Every Friday Beginning July 21, 2023, 7:15–8:00 pm and Every Wednesday Beginning July 26, 2023, 12:30–2:00 pm

During Passover 2022, photographer Chuck Fishman documented the influx of refugees fleeing war in their native Ukraine. Coming face to face with hundreds of displaced Ukrainians, Fishman witnessed Polish Jews and the JCC Krakow mobilizing to help. What he captured was nothing short of tikkun olam (repair of the world). Join us for the opening of this moving exhibition following Shabbat Services on July 21.

On whose shoulders do you stand? Members of Coming Home and Central Synagogue–who have partnered over the last few years to build relationships, advocate for a more just New York, and walk with people as they come home from jail and prison–recently explored this question with world-renowned photographer Saskia Keeley. The resulting portraits speak to the power of art, community, identity, self-acceptance, and resilience.

The complexities, successes, and beauty of Israel were explored in this exhibition marking the State of Israel's 75th anniversary. Featuring Israeli and New York-based artists, the works on view represented a broad and diverse perspective of life in Israel today, with an emphasis on historically underrepresented communities.

Artist Laurie Wohl’s unique “unweavings” exist at the intersection of art and worship, text and textile. The piece included the artist’s visual interpretations of Jewish life, wisdom, prayer, and music with pieces from two series.

As part of Central’s “Get Inspired. Get Connected. Get Shabbat” initiative, artist Nell Breyer’s temporary installation added a new visual dimension to our place of prayer, offering us a unique opportunity for individual, communal, and spiritual reflection.

In this exhibition, photographer Fran Kaufman offered us a glimpse into a life defined by memory, loss, and love. Here, she told the story of a husband disappearing into the mists of his own mind, but a marriage that remains vital. Her sensitive, lyrical images illustrate a path of aging that is familiar to many of us--but also includes the twists and turns unique to her husband Bob's diagnosis of dementia. Their story is shaped by dementia, but is not fully defined by it. This exhibition illustrated a heart-breaking journey, but one that is life-affirming at the very same time.

The Shonim B’Yachad (Different Together) exhibition was part of an artistic and education project whose goal is the advancement of the values of pluralism, equality, accepting the other, and shared existence in Israeli society. The moving, thoughtful, and sometimes provocative art works in this show were created by students from diverse ethnic backgrounds representing all educational sectors in Israel, as well as students and adults with disabilities. This exhibition also includes works of youth from Central Synagogue’s current 9th and 10th graders.

Central Synagogue is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in New York City. But it is much more than a building—it is the spiritual home of a community. The building has really been built twice. First, it was constructed (1870-72) according to the visionary plans of architect Henry Fernbach, who was engaged to design a sacred space for a growing community of mostly German Jews. Second, a devastating fire forced our still-growing and increasingly diverse community to rebuild around the turn of the 21st century (1998-2001). These two moments, of building and rebuilding, have defined our community through time.

Community Members from Emmaus House Harlem and Central Synagogue have been partnering together over the last few years to build relationships, advocate for a more just New York, and walk with people as they come home from jail and prison. These two communities came together to work with world-renowned photographer Saskia Keeley to learn from and with one another through the lens of the camera.

How has the pandemic changed our lives? How has it affected the way we see the world? How has it influenced the ways in which we come together? Early in the pandemic, the Central Synagogue community participated in a series of virtual photojournalism workshops that helped us answer these questions. Participants went out into the world to photograph what they saw. The images they captured show how our community has weathered the past years, but also gives a glimpse of what our future might look like.

The exhibition of photographs by Judy Glickman Lauder, Beyond the Shadows, described the horrific sites of the Holocaust while telling the uplifting story of the Danish Rescue. By viewing the sites of destruction alongside the faces of Danish citizens (who, in 1943, spirited their Jewish neighbors to safety in Sweden), we can begin to see where hate leads and how we can stand up to it. "Beyond the Shadows is powerful and revealing, and sharply relevant to all of us who believe in the human family."- Sir Elton John