Mechitza & Bima

The bima was built by David Lehmann and his staff of experts at Studio L, a full service design and build studio, 1401 Palisade Avenue in Teaneck.

Studio L utilized rift sawn red oak and repeated the design in the etchings on the glass panels to seamlessly blend into the existing elements that were built four years ago by others.

Herb Stern, past president of the JCT, and a noted graphic artist who has been involved in many of the Center’s artistic installations, worked with Studio L to incorporate the original mechitza design through to the bima.

Rabbi Lawrence Zierler said that the bima and mechitza provides a light and airy feel to the prayer spaces where it is being used.  Its use of a light wood grain color coupled with the unique design of the etched glass portion imparts a feeling of modernity in concert with a devotion to Halakha, and is a part of ongoing efforts to explore and implement a new direction and future focus for the Jewish Center of Teaneck.

The mechitza is made up of 12 panels each of which incorporates a 22 inch top of stylized glass with an  interlocking wave-like design etched on to the glass surface.  It is 65 inches high and was designed to meet normative Halakhic requirements and provide the requisite amount of closed space in the base portion of its panels while providing ample visibility through the etched glass portions on top.

The mechitza was designed and built by Presentations Gallery in Mount Vernon, NY, a leading designer and manufacturer of synagogue interiors, with a specialty in mechitza design and fabrication, in consultation with the Jewish Center’s past president Herb Stern, a noted graphic artist who has been involved in many of the Center’s artistic installations.

The mechitza and bima construction and installation project was through the generosity of Eva and Leo Gans of the Jewish Center of Teaneck.

Bima/Mechitzah Information

The Bima and Mechitzah

Rabbi Lawrence Zierler said that “the bima and mechitzah provides a light and airy feel to the prayer spaces where it is being used.  Its use of a light wood grain color coupled with the unique design of the etched glass portion imparts a feeling of modernity in concert with a devotion to Halakha, and is a part of ongoing efforts to explore and implement a new direction and future focus for the Jewish Center of Teaneck.”

The mechitzah is made up of 12 panels each of which incorporates a 22 inch top of stylized glass with an  interlocking wave-like design etched on to the glass surface.  It is 65 inches high and was designed to meet normative Halakhic requirements and provide the requisite amount of closed space in the base portion of its panels while providing ample visibility through the etched glass portions on top.

The mechitzah and bimah construction and installation project was through the generosity of Eva and Leo Gans of the Jewish Center of Teaneck.

The bima was built by David Lehmann and his staff of experts at Studio L, a full service design and build studio, 1401 Palisade Avenue in Teaneck.

Studio L utilized rift sawn red oak and repeated the design in the etchings on the glass panels to seamlessly blend into the existing elements that were built four years ago by others.

Herb Stern, past president of the JCT, and a noted graphic artist has been involved in many of the Center’s artistic installations, and worked with Studio L to incorporate the original mechitzah design through to the bima.

The mechitzah was designed and built by Presentations Gallery in Mount Vernon, NY, a leading designer and manufacturer of synagogue interiors, with a specialty in mechitzah design and fabrication.

Stained Glass Windows, Pressburger Sanctuary

Sanctuary's Stained Glass Windows

Offer Eloquent Backdrop to Prayer

Beautiful objects enhance the performance of mitzvot, according to the Sages.  This is a prime example of modern yet classical art found in the Pressburger Sanctuary.

As soon as one enters the Pressburger Sanctuary, one can not help but be drawn to the beautiful stained glass windows opposite the pews. The windows were created by Raymond Katz, whose modern interpretations of Jewish themes embellish many synagogues both in the US and abroad.

In 1963, Edward Anfang (later Center president from 1973-1975) offered an interpretation of the five elegant windows on the East wall.  We heartily repeat his suggestion that these magnificent full-color windows be viewed in the cool indirect light of a clear morning - preferably during the peace and spiritual solemnity of a Shabbat morning service.

The First Window

The State of Israel Window

The first window nearest the pulpit was conceived and dedicated to the then very young State of Israel. Here is depicted the produce of the land; its vineyards and citrus groves, olive and pomegranate trees and a row of majestic, multi~hued cedars which points the path toward a minuscule representation of the Temple in the center background: The upper middle area is illuminated by stout golden beams of heaven~born sunlight. Note the graduated terraced arrangement in the hills coming forward in the center area, a farming technique vital to the economy of modem Israel.

Unfurled under all of the artistic elements we see a lettered scroll, "Key m'itzyon t'aytzey Torah" (for out of Zion shall go forth the Torah). The word "Zion," standing alone, in elongated and artistically exaggerated letters, seems to permeate through all of the elements of this window, acting as a skeletal frame around which everything revolves. The right member of the first letter "Tzadek" is a representation of the Israeli flag, in which the Mogen David is given a red color: Can we interpret this as a subtle tribute to the blood that was shed in creating and holding together this young and vibrant Medinat Yisrael?

