Research Catalog

Eric Mendelsohn's synagogues in America

Title
Eric Mendelsohn's synagogues in America / Michael Craig Palmer ; with an essay by Ita Heinze-Greenberg.
Author
Palmer, Michael Craig
Publication
  • London : Lund Humphries Publishers, 2019.
  • ©2018

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Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.

TextUse in library JFD 20-1551Schwarzman Building - Dorot Jewish Division Room 111

Details

Additional Authors
Heinze-Greenberg, Ita.
Description
216 pages : illustrations (black and white, and colour); 23 cm
Summary
In America between 1946 and 1953, the German-Jewish architect Eric Mendelsohn planned seven synagogues, of which four were built, all in the Midwest. In this book, photographer Michael Palmer has recorded in exquisite detail Mendelsohn's four built synagogues in Saint Paul, Saint Louis, Cleveland, and Grand Rapids. These photographs are accompanied by an insightful contextual essay by Ita Heinze-Greenberg which reflects on Eric Mendelsohn and his Jewish identity. Mendelsohn's post-war commitment to sacred architecture was a major challenge to him, but one on which he embarked with great enthusiasm. He sought and found radically new architectural solutions for these "temples" that met functional, social, and spiritual demands. In the post-war and post-Holocaust climate, the old references had become obsolete, while the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 posed a claim for the redefinition of the Jewish diaspora in general. The duality of Jewish and American identity became more crucial than ever and the congregations were keen to express their integration into a modern America through these buildings. Hardly anyone could have been better suited for this task than Mendelsohn, as he sought to justify his decision to move from Israel and adopt the USA as his new homeland. The places he created to serve Jewish identity in America were a crowning conclusion of his career. They became the benchmark of modern American synagogue architecture, while the design of sacred space added a new dimension in Mendelsohn's work.
Subject
  • Mendelsohn, Erich, 1887-1953 > Criticism and interpretation
  • Mendelsohn, Erich, 1887-1953
  • Temple Emanuel (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
  • Park Synagogue (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
  • Mount Zion Hebrew Congregation (Saint Paul, Minn.)
  • Congregation B'nai Amoona (Saint Louis, Mo.)
  • Park Synagogue (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) > Design and construction > Pictorial works
  • Congregation B'nai Amoona (Saint Louis, Mo.) > Design and construction > Pictorial works
  • Mount Zion Hebrew Congregation (Saint Paul, Minn.) > Design and construction > Pictorial works
  • Temple Emanuel (Grand Rapids, Mich.) > Design and construction > Pictorial works
  • Synagogue architecture
  • Synagogues > United States > Design and construction > Pictorial works
  • Synagogue architecture > United States > Pictorial works
  • United States
Genre/Form
  • Pictorial works.
  • Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 208-211) and index.
Contents
Park Synagogue, Cleveland -- B'nai Amoona Synagogue, Saint Louis -- Mount Zion Temple, Saint Paul -- Temple Emanuel, Grand Rapids.
Call Number
JFD 20-1551
ISBN
  • 1848222947
  • 9781848222946
OCLC
1057376511
Author
Palmer, Michael Craig, photographer.
Title
Eric Mendelsohn's synagogues in America / Michael Craig Palmer ; with an essay by Ita Heinze-Greenberg.
Publisher
London : Lund Humphries Publishers, 2019.
Copyright Date
©2018
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 208-211) and index.
Local Note
EXAMINES MENDELSOHN'S FOUR SYNAGOGUES IN THE U.S. BUILT BETWEEN 1946 AND 1953.
Added Author
Heinze-Greenberg, Ita.
Research Call Number
JFD 20-1551
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