I had heard all of the positive press about the advantages of spending the day on this quiet park-like island, accessible only by a free ferry from either Manhattan or Brooklyn.
There a lovely places to picnic, scenic views of the Manhattan skyline, lots of places to sit, walk or eat. There are playgrounds for the little ones. There is a free mini golf course. There are art exhibits and special activities almost every weekend. Families can rent quadricycles in various sizes and bike with their little ones in tow. Avram and I chose to rent bicycles and circled the island numerous times, enjoying the breeze off the water and the views of the city.
What I didn't expect to see on the island was THIS shul. It is not listed in any of the literature that we collected there, so I don't have any information about it. But if any of my readers do, I'd be very interested.
11 comments:
I've heard great things about Governor's Island but have never been there yet. Maybe this summer I'll get to check it out on a Sunday!
Found this article on the shul:
http://www.forward.com/articles/128186/
From what i read it was used as a shul for the jewish members of the military from around 1933 to when it closed in 1996.
Anonymous -
Thank you.
Very informative.
I can always count on my readers ;)
itsagift -
Dare I mention "meetup" ;) ?
I don't remember seeing this shul when I went last summer. Did someone say 'meetup?' I have a bicycle now and am itching to use it...
That's so interesting. I have never heard of a shul on Governor's Island. Was it open? Could you go inside?
Unfortunately, it was not.
I was hoping to peer in the windows, but even they were not easily accessible.
It looks so much like the surrounding buildings that I wouldn't be surprised if many people pass it by without taking notice.
Wow, I've been getting a lot of "off blog" response on this post.
A loyal blog reader, formerly from our neck of the woods, now residing in Israel, sent in the same link as Anonymous, along with this link as well.
Keep up the great sleuthing work!
Check out this article in "The Forward" about this shul.
http://www.forward.com/articles/128186/
G6-If I do get to go this summer, maybe, just maybe...
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