that we really like. The death match between the two Jewish politicians on the prairie is nearly done. It feels like the Ne'elah service at the end of Yom Kippur, the Eighth Day of Hannukah and the singing of Chad Gadyah at the end of the Passover Seder all rolled into one long Megillah. We are ready, with the permission of the judge, to recite the blessing over the absentee ballots and to make the election outcome kosher. Those two Jewish candidates sure are stubborn, aren't they?

Franken Wins Ruling in Minnesota Senate Race
By DAVID STOUT and BERNIE BECKER

WASHINGTON — Al Franken, the comedian turned politician, won a potentially decisive court ruling on Tuesday in his bid to replace Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican trying to hold on to his Senate seat.

A three-judge panel ruled that only 400 absentee ballots — far fewer than Mr. Coleman had sought — should be examined for possible counting. If the ruling stands, it could be devastating for Mr. Coleman, who trailed his Democratic challenger by 225 votes out of some 2.9 million cast and had hoped that nearly 1,400 absentee ballots might be recounted.

Even if the results put Mr. Coleman further in the hole, as expected, he could fight on, before the Minnesota Supreme Court or perhaps in the federal courts. His lawyer said Mr. Coleman had not given up.

After seven weeks of deliberations, the court said it would decide which of the 400 ballots would be counted in open court by next Tuesday.

The panel said it based its decision on “a complete and thorough review of the 1,717 exhibits and transcripts of testimony.”

“To be clear, not every absentee ballot identified in this order will ultimately be opened and counted,” the panel wrote.

Nonetheless, the political terrain as well as the mathematics appeared to give Mr. Franken a big advantage, and the lawyers for both sides recognized that.

“We feel pretty good about where we stand,” Marc Elias, a lawyer for Mr. Franken, said in a conference call with reporters. “But we’re going to wait until Tuesday for these ballots to be opened and counted.”

But Mr. Elias observed that “the math is the math.” ...more...

The Phone Revolution Accelerates: Google brands its Voice service and Skype comes to the iPhone

Last week I logged in to my Grand Central voice account and converted it to Google Voice.

It's free, its slick, it's not yet open for subscribers who did not have a Grand Central account. But... you can ask for an invitation here.

Tonight my son called me on his iPhone using Skype.

It's a brave new voice world.

Video: Geithner Denies Krugmans Criticisms

"Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner responds to Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman's critique of President Obamas bank bailout with NBCs David Gregory on Meet the Press."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker on Syria and the US Middle East Policy Under Obama

Watch it Barack. Be careful who you trust in the Middle East. Seymour Hersh thinks aloud in New Yorker about Syria and the policy of the new administration. I wouldn't trust a single word of this article. Here is how it ends:

The White House has tough diplomatic choices to make in the next few months. Assad has told the Obama Administration that his nation can ease the American withdrawal in Iraq. Syria also can help the U.S. engage with Iran, and the Iranians, in turn, could become an ally in neighboring Afghanistan, as the Obama Administration struggles to deal with the Taliban threat and its deepening involvement in that country—and to maintain its long-standing commitment to the well-being of Israel. Each of these scenarios has potential downsides. Resolving all of them will be formidable, and will involve sophisticated and intelligent diplomacy—the kind of diplomacy that disappeared during the past eight years, and that the Obama team has to prove it possesses.

Maos Chitim: The Times Teaches Us About Feeding the Jewish Hungry

The Times (New York's #1 Jewish Newspaper) has two incredible articles to inspire us to give charity to our fellow Jews during this difficult season in this difficult year. The mitzvah is called maos chitim - simply money for food, especially for the Passover Seder. Please give generously.

• Manna From Heaven? No, Try Brooklyn Instead.  With Passover starting in less than two weeks, a nonprofit group in New York is helping observant Jews get the food they require. 
• Even more inspiring: Mensch or Meshugana, He Nourishes Many Souls

Is this Criminal? $230,000 diverted to restore a defunct Eastern State Penitentiary synagogue

In our estimation the Times' story below reveals five criminal acts that have been committed in connection with the restoration of a defunct synagogue at the national landmark Eastern State Penitentiary. The acts are:

1. Taxpayers and a host of private donors and funders are paying Sean Kelley to be the program manager for a defunct penitentiary and Sally Elk to be the executive director of that closed penitentiary.
2. Philadelphia’s Jews diverted and donated $230,000 to restore the 31 by 17 foot defunct shul. List of donors.
3. The person who "discovered" the synagogue, Laura Mass, received a graduate degree in 2004 from the University of Pennsylvania for her thesis on the synagogue room -- for analyzing its "artifacts" -- pages from a holiday song book and pieces of plaster.
4. There will be more money diverted to create another "museum" to "tell the story of Jewish life at Eastern State, trace the progress of the renovation, and create a mitzvah corner marking the contributions of past and present volunteers who worked to sustain Jewish faith at the prison."
   
