Fire-charred synagogue rises to renewed glory

In July 2011, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, was closed for minor renovations when a four-alarm fire broke out on its roof. The scaffolding that had been erected for the roof work saved the 18,000-sf sanctuary from severe damage. But the blaze, whose origin remains undetermined, left the 110-year-old synagogue a charred shell, its structural integrity severely compromised.