The Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side: A Retrospective and Contemporary View, 2nd Edition Hardcover – November 1, 2012

I really wasn't, born on the lower East side, and this book makes me feel I grew up, seeing and attending these beautiful shuls. Nine stars and a million kudos for sharing with me, the feeling inside of these palaces of God and my ancestors.

It's small black and white and doesn't have pictures of every shul of what it used to look like and looks like now which is what I was expecting. Disappointed! 😔 There are some pictures of places that have since been remodeled since it's printing and before and after the fire at a synagogue. 😞

Great book. Very interesting stories and photos.

This is an important book and a valuable historic document -- meticulously researched and expertly written by Prof. Gerard Wolfe. He describes in intricate detail the religious heritage of the iconic immigrant neighborhood that formed the heart of the American Jewish experience. It is fascinating to read Prof. Wolfe's narrative tracing the history of Jewish houses of worship in NYC and focusing on 12 active synagogues, 24 "lost" or endangered synagogeues and a handful of other significant buildings in the neighborhood. The text is accompanied by fine contemporary photographs by Norman Borden and beautiful ones by Jo Renee Fine from the first edition of the book (1978). This is a book that you will be proud to own and to pass on to future generations. It is an excellent gift for Jewish holidays and other occasions.Joyce Mendelsohn, author: The Lower East Side Remembered and Revisited (second edition, Columbia University Press, 2009)

As a former resident of the Lower East Side, I found this book illuminating. Over the years, I would walk the neighborhood, turn a corner and find unexpected gems of beauty.Synagogues of New York's Lower East Side by Gerard R. Wolfe, explains who built these wonder places of worship and the fascinating communities they served. I have also mourned, as wrecking balls and construction meant the destruction of these places of spirituality. So it was a happy discovery to see Norman Borden's photos, documenting, which places were still around, and how they had been preserved. This book is a monument to the vitality of Jewish community and a visit to the architectural beauty that we city-dwellers can take for granted. How great to turn a corner and see them there!

Yes, this is a book about synagogues and congregations--but it is so much more. The synagogues express the full depth and breadth of Jewish life on the Lower East Side, and remind us how rich and varied and peopled it was. We see how the tides of change turned some synagogues into churches (and one Buddhist temple), and how many of these became apartment houses. Packed with beautiful and illuminating photos throughout, the book also offers many tasty morsels of Jewish and American history. You'll discover who wrote the words to Hava Nagila (and where the tune came from); how that onion-y alternative to the bagel, the bialy, got its name; and where the forerunner to newspaper advice columns like "Dear Abby" was published, and much more.You don't have to be Jewish to love this book, but it wouldn't hurt.

I've been a fan of Dr. Gerard Wolfe for many years, since the publication of the first edition of this book. I am thrilled with the format, the photos and the updated information. As a NYC resident and frequent visitor to the LES, I think Dr.Wolfe did a wonderful job capturing the changes to the the community, and the sacred sites which they support. I might have liked a little bit more input from the local community, but that's a quibble.

A beautiful book that covers the history of Jewish life and synagogues on the Lower East Side of New York City. As the Museum Director of a museum created inside one of those synagogues, and as someone who loves the Lower East Side, I recommend this book.Marcia Haddad IkonomopoulosMuseum Director Kehila Kedosha Janina