50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Birlystoker Synagogue

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The Bialystoker Synagogue is at 7–11 Bialystoker Place, formerly Willett Street, between Grand and Broome Streets in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue.

The building with it’s Federal architecture was constructed in 1826 as the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church; the synagogue purchased the building in 1905.

The building is made of Manhattan schist from a quarry on nearby Pitt Street. As the synagogue is home to an Orthodox Jewish congregation, a balcony section was constructed to accommodate female congregants. In the corner of the women’s gallery there is a small hidden door in the wall that leads to a ladder going up to an attic, which is illuminated by two windows. When it was first opened, the building was a rest stop for the Underground Railroad movement; runaway slaves found sanctuary in this attic.

The Bialystoker Synagogue was first organized in 1865 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side as the Chevra Anshei Chesed of Bialystok, founded by a group of Jews who came from the town of Białystok, at that time located in the Russian Empire, but now in Poland. The congregation was begun in a building on Hester Street, it later moved to Orchard Street, and ultimately to its present location 7–11 Bialystoker Place on the Lower East Side.

During the Great Depression a decision was made to beautify the main sanctuary, to provide a sense of hope and inspiration to the community.

The synagogue was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966. It is one of only four early-19th century fieldstone religious buildings surviving from the late Federal period in Lower Manhattan, and is the oldest building used as a synagogue in New York City. It was added to National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 1972

Gridiron Superspreader

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The Gridiron Club is the oldest and among the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C. The annual white-tie-and-gowns dinner attracted about 630 guests this year. Last year’s even was canceled due to COVID, so this year was to be a celebration of a return to normal.

It has been reported that over 70 attendees of the annual Gridiron Dinner have tested positive for COVID-19. The Gridiron Dinner became a super spreader event. Two were two Cabinet members, two members of Congress and a top aide to Vice President Kamala Harris. Oh, in a shocking case of 1+1=2, Kamala Harris is infected.

Also in attendance were Chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Walenski. These top medical advisors managed to avoid infection though Walensky had a case of COVID a few short weeks ago. She was offering COVID advice virtually as she self isolated at home. Dr. Fauci said he wore a mask for the reception and only took it off to eat.

The A-list guests were asked to show proof of vaccination but not negative tests, and many mingled freely without masks at the dinner at the downtown Renaissance Washington Hotel. Thus far, none of those infected have reported serious illness. The Washington Post has learned of about a half-dozen journalists tested positive. Their identities are being protected since they did not announce their cases publicly.

After a cocktail reception, guests sat together at long, narrow tables for hours and watched satirical skits and songs performed by members. On stage that evening women in COVID virus costumes bounced around on stage while actors and a song lifted from Hamilton which altered lyrics shouting “I’m not gonna take that Shot!”  At the event’s conclusion, guests joined hands for the traditional singing of “Auld Lang Syne.” The stupidity and irony is profound.

These A-list viral hosts are getting the best possible treatments which most everyday Americans would be hard pressed to find. The Journalists and politicians are regularly testes for COVID-19, but what about the staff at the hotel? Are they getting tested and treated with the same level of care? Do they have a top notch insurance plan? Do they have access to the new Paxlovid COVID pill? The A-list guests have the status and access needed to stay healthy. If you don’t have the same status and access, so be it. Best of luck.

White house messaging now is that the pandemic is a matter of personal choice. You get to choose the level of risk you take every day while airlines and mass transit are dropped all masking requirements. No states have mask mandates in place. Only 30% of Americans have gotten a booster shot of vaccine. The white house is claiming victory over the virus even as cases rise. To mitigate public safety is bad for any re-election bid. Ignore the hundreds of daily deaths from COVID and go about life as normal. Welcome to the new normal of public health apartheid.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Saint Augustine’s Episcopal Church

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Saint Augustine’s Episcopal Church is located at 290 Henry Street between Montgomery and Jackson Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.

The church began in 1819 as a mission near the old Grand Street Ferry run by students of the General Theological Seminary. Led by former mayor, Marinus Willett, the mission grew. It was organized as a parish in 1824, and construction began on All Saints’ Free Church (“Free” meaning free of pew rent), around 1827. It was built of Manhattan schist. Around this time “Mount Pitt” (also known as Jones Hill), near Pitt and Grand Streets, was being leveled, and some of field stone used was taken from there.

