Chapel at Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE ARCHITECTS:

The Chapel at Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue, occupying a former gymnasium, is a quiet place for meditation, connection and prayer. Beautiful materials and exquisite craftsmanship combine in a modern composition of space and objects that re-imagines the traditional synagogue at an intimate scale. The result is purposefully abstract, inviting deep contemplation. The project’s signature design element is its deep blue ceiling. Its pyramidal form creates an asymmetrical soffit which is meant to be read as both “roof” (a traditional “House of Gathering”) and “celestial sky,” referencing the night sky in a forest clearing. At the top, a luminous opening symbolizes God’s presence. From here, an ethereal, Eternal Light (Ner Tamid) is suspended above the Ark (Bimah), which is rendered in acacia wood.