Qesher Book Club: "The Architecture of Modern American Synagogues, 1950s–1960s"

The Architecture of Modern American Synagogues, 1950s–1960s offers a fresh  perspective on an  important moment in American Jewish society and  culture as reflected in their houses of worship  and adds to the  literature on modern American sacred architecture. The book attempts to   decipher the synagogue's architectural design as a reflection of the  intersection of post WWII  Jewish religious/cultural identity; the move  to the suburb; and modern design and building  technology concepts.

Examples  include Park Synagogue, Cleveland Ohio (1953), designed by  Eric  Mendelsohn; Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (1956),  designed by  Frank Lloyd Wright; North Shore Congregation Israel  Synagogue, Glencoe, Illinois (1964),  designed by Minoru Yamasaki; and  more.

For more information about the book, see: https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781648431357/the-architecture-of-modern-american-synagogues-1950s1960s/

ANAT GEVA, PhD is  a Professor Emerita of architecture at Texas A&M University; a  register  architect in Israel; and an AIA associate member. She taught architectural design studios and  seminars on sacred architecture,  history of building technology, and preservation. She is the  author of  Frank Lloyd Wright's Sacred Architecture: Faith, Form, and Building   Technology; Modernism and American Mid 20-Century Sacred Architecture;  Water and Sacred  Architecture; The Architecture of Modern American  Synagogues, 1950s–1960s and co-author  of Israel as a Modern  Architectural Experimental Lab, 1948–1978.