The design, a Georgian structure with Gothic windows, is credited to John Heath. The church was consecrated in 1828 by Bishop John Henry Hobart. Edgar Allan Poe used to attend on occasion during the church’s early years.
St. Augustine’s is one of the few remaining churches in the country to retain its “slave galleries,” small, hidden rooms at the back of the church designed in the 1820’s as seating for enslaved African Americans. It was there that enslaved people were placed sit out of sight of the white congregation during church services.
The churches wooden steeple with slate tiles was lost some time after 1934. In 1949, the congregation merged with St. Augustine’s Chapel of Trinity Church, then located at 107 East Houston Street, and the new combined congregation used the building on Henry Street. The parish became independent of Trinity in 1976.
It was added to National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1980.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Trinity Church Wall Street

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Trinity Church Wall Street is an active Episcopal Parish that has been an integral part of New York City’s history for more than 300 years. In 1696, a small group of Anglicans (members of the Church of England) petitioned the Royal Governor Benjamin Fletcher of New York, then a mercantile colony, for a charter granting the church legal status. Fletcher granted the charter in 1697 and the first Trinity Church was erected at the head of Wall Street facing the Hudson River.

To ensure the church’s success, Governor Fletcher granted Trinity a six-year lease on a tract of land north of Trinity known as the King’s Farm. In 1705, Queen Anne made this land grant permanent by giving 215 acres, which Trinity has used over the years to support the mission and ministry of Trinity and Anglican Church. My 10th great grandmother Anneke Jans, was the original owner of the land granted to Trinity.

The first Trinity Church building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1776 during the Revolutionary War. After the war Trinity, and all Anglican churches in the former colonies, legally separated from the Church of England and became the Episcopal Church.

in 1790, the second Trinity Church was completed. This church faced Wall Street and was both longer and wider than the first. The new steeple soared to a height of 200 feet. President George Washington and members of his government were regular worshipers in the new Trinity building during the brief period New York City was the capital of the United States.

In 1838, the support beams of the second Trinity Church buckled. An architect named Richard Upjohn was hired to repair the building, but recommended demolishing the structure and constructing a new church. Upjohn, a fan of Anglo-Catholic liturgical style and English Gothic architecture, designed a church that looked like a 14th-century English parish church. The new Trinity Church was  consecrated on Ascension Day 1846. It is considered one of the finest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the United States. With a 281-foot high steeple, Trinity was the tallest building in New York City until 1890.Today it is dwarfed on all sides by office buildings.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Voorlezer’s House

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Voorlezer is a Dutch word that can be translated as “fore-reader” or as “one who reads (to others)”. A Voorlezer or Voorleser was the title given to a highly responsible citizen in New Netherland and later Dutch settlements in North America, who had semi-official duties in local law, education and religion. The title was predominantly used from the mid-17th century to the late 18th century in the small colonial villages. A Voorlezer could be an assistant to a pastor or, in the absence of a pastor, hold religious services and read scriptures, or run a school.

The Voorlezer’s House on Arthur Kill Rd, Center Street, Staten Island, N.Y., is a historic clapboard frame house in Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island, New York. It is widely believed to be the oldest known schoolhouse in America, although the sole inhabitant to hold the title of voorlezer, Hendrick Kroesen, only lived on the property from 1696 until 1701.

The present structure became a private residence for more than a century and is now owned and operated by the Staten Island Historical Society. It is likely to have been constructed in the mid-eighteenth century, probably in the 1760s by Jacob Rezeau, whose family came into possession of the property in 1705.

In 1697, the Dutch Reformed Congregation acquired a parcel of approximately 271 square feet of the then 80 acre parcel of land from James Hance Dye and James Fitchett, on which to build the house. While never officially consecrated as a place of worship, a now-lost structure near the Voorlezer’s House (possibly the original schoolhouse) was used as a meeting place for members of the Dutch Reformed Congregation.

The first floor contains a small room used as living quarters and a large room for church services. The second floor has a small bedchamber, and a large room that is believed to be the one used for the school. The extra set of floor beams indicate that the room was designed to accommodate a large number of persons. The floors in the house are of white pine boards, 14–16 inches wide.

