By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
SOHO — The Torah may have been around for more than a millennium, but SoHo's first synagogue is proving that Judaism doesn't have to look its age.
Artist renderings of the SoHo Synagogue — dubbed the “hipster synagogue” — at 43 Crosby Street show huge, back-lit windows, a modern Torah ark made up of movable orbs and a vibrant color theme more befitting a hot night spot than a house of prayer.
But the founders of the SoHo Synagogue said that the modern prayer space, which is scheduled to open in early 2011, will appeal to its forward-thinking followers.
“It’s not a typical, old-fashioned congregation, so this is not going to look like a typical sanctuary,” said the synagogue's Tel Aviv-born designer, Dror Benshetrit, 33. “It’s a fresh take that’s new and modern and interactive and playful.”
The synagogue's interior, which measures 1,600 square feet, can be transformed from a place of worship into a variety of uses, including a lecture hall, a movie theater, a lounge and more.
Benshetrit said the synagogue's chairs can be hung on walls to form artwork when prayer services are finished, and a collapsible dining table can be easily stowed away during parties or times of worship.
The renovation cost between $300,000 and $400,000, synagogue management said.
Rabbi Dovi Scheiner, 33, who established the synagogue with his wife, Esty, to reinvigorate downtown Jewish life post 9/11, said the new shul will have frequent services in a “boutique synagogue” setting with only 72 seats.
He says his variety of programming — from gala dinners at Cipriani to private loft and roof-top “Torah cocktail parties” — has hit a sweet spot with young, predominately secular Jews in the area.
“Being in SoHo and having that authentic vibe has been a huge part of our success,” Scheiner said. “The following we have is mainly young professionals, who are mostly secular and whose real relationship with a synagogue was previously a stretch. We try to make the synagogue as part of their lives but we realize that their lives are diverse and have diverse needs.”
Still, the synagogue does maintain some age-old traditions — men and women still sit separately during worship services.
“We’re updating the synagogue experience for a new generation,” Scheiner said. “We hope to be around for a long time.”
