Israeli President Visits Upper East Side to Celebrate Synagogue’s Grand Opening

The Altneu Synagogue on the Upper East Side celebrated its grand opening on Sunday with a visit from Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

Hundreds of congregation members gathered at the shul, located at 107 East 70th Street (between Lexington and Park avenues) for the dedication ceremony, PIX11 News reports.

Advertisement

“We are a very strong and united nation committed to doing good in the world, and the fact of the matter is that despite all odds, in the most difficult times since World War II, we are building another Jewish community, and another Jewish community, and another Jewish community right here,” Herzog said, as quoted by PIX11.

Herzog’s comments were timely, given that they came on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed on January 27, and a week after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas after more than a year of horrific warfare. Not to mention an uptick in antisemitism that members of the Upper East Side’s Jewish community have experienced recently.

The congregation was founded just three years ago by Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt, a Jerusalem-born, Moscow-raised rabbi who leads Altneu, and Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt. They had previously been giving sermons wherever there was space before permanently settling in the new location nearly a year ago, which was bought with money raised by donors, according to NY1.

Free Upper East Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox

Attendees spoke positively about the opening ceremony.

“I think this is really a space that is at the forefront of bringing people together … We have a wonderful mix of backgrounds people who grew up very observant, people who grew up not so observant and sort of bridging those gaps and coming together through faith and through empathy,” attendee and Altneu congregant Gary Dreyer told PIX11.

Advertisement

Another commented on how much he appreciated Rabbi Goldschmidt’s message.

“He’s very warm, very welcoming. He just really cares about his congregation and wants to see people do good,” Avi Goldstein told NY1.

Mayor Eric Adams was originally supposed to attend the opening but canceled, according to NY1.

Rabbi Goldschmidt, meanwhile, commented on how he would like the synagogue to serve members of the Upper East Side’s Jewish community.

“When you’re not at work and you’re not at home, where do you go? What’s your third place? For some people, it’s a Starbucks. For others, it’s a gym. We want to be the third space for people. We want this to be their happy space where they focus on community but also on their soul,” said Goldschmidt.

Have a news tip? Send it to us here!