Though well-maintained for many years, by 1936 the building had fallen into disrepair and was threatened with demolition. It was acquired by the museum in 1939 and then restored to how it was believed to have appeared around the turn of the eighteenth century. It was first opened to the public on April 14, 1942, and then again, after its second restoration, on June 27, 1985. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was added to National Register of Historic Places when that registry was created in 1966.

Shadow Warfare

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Forbes reported that 32 Russian helicopters have been shot down so far by Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion of it’s peaceful neighbor. NPR put that number at 125,  the BBC at 80, and Newsweek 77.

 I have been following Ukrainian Officer Starsky on Youtube. His footage of a KA52 Russian helicopter reminded me of a burnt out skeleton of a demonic beast. The KA 52 is touted by Russia as a helicopter that can not be destroyed. Ukrainians conscripts shot down the helicopter in Hostomel.

Non-state militias are set to play a larger and less supervised role as the conflict set to explode in the Donbas of Ukraine. The Wagner Group on the Russian side is a 6,000-strong mercenary force, which is usually based in Africa and is believed to be funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close links to Vladimir Putin.

About 1,000 Wagner Group fighters have been drafted in as part of the invasion. It was reported at the end of March that members of the group had been tasked with finding and assassinating the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. They failed. Though continuing to cause massive destruction among the civilian population, the Russian forces continue to fail on every front.

Up to 20,000 volunteers, from all over the world, have joined up to fight Russian invaders. The goal of these foreign fighters is to save people and save civilians. The bulk of thee foreign fighters come from the United States, United Kingdom and Georgia, which has also been invaded by Russia. Members of this legion were the first to confront Russians at the airport in Hostomel, in the Kyiv region. The top thing needed in Ukraine is a no fly zone to stop the constant airstrikes and ballistic missiles that are constantly battering civilian populations. Since they can not gain victory on the battle fields, the Russians indiscriminately kill civilians.

Assassins

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Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House in downtown Orlando will host a production of  Assassins, which is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman, based on an original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr.

Staged by the Florida Theatrical Association, and directed by Kenny Howard, the production makes amazing use of this historic venue which will soon faces it’s own assassination by developers who want it demolished for a condo sky rise, since what Orlando needs is more high rent shoe boxes.

Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical musical that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.

When Pam and I arrived, I knew I wanted to sketch the production as if viewed from Lincoln’s Presidential booth at the Ford Theater. Unfortunately the Saloon’s first level balcony was to be used by actors who appeared with blood red spot lights illuminating them from below during the show. There was another balcony above that but the sight lines made it impossible to see the stage. We finally climbed to the highest levels, having to walk through the actors green room to get there. From this vantage point, the technicians and stage director took center stage, while the performers worked on the distant stage. On the balcony above the stage a band performed. Unfortunately the acoustics were not stellar from where we sat, but we both knew the play and could follow along. I should note that even from our nose bleed level I could tell the performer for  John Wilkes boot has some major singing chops.

I tend to feel a bit uncomfortable with performers holding guns. Of course actor Alec Baldwin thought his gun held blanks when he shot his cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins dead. A lawyer for Alec Baldwin said on April 21. 2022 that an investigation by New Mexico has cleared his client of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” Halyna’s life was found to be worth only $137,000, which is how much New Mexico fined the Rust production.  Orlando is is also where a gunman entered the Pulse Nightclub and murdered 49 people and injuring 53 others. From as far away as we were, I could not make out if the weapons were historically accurate. The gun’s sound effects were at least played down, being unrealistic slaps.

Assassins will run April 22, 2022  to May 1, 2022 at the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street. Tickets are available now through Eventbrite. Tickets range from $22 to $100 for VIP seating.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: The Mariner’s Temple

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The Mariner’s Temple Baptist Church located at 3 Henry Street, in the Two Bridges section of Manhattan, New York City, began as a mission for European seamen who docked at the nearby East River.

Built in 1795, the first church on the Henry and Oliver Street site was called the Oliver Street Meeting House. It was built due to to the generosity of landholder and philanthropist Henry Rutgers. Henry was the descendant of Dutch immigrants who settled in New York City in 1636 and he prospered as a brewer. Rutgers graduated from Kings College in 1766, was a colonel during the American Revolution, and later became politically active. He gave lands and funds to his own Dutch Reformed Church, to Presbyterian and Baptist churches, and to schools for children of the poor.

