First Roumanian-American Congregation - Collapse

Collapse

On January 22, 2006, the roof of the synagogue caved in, severely damaging the main sanctuary. Joshua Cohen, writing in The Forward in 2008, described the roof as "falling in respectfully, careful not to disturb the local nightclubs, or the wine and cheesery newly opened across the street." No one was injured, and a party to celebrate that fact was later held at the Chasam Sopher Synagogue on Clinton Street.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation issued a press release about the collapse, in which it described "older religious properties, like the First Roumanian-American Synagogue" as "national treasures", and stated:

The roof collapse at First Roumanian–American Synagogue this week demonstrates that houses of worship must have access to necessary technical assistance, staff and board training, and the development of new funding sources in order to save these landmarks of spirituality, cultural tradition, and community service.

Amy Waterman, executive director of a project to repair and renovate the Eldridge Street Synagogue, noted in The Forward:

Synagogues like the First Roumanian-American Congregation, more familiarly known as the Rumanische shul, were the first spiritual homes for successive waves of European immigrants. They were built more than 100 years ago, and just like the bridges and tunnels of New York City, they’re bound to fail if not attended to.

Though First Roumanian-American had hosted a wedding as recently as October 30, 2005, the sanctuary had not been in regular use for over 10 years as a result of the difficulty maintaining it. Services had been held instead on a lower floor, and by autumn 2005 the roof was so porous that on Yom Kippur—even in the basement—they prayed "with buckets". After a contractor found water damage in the ceiling beams in early December, the three Spiegel brothers had been holding services in their mother Chana's apartment at 383 Grand Street, where they placed the congregation's 15 Torah scrolls following the roof cave-in. The synagogue's historic ark was also retrieved from the ruins. According to Shmuel Spiegel, "the insurance company playing hardball."

Because the building had never been registered as a National Historic Landmark, after the collapse it was demolished on March 3, 2006. The New York City Department of Buildings said that the decision to demolish was the congregation's, but congregational vice president Joshua Shainberg said the Department of Buildings had left them no choice: "The Department of Buildings told us, 'You are to demolish it or we are to demolish it.' There were figures of up to $1.5 million for demolition." At the time of the building's collapse, the Spiegel brothers vowed that it would be re-built, but not nearly as large: "perhaps 20 feet high by 60 feet deep by 75 feet wide, which would cost about $2 million to $3 million."

Richard Price described the collapsed building in his novel Lush Life, writing that, after the demolition, only the rear wall with a Star of David in stained glass remained: "The candlesticks were standing up in the rubble, and the whole place looked like an experimental stage set—like Shakespeare in the Park." By October 2007 all that was left was "an empty lot dotted with weeds and crushed bricks". In a 2008 addendum to his book Dough: A Memoir, Mort Zachter described the remains as "a multimillion dollar real estate opportunity masquerading as a vacant, weed-strewn lot."