Dear Listmembers:
 
Thank you for all of the private correspondence concerning last night's
catastrophic fire at Congregation Ahavath Chesed.  Many of you have asked if
this is the synagogue where I am organbuilder in residence, and the answer is
"no," I am affiliated with Congregation Emanu-El, which is one of several area
synagogues who will have to help the as many as 4,500 people from 1,400 member
families who worship at Central Synagogue.
 
I have returned from the site, and if there is ANY good news to be found, it
is as follows:
 
All of the stonework, including the two towers and their restored finials,
remain intact.  The stone walls of the nave are essentially uncharred, as the
fire was principally in the roof trusses.
 
THE STAINED GLASS WAS SAVED.  With the exception of the central boss of the
rose window above the organ, and the five smaller rose windows at the East end
of the nave, all of the windows in the side aisles and first (large)
clerestorey appear to be intact.  Unfortunately, the ENTIRE second clerestorey
and roof were burned and collapsed into the nave.  The standing seam copper
roof actually melted in the blaze.
 
The balconies remain standing, along with the side walls.
 
The Bima, or Ark of the Covenant, is badly smoke damaged, but is standing, and
a beautiful, moving symbol gives us hope:  The Ner Tamid, or the Eternal
Light, still hangs over the Ark, unscathed.  Most of the Judaica was removed
from the building prior to the construction work;  the two Toroht which were
left in the synagogue were personally rescued by the Rabbi, who ran into the
flaming structure, smashed the glass case, and saved them.  If a Torah is
damaged, it is traditionally buried the same way one would bury a fellow human
being.
 
The organ was destroyed;  the case dates from an instrument earlier than the
1937 III/25 Kilgen that was lost.  It appeared to have been the work of
somebody like Jardine, Odell, or the like, but further research shall tell.
 
The original architectural drawings of the building are safe in the archives,
and will be valuable materials for the restoration.  The Professional Circle
of the New York Landmarks Conservancy is holding a meeting very early this
Tuesday morning on Ellis Island (the Parks Department is providing an 8:15
motor launch so we can escape undisturbed and undistracted), and I will know
more about the situation after that little pow-wow.  Until then, thank you for
all the correspondence.
 
Sebastian Matthaus Gluck
Tonal Director, Gluck Orgelbau
Professional Circle, New York Landmarks Conservancy
 
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Note:  opinions  expressed on PIPORG-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity at Albany.
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