Lenora Garfinkel

Lenora Garfinkel (1930-2020) was an American architect, specializing in the design and construction of Jewish ritual buildings.

Childhood and education

Born Lenora Fay Josephi in 1930 in the Bronx, Garfinkel was among the first women to enroll in Cooper Union’s architecture program in the class of 1950.[1] [2]

Career

Garfinkel maintained an architecture office in Monsey, New York for more than 50 years. The business was ranked in the top 8% of New York licensed contractors.[3]

She designed the Atrium, an Ultra-Orthodox events space in Monsey, and the Viznitz Synagogue.[4] She became an authority on the religious regulations and design specifications for Jewish ritual institutions, including mikvahs and synagogues.

Personal

She was married to Sam Garfinkel, a pharmacist, in 1958. The couple had five children, 20 grandchildren, and over 50 great-grandchildren. Two of her sons are also architects.

Garfinkel died in April 2020 from the coronavirus. Her son and grandson died of the same disease within a week of her passing.[5]

References
  1. "Lenora Garfinkel, Monsey architect who designed Atrium, Viznitz synagogue, dies of COVID-19". www.msn.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. "Class Notes - Architecture". www.support.cooper.edu. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  3. "Garfinkel Architects". www.buildzoom.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  4. Levine, Sara (May 22, 2020). "Trailblazing Female Architect Succumbs To Covid-19 & Other Orthodox Jews in the News". Jew in the City. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  5. "Lenora Garfinkel, 89, noted Orthodox architect who lost a son and grandson to COVID-19". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.