Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Frank Memorial Synagogue is a synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, United States
, named after philanthropist Henry S. Frank.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983.
The synagogue was built in 1901 on the grounds of the Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia, now the Albert Einstein Medical Center
.
The architect, Arnold W. Brunner, was inspired by the recent publication of images of several Roman-era synagogues in Israel
, particularly the handsome and largely intact synagogue at Kfar Bar'am
. Several synagogues had been studied by the British Palestine Exploration Fund
and illustrations were published in the Jewish Encyclopedia
.
The Frank Memorial synagogue replicated the round arch of the door of the standing ruin at Kfar Bar'am, and the lintel from the smaller synagogue at Kfar Bar'am that is now in the Louvre
. The inscription on the lintel is taken from that inscription and reads, in Hebrew, "Peace be upon the place, and on all the places of Israel." Over the door is a seven-branched Menorah in a wreath, copied from the ancient Nabratein synagogue
. The synagogue's floors are set with mosaic
s, although it was built before mosiac synagogue floors had been discovered in ancient synagogues in Israel.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, named after philanthropist Henry S. Frank.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983.
The synagogue was built in 1901 on the grounds of the Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia, now the Albert Einstein Medical Center
Albert Einstein Medical Center
Albert Einstein Medical Center is a tertiary care teaching hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An important aspect of the medical center is that of educating graduating physicians. The medical center offers residency and fellowship training programs in many specialized areas...
.
The architect, Arnold W. Brunner, was inspired by the recent publication of images of several Roman-era synagogues in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, particularly the handsome and largely intact synagogue at Kfar Bar'am
Kfar Bar'am
Kfar Baram , also Kafr Bir'im or Kafar Berem, is the site of an ancient Jewish village in Northern Israel, 3 kilometers from the Lebanese border...
. Several synagogues had been studied by the British Palestine Exploration Fund
Palestine Exploration Fund
The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society often simply known as the PEF. It was founded in 1865 and is still functioning today. Its initial object was to carry out surveys of the topography and ethnography of Ottoman Palestine with a remit that fell somewhere between an expeditionary...
and illustrations were published in the Jewish Encyclopedia
Jewish Encyclopedia
The Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
.
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
. The inscription on the lintel is taken from that inscription and reads, in Hebrew, "Peace be upon the place, and on all the places of Israel." Over the door is a seven-branched Menorah in a wreath, copied from the ancient Nabratein synagogue
Nabratein synagogue
The Nabratein synagogue is an ancient synagogue and archaeological site in the upper Galilee, in a pine forest northeast of Safed.The earliest synagogue uncovered at Nabratein dates to the 2nd century CE. It was replaced with a far more elaborate building, with lavishly carved masonry, that was...
. The synagogue's floors are set with mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s, although it was built before mosiac synagogue floors had been discovered in ancient synagogues in Israel.