Anshe Sfard is a synagogue in the Garden District

Garden District, New Orleans

The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Toledano Street to the...

 neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

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The congregation was founded by Hasidic Jews from Lithuania. The congregation today is Modern Orthodox

Modern Orthodox Judaism

Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....

. It is located in the historic building at 2230 Carondelet Street

Carondelet Street

Carondelet Street is a famous street in New Orleans. It is one-way eastbound. It starts at Robert Street in the Garden District and continues to Josephine Street. One must turn left at this point, and then right. Then, Carondelet Street continues. Carondelet Street goes up to Canal Street, and...

. Anshe Sfard's historic 1925 building features a barrel-vaulted ceiling ribbed with beams studded with electric light bulbs, a decorative feature common at the time, it was inspired by the great excitement over the newly invented incandescent bulb. The Rundbogenstil

Rundbogenstil

Rundbogenstil , one of the nineteenth-century historic revival styles of architecture, is a variety of Romanesque revival popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora....

 exterior is brick, with triple arched Neo-Byzantine doors.

After Hurricane Katrina, Anshe Sfard was damaged. It did not reopen until 2006. The synagogue's Torah scrolls were rescued during Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

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The congregation, located a short walk from downtown hotels in the beautiful Garden District, welcomes tourists and business travelers to attend services.