In 1843, the Oliver Street Meeting House burned down in a fire that left it in ashes. It was rebuilt over the next two years. The present Greek Revival building was inaugurated in 1845. Accounts differ on the lead architect behind the new church; 1844 church minutes indicate a little-known architect named Issac Lucas was behind the design, while the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission attributes the design to the experienced and respected architect Minard Lafever, adding that Lucas was project superintendent.

The community that surrounded the church went through changes. By 1850, the densely populated Five Points neighborhood was notorious for crime, poverty, and disease. The church maintained a mission-driven presence in the community, focusing heavily on reaching out to troubled youths, reforming alcoholics, and trying to deter impoverished residents from a life of crime.

In 1859, a swanky, modern competitor called the Madison Avenue Baptist Church was built on Madison Avenue and 35th Street, it was described by the New York Sun as a “large and expensive church.” It cost $122,000 to build, or about $3.7 million today, and thus landed the church’s congregation in deep financial debt. Madison Avenue Baptist Church turned to the Oliver Street church for help, and its congregants agreed to give it. They contributed almost $80,000 towards their debt and agreed to merge with Madison Avenue Church. Mariners’ Temple purchased the Oliver Street building. The Sun reported that Oliver Street requested the deed to the other church’s property, to which Madison Avenue brought “a suit of ejectment against the Oliver street church folks.” A bitter court battle ensued. Judge Theodore Sedgwick eventually ended the church duel and ruled in favor of the Oliver Street Baptist Church. His decision prompted the full congregation’s return to their old home, now Mariners’ Temple on Oliver Street

Mariners’ stands on the oldest site for continuous Baptist worship in Manhattan.  It was designated a New York City Landmark on February 1, 1966. It was added to the U. S. Register of Historic places on April 16, 1980.

Green Washing the Pandemic

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The CDC changed the metrics it uses to judge risk assessment for COVID-19. I have posted a map daily on this site created by COVID Act Now and follow each states progress as it ticks up from yellow, which is a low risk, up to orange, and then red, which is very high risk.

In January of this year every state was a deep blood red. Slowly cases dropped and states switched back to orange then yellow, but none ever returned to the lowest state which is green. Overnight the map switched from a collection of yellow states and states that had ticked up to higher levels of risk in the North East to a map of overall green with a few counties marked yellow. The visual assessment is that overnight the pandemic ended.

COVID Act Now is the site I have followed for this daily risk assessment. They launched the site when there was no standardized government COVID risk framework, no broadly accessible testing or vaccines, and before there were incredibly transmissible variants like Stealth Omicron.

The CDC updated their COVID framework to capture what they call “COVID-19 Community Levels.” These changes reflect the decreased risk of severe illness and death due to vaccines. COVID Act Now worked towards integrating these CDC metrics into their map. Their former “U.S. COVID Risk Level” was replaced with a “COVID Community Level” that aligns with the CDC’s Community Levels. It takes into account the same three metrics that are part of the CDC’s framework, and grades them on a three-color scale to classify COVID Community Level as low, medium, or high for every state, county, and metro in the U.S. The end result was a sudden vast swath of green washing over the map overnight. It seems like the CDC by changing the metrics is green washing the pandemic.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Saint Paul’s Church Yard

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Built in 1766, Saint Paul’s Church  is the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan, and one of the nation’s finest examples of Late Georgian church architecture.

The main entrance to the church faced west toward the large churchyard and the Hudson River beyond what is now One World Trade Center.

Notable individuals buried in the church yard include, General Richard Montgomery, Revolutionary War hero ho is buried beneath the east porch of St. Paul’s.

John Bailey, who forged the George Washington battle sword in Fishkill, NY, while the Continental Army was encamped there. The sword is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution.

John Holt, a patriotic printer and editor of The New York Gazette, New York’s first newspaper founded by William Bradford, and The New York Journal.

George Frederick Cooke, a renowned British character actor. He played Richard III at the Park Lane Theatre to an audience of 2,000 on November 21, 1810.

George Eacker, a New York lawyer, who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton’s son Philip in a duel. Alexander Hamilton is buried at Trinity Church in NYC.

In 1960, the chapel was named a National Historic Landmark; it was also made a New York City Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.