The Second Window

Dedicated to the Twenty-Third Psalm

The second stained-glass window on the east wall of our synagogue is dedicated to the Twenty-Third Psalm. Probably the best known of the 150 poems attributed to King David, which compose the Book of Psalms as we know it today, Psalm 23 sings of King David's confidence in the grace of the Lord. "In the vaulted works of art. the master stroke is Nature’s part." (Emerson)

In this window we see a survey of nature in all of her beautiful and simple proportions, skillfully composed by artist, Katz. The phrases of the Psalmist are each echoed in color, mass, shadow, and rhythm, Unlike our other windows, here we have no single element wrought by the hand of man (except for the, Hebrew lettering) simply sky, water, a canyon, a valley, and pastures.

Let us examine this artistic adaptation of the words of David. The overall pastoral stillness of the shepherd's environment reflects the mood of the entire picture and of the psalm. We have Green pastures in the center background, with a range of colors from green to earth. The whispering, cool. blueness of the still waters comprises the lower foreground, - not running swiftly, but with varied slowness as it emerges from the rocks of the valley of the shadows of death.

Subtle and variegated pastels in blues and pinks make up the sky and form a soft background for the very direct and bold word "SHADAI" lettered thereon. This is one of the least frequently used and most personal, designations of the name of the Almighty and is here intended to emphasize the phrase "for thou art. with me" " . "and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Two stout golden sunbeams borne heavenward from the lettering seem to reassure the future of eternity for men of faith.

We should note that only in this window is large oversized lettering used to form a readable name. Lettered names are worked into the design for several of our other windows; however, in this case the lettering stands alone, simply connecting- heaven and earth, while in the others it forms a distended and exaggerated part of design and composition. There seems to be little doubt that the desire of the artist is to accentuate the quiet relationship of the confidence of man in the graciousness of his Creator.

The Third Window

The Moses Window

Moshe Rabaynu (Moses our teacher) stands alone as the outstanding leader in Jewish history whose activities and stewardship dwarf all others by comparison. This personality appears in the very first portion of the Book of Exodus, and he remains on stage to the end of the Pentateuch. The last chapter relates to his death, after beholding but not stepping foot in the Promised Land. Artist Katz has skillfully integrated some of the outstanding events in the life of Moses and of the newly liberated children of Israel in this window.  This is by far the "busiest" of our windows, yet the composition is balanced and subtle because of the deft use of color, form, and density and because of the intentional variation of events in relation to size of the space allotted.

At lower left and almost as high as the walls of the parted adjacent waters we see the burning bush, from which the Almighty first revealed Himself and spoke to Moses, "and he looked and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed ..."

As we look at this area from different positions, the flames seem to move and we can also discern a change in the various hues of red and orange .

The upper right side of the window depicts a vertical arrangement of ten colored shapes, symbolic of the ten plagues brought on the Egyptians.

The lower center and lower right area, in cool blues, shows the crossing of the Red Sea. "..the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night...and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them ..." .

About one third up on the right margin, note the staff of Moses resting on the rock in Horeb, from which a cascade of fresh water, clean and transparent, seems to fall. "...and thou shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink ..." . '

At top center we see a round cloud, containing small white shapes. This denotes the manna, rained from above to nurture the hunger of the ever-complaining Israelites. "Behold I will cause to rain bread from- heaven for you, arid the people shall go out and gather. .." To the right we see another circular form, showing birds in flight. "...and it came to pass at eventime that the quails came up and they covered the camp all around ..."

As we move through different areas in this window, it is interesting that the particular situations are composed around the large Hebrew letter "mem," the initial of Moses.  This is so subtly woven into the composition that it may be difficult to delineate without standing back some distance from the tableau. The uplifted hands at left center relate to the incident during the battle with the Amalekites. "...and it came to pass when Moses held up his hands, that Israel prevailed ..." Just above direct center we see the bright golden shape of the tables of the law, resting on the summit of a mountain.  This, of course, represents Mount Sinai and the giving of the Decalogue to the people of  Israel and subsequently to the world.

This surveys the important events in the life of Moses, while he led the Israelites from the bondage in Egypt through the wilderness and to the promised land, always teaching them the Word and Law of G-d.  Many classic and modern examples of these events may be found in museums and houses of worship of all denominations throughout the Judeo-Christian world; furthermore, Moses himself has been depicted in various art forms. Among the greatest of these is one of the best known examples of Renaissance sculpture, Michelangelo’s statue of Moses crafted in one huge block of white marble. This is situated in the Church of St. Peter in Chains, in an out-of-way area of Rome.

In the recent autobiography of a well known contemporary photographer, there is to be found an interesting reference to Moses.  The author was on assignment in 1948 to photograph the mass migration of Hindus from newly established Pakistan (a Moslem state) to newly independent India.

"I have always thought that if I could turn back the pages of history and photograph any one man, my choice       would be Moses. While I traveled with this migration, my respect for him grew, for I glimpsed the colossal problems he had to solve.  But these people had no Moses.” *

*Margaret Bourke-White, Portrait of Myself, New York, Simon and
Schuster, 1963.

The Fourth Window

The Jeremiah Window

We continue our series on the stained glass windows in the Pressburger Sanctuary with an interpretation of the fourth window, created for the Center by Raymond Katz.

