Beth Sholom Synagogue
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8231 Old York Rd., Elkins Park, 215/887-1342
www.bethsholomcongregation.org
HOURS: Call ahead to see when services are held
COST: Free
While Jewish synagogues in the Philly region are plentiful, especially in the near northern suburbs, only one was designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Beth Sholom Synagogue, which means “House of Peace” in Hebrew, was built to house the congregation when it moved from North Philadelphia to Elkins Park in the 1950s.
It was the only synagogue Wright ever designed and it was the last project he completed before his death. The design is heavy with sacred imagery. A large glass pyramid calls to mind both a mountain and a tent, and Wright himself referred to it as a “luminous Mount Sinai.”
The congregation itself is of the Conservative doctrine, with a membership of about 1,000 families.
© Karrie Gavin from Moon Philadelphia, 1st Edition
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