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Historic Eldridge Street Synagogue Gets New Window

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City's historic Eldridge Street Synagogue has a new stained glass window, capping a 24-year restoration.

The 1887 synagogue was the city's first congregation built by Eastern European Jews. It drew 1,000 worshippers during its peak years before falling into disrepair by the 1930s.

The stained glass window was unveiled Thursday. It's a focal point of the neo-Moorish interior. It replaces a clear tablet-shaped glass-block installed in the 1940s. There's no visual documentation of the original window.

The new window is modern, with a blue-and-gold galaxy of stars motif by artists Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans.

The restoration to save the National Historic Landmark sanctuary in lower Manhattan was completed in 2007.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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