Our congregation was incorporated in 1846 as Ahawath Chesed. After an 1898 merger, it became the cumbersome Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim. Soon, as New York’s midtown transportation facilities developed near our sanctuary building, the name Central Synagogue came into being as a convenient and practical reference to our location. Since 1918, the new name has been in use and in the April 21, 1918 Annual Congregational Meeting, the president remarked “While the corporate name of our Congregation remains the same, the name Central Synagogue seems to have been met with universal favor and we are getting better known in the community by reason of the change”.

Illustration: 1918 Central Synagogue stationary masthead.

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