5. The Times paid a reporter to write this up as a straight religious news feature and to locate and interview Rabbi Martin Rubenstein, who was the prison’s last Jewish chaplain when the prison closed in 1970. [The Prison's own online press release is in fact far more interesting than the Times' story. Ahem, Mr. Hurdle. That reporter forgot to include the tidbit that, "At its peak, the Jewish population within the prison was no more than 80 inmates." And he also neglected to mention the news that more money will be thrown away for the renovation and stabilization of the Penitentiary’s Catholic Chaplain’s Office, "...with its beautiful Catholic and prison-themed murals painted by a former inmate." Perhaps when the Times covers the next story on the prison it can look into some of the dubious Wikipedia claims such as, "...the holy bible was the only procession (!) that the inmates were given while incarcerated," and the assertion that the prison system itself was cruel and inhumane, "It was widely believed... to have caused significant mental illness among its prisoners due to its solitary confinement." ]
   

For those of you who see nothing at all wrong with this whole unsavory and bizarre picture, be sure to hop on the celebratory bandwagon and reserve your spaces in the inaugural tours of the restored prison shul, filling up quickly:

This online reservation system can be used to reserve tickets for The Restored Synagogue / Lost Chaplain's Office Weekend (April 4 & 5). Tours of the synagogue are ongoing from 10 am to 4:45 pm. Please select your tour time from the menu below.

It's our view that it is not just a bad choice -- it is criminal -- for the government to use taxpayer money and for a long list of philanthropists to divert much needed funds and donations to create a monument out of a defunct prison -- and for the those funders and donors outside and within the Jewish community to use charity funds to help restore it in any way, shape or form.

Times' Religion Journal
Synagogue Restored in Historic Philadelphia Prison
By JON HURDLE

PHILADELPHIA — Jewish prisoners at Philadelphia’s notorious Eastern State Penitentiary in the mid-20th century had one gleam of light in their hard lives.

Within the prison walls stood a synagogue, a tiny room created from exercise yards by volunteers from Philadelphia’s Jewish community who believed that Jewish convicts should be able to practice their faith, regardless of their crimes.

The synagogue was built in 1924 and was used until the prison closed in 1970. It was then abandoned and suffered severe water damage that rotted the timbers of the ark and benches and destroyed plasterwork, including a large Star of David affixed to the ceiling.

Now the synagogue, the Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue, has been restored as a vital part of the 142-year history of the prison, which is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public.

The synagogue was named after its founder, a Jewish philanthropist who was president of the prison’s trustees in the 1920s. It is believed to have been the first synagogue in a United States prison, said Sean Kelley, program manager for the penitentiary.

After its yearlong renovation, the synagogue, measuring just 31 feet by 17 feet, has a mostly original ark, a reading table, and bench seats down the long sides of the room. A gold-trimmed Star of David is restored to its previous place in the middle of the nine-foot ceiling.

The work cost about $230,000, raised from private donations among Philadelphia’s Jews. The renovated synagogue will be consecrated Wednesday and will open to the public for the first time next Saturday. It will then become a part of the penitentiary’s public tours but will not be used for regular religious services.

On the left side of the room, a new bench back is hinged at the bottom, and can be lowered to reveal a bare masonry wall with three low doorways from which inmates — in the years before 1913 when all were in solitary confinement — would enter individual exercise yards for just one hour a day.

At the rear is a narrow kitchen where kosher foods prepared on the outside were brought in for the Jewish holidays. That space has not been restored so visitors can experience some of the conditions that preceded the renovation.

“We wanted to show what the place looked like when we found it,” said Sally Elk, executive director of the penitentiary.

The synagogue was rediscovered by Laura Mass, a University of Pennsylvania graduate student who wrote her thesis on it in 2004, and found artifacts amid the debris, including pages from a holiday song book and pieces of plaster that helped determine the decorative nature of the space.

Next door, another former exercise yard has been converted into a museum that will tell the story of Jewish life at Eastern State, trace the progress of the renovation, and create a mitzvah corner marking the contributions of past and present volunteers who worked to sustain Jewish faith at the prison.

Among the historic items in the museum will be the synagogue’s original front door on which the outlines of two Stars of David can be seen in the peeling paint. The old door will be set into a steel frame and left slightly ajar because a closed door did not seem very welcoming, Mr. Kelley said.

Conservators led by Andrew Fearon of Milner and Carr Conservation in Philadelphia have taken pains to restore the space to its original condition, even where the original materials were cheap and plain. The benches, for example, were first built with simple plywood, and so have been recreated with the same material.

Rabbi Martin Rubenstein, the prison’s last Jewish chaplain, said the synagogue helped inmates feel connected to their families and their Jewish traditions. When Israel fought the Six-Day War in 1967, some inmates offered to donate their prison wages to help the war effort, he said.

Because Jewish inmates — a small minority in the prison population — were always on their best behavior during services, the synagogue was the only faith group in the penitentiary where a guard was not present, Rabbi Rubenstein said. Any new prisoners who were tempted to breach that trust were given a “very direct lesson” from more experienced hands that transgressions were not permitted, he said.

“It was important for them to feel that the community was still there and that we were there to help them,” he said.