This window of fire and destruction reflects the writings of the Prophet Jeremiah (620 B.C.E.), which preceded the destruction of the First Temple (586 B.C.E.), the wasting of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylonia.
In the Moses window on the left we see a much smaller flame on the lower left -"the bush that burned but was not ,consumed." However, in the Jeremiah Window, the whole lower half seems to be ablaze-the flames coming up to the middle of the tableau. Our artist Raymond Katz has given Jeremiah full reign as the prophet of doom and destruction.

The name of G-d in large distended calligraphy is a blue overlay, framing the central group of buildings to symbolize the destruction of our Holy City and Temple. In another sense, the artist may be suggesting the buildings housing the ovens of the Shoah of recent history.

Jeremiah, Chapters XVI and XVII (pgs. 551-553 of the Hertz Chumash found in the book racks of our sanctuary) foretells this doom and warns an errant people of what is to come. As we look at the upper third of the window we see softer tones of pinks and lavender pastels. These delicate colors frame the pliant hands pointing skyward and crying "shivisi Hashem", "I set the Lord before me."

Jeremiah XVII concludes "Heal me 0 Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved, for Thou art my Praise."

The Fifth Window

The Zechariah Window

The' Zechariah window, the fifth and furthest away from the bima, concludes our series on the stained glass windows in the Pressburger Sanctuary, created for the Center by Raymond Katz.

When the articles, written by Edward Anfang (later Center president from 1973-1975) were first run in 1963, this information about the Zechariah, window was printed to coincide with the Chanukah season.

The prophetic visions of Zechariah not only proclaimed the lessons of all Jewish history, Mr. Anfang wrote, but most specifically the Maccabean festival. A portion of the book of Zechariah is traditionally read as the Haftorah on the Sabbath of Chanukah.

The fifth stained-glass window in our synagogue, counting from the bima, is dedicated to the Prophet Zechariah.

It is appropriate during the season of Chanukah that we examine this window. The prophetic visions of Zechariah not only proclaimed the lessons of all Jewish history, but most specifically the Maccabean festival. Therefore, a portion of the book of Zechariah is traditionally read as the Haftorah on the Sabbath of Chanukah; The hope held forth for the future of a people newly returned from exile in Babylon (537 B.C.E.) is artistically and dramatically portrayed in our window. Zechariah was one of these returning exiles.

The artist has built his composition around the skeletal framework of an enormous Hebrew letter, "Zayin,” the first initial in the name of our prophet. In a petal-like pattern, almost cubist in technique, and running the gamut of the entire spectrum in color, he has skillfully given leaf forms to the, "Zayin," hung with symbolic groupings. Each alludes to a specific reference in. Zechariah's message. In the upper right-hand corner, in brilliant red, we see four hammers symbolizing the four greats in our future history, whose voice will become indelible in the realization of universal peace. To the left we see four horns, meaning the four corners of the earth into which Israel will be someday dispersed-the horns, the calling together or ingathering of-the dispersed. A measuring
cord and, in the distance, a rebuilt temple foretell the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem and the temple. Below this we see a cluster of seven stories, each with an eye in different focus~this the daily watchfulness of the Almighty over His people .

The seven-branched menorah, beautifully embellished, stands for Zechariah's prophetic admonition: "Not by might, nor power, but by my spirit, sayeth the Lord of Hosts!"  The scroll inflight suggests the escape of universal peace because of man's failure to apply the moral law therein contained. The scales symbolize justice, and the four chariots are affirmation of the ingathering of Israel from the four comers of the earth. In total, the hope for attaining universal peace with justice under the watchful eye of the Almighty .

We should emphasize the symbolic meaning of this magnificent window and the affinity between the visions of Zechariah and the Maccabean festival.

Is it not traditionally correct that these prophecies be read on the anniversary of the rededication of the temple after it was defiled by the Syrians hundreds of years after Zechariah dreamed.

Simcha and Event Halls

Make Your Simcha or Event Unforgettable!

Wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Sheva Brachot, Brit Milah, Pidyon Haben, Upsherin, Fundraisers, Birthdays, Anniversaries,Family Gatherings, Parties Of All Types.

Our Pressburger Sanctuary(with beautiful stained glass windows), two banquet halls, and a spacious lobby will make your simcha an occasion to remember.

Simcha and Event Facilities


.Stein Ballroom.....seating at tables for 300+


.Weiss Ballroom.....seating at tables for 170

.Pressburger Sanctuary with seating for 400(beautiful stained glass windows)

.In addition there is a spacious lobby for your consideration.

.All rooms feature beautiful stained glass windows
.

.All amenities from coat checking, to brides room and valet parking are available.

  If you want to try something different, there’s even a gym and pool.

Other venues for smaller functions:

Sheva Brachot, Brit Milah, Upsherin, Special Family Dinners

At the Jewish Center of Teaneck we can help you plan every detail so your special occasion will be memorable. 



The Jewish Center of Teaneck can be serviced by all of the area’s finest Kosher caterers.

 Pressburger Sanctuary

Stein Ballroom

Lobby