The Actors' Temple

339 West 47th Street | Hell's Kitchen | built 1925

Open on the map4 entries

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1. 1922

   September

   Congregation Ezrath Israel converts an old brownstone into a synagogue

   Architect Sidney P. Oppenheim files plans in September 1922, on behalf of the West Side Hebrew Relief Association, to remodel a rooming house at 339 West 47th Street, a brownstone built around 1869. Workers strip it to its frame, adding new floors, walls, and a neo-Georgian brick front, and the building becomes home to Congregation Ezrath Israel, founded in 1917.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

2. 1930

   Rabbi Bernard Birstein turns the synagogue into the Actors' Temple

   Rabbi Bernard Birstein, a Polish immigrant who arrived in America in 1912, welcomes actor-comedian Red Baxter to the congregation and then opens its doors to other performers. Sophie Tucker, Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, Edward G. Robinson, and Milton Berle all worship there or perform at its annual benefits, and the congregation becomes known informally as the Actors' Temple. Birstein leads it until his death in 1959 at 67.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

3. 1941

   July 12

   Producer Sam H. Harris's memorial service fills the Actors' Temple

   On July 12, 1941, about 200 mourners gather at the Actors' Temple for a memorial service honoring Broadway producer Sam H. Harris. The large turnout reflects the synagogue's deep ties to the theater community clustered around the Times Square end of Hell's Kitchen.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

4. 2006

   November 30

   The Actors' Temple opens an Off-Broadway theater in its old sanctuary

   Facing a shrinking, aging congregation, the Actors' Temple converts its synagogue auditorium into a small Off-Broadway theater and begins renting the space out for productions. The venue opens on November 30, 2006 with a run of "The Big Voice: God or Merman?", while the dwindling dues-paying membership continues to hold services in the building.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

Further reading

• The Actors' TempleWikipedia
• Congregation Ezrath Israel -- The Actors' Temple -- 339 West 47th StreetDaytonian in Manhattan

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