City Council OKs Barricading Old Synagogue

Calling the vandalism marring an old Boyle Heights synagogue a “tragedy” and a “scandal,” the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to immediately barricade the building and declare it a public nuisance.

Building and Safety Department officials consulted contractors Wednesday afternoon and plan to start work as early as Friday at the Breed Street shul, a city cultural-historic monument that was built in 1923 and was featured in both the original and remade “Jazz Singer” movies.

“It’s a sad commentary. It’s not being taken care of, there’s no protection being provided,” said Councilman Richard Alatorre, whose Eastside neighborhood includes Boyle Heights. “Maybe we can get to a point where that monument--historical monument, and important religious institution--can be preserved.”

The Jewish Historical Society and the Los Angeles Conservancy have long hoped to preserve the earthquake-damaged building as a mixed-use project that would include a museum of the Jewish community and space for religious services and meetings of community groups. But a rabbi who claims title to the building has pushed for its destruction, claiming that using it for anything other than Orthodox Jewish prayers would desecrate its origins.

On Wednesday, lawmakers were united in saying that the current state of the building is unacceptable, with graffiti obscuring the Ten Commandments, stained glass windows shattered and bird droppings littering the floors.

“What is before us today is to protect it from further desecration and destruction,” said Councilman Hal Bernson, who grew up in the neighborhood and became a bar mitzvah at the shul. “I have a special place in my heart for the shul, but it’s not just personal. This particular shul represents the history and culture of the early Jewish community in Los Angeles.”

Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, whose aunt, uncle and cousins were among the last members of the now-defunct Congregation Talmud Torah, which owns the building, agreed. “It’s an incredibly historic piece. It should be preserved. I would hate to see it knocked down.”

Jewish Historical Society President Steve Sass praised the council’s action as “a really important first step.” Next, Sass said he will seek input from a cross-section of the community about the best uses for the building, and try to assess how much restoration might cost.

He noted that government funds might be available either from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, because the site lies in the path of Metro Rail, or from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in connection with the earthquake damage.

Jonathan Zasloff, an attorney working with the historical society, said he is researching legal strategies to help take control of the building. Property records show that the building belongs to Congregation Talmud Torah, but because that group no longer exists, there is a dispute over who is really the owner.

“What we know is it’s owned by the congregation,” Zasloff said. “What that means, we don’t know yet.”

Rabbi Mordechai Ganzweig, who served the congregation in its final days before the synagogue ceased services in 1993 and has pushed for its demolition, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.