Gates of Heaven Synagogue

The first Jewish residents of Madison were German-speaking immigrants from Bohemia who began arriving in the area in the 1850s.{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|pp=323–324}} In March 1856,{{sfn|Chariton|2021|p=26}} the seventeen Jewish families then present in Madison established a synagogue, becoming the second Jewish community in Wisconsin.{{Cite web |title=Jews in Wisconsin |date=3 August 2012 |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS1872 |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |access-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118080749/https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS1872 |url-status=live}} The congregation was originally named Ahavath Achim (translated from Hebrew as "Brother Love"){{sfn|Swarsensky|1955|p=37}} and later changed to Shaare Shomaim (translated from Hebrew as "Gates of Heaven").{{sfn|Levitan|2006|p=57}}{{sfn|Postal|Koppman|1986|p=266}} The synagogue adhered to the Reform movement.{{Sfn|Goldsmith|1977|p=33}} In 1859, the congregation bought a plot of land in the newly established Forest Hill Cemetery for use as a Jewish burial ground.{{sfn|Swarsensky|1955|p=94}}

Until 1861, the synagogue met in the home of Samuel Klauber,{{sfn|Levitan|2006|p=57}} its treasurer and the first Jewish resident of Madison.{{sfn|Levitan|2006|p=57}}{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|p=323}} A commission for the construction of a religious edifice to house the congregation was organized in 1862. The architect the commission selected to design the synagogue building was August Kutzbock,{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|p=324}} a German immigrant who designed several buildings in Madison through the 1850s, including the original city hall and the home of Governor Leonard Farwell.{{Cite web |last=Weisiger |first=Marsha |editor1-last=Esperdy |editor1-first=Gabrielle |editor2-last=Kingsley |editor2-first=Karen |title=Mansion Hill Historic District |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-DA26 |work=SAH Archipedia |date=August 2018 |publisher=Society of Architectural Historians |access-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118080749/https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-DA26 |url-status=live}}{{Sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=6}}

In October 1862,{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=4}} the congregation purchased a lot at 214 West Washington Avenue,{{Cite web |title=E. Gorham St. at N. Butler St. |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2204 |work=Wisconsin Historical Society |date=January 2012 |access-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807031707/https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2204 |url-status=live}} next to a congregational church.{{sfn|Levitan|2006|p=57}} The foundation of the Gates of Heaven Synagogue was finished by April 10, 1863,{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|p=324}} and was fully finished and consecrated on September 5 by a rabbi from Milwaukee.{{sfn|Levitan|2006|p=57}} Attendees at the consecration included the Governor of Wisconsin, Mayor of Madison, members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and Kutzbock.{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=4}} Construction of the synagogue cost $3000 {{USDCY|3000|1863}}.{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|p=324}} Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, the Wisconsin Legislature met for a memorial service at the Gates of Heaven synagogue.{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=4}}

File:Synagogue and Congregational Church, Louis Kurz.jpg

The Gates of Heaven congregation never exceeded twenty families, nor was it served by an ordained rabbi. The brother of one of its members, Joseph M. Thuringer, came from Germany to serve as the congregation's rabbi at its invitation. The fortunes of the congregation declined through the 1870s and they began leaving Madison throughout the decade.{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=4}} By 1878, the congregation had shrunk to six members.{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|p=323}}

In 1879, the congregation rented the building to the First Unitarian Society of Madison until it moved out in 1885,{{cite news |last=Waxman |first=Andrea |title=In new space, Madison's Shaarei Shamayim comes full circle |work=Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle |date=September 25, 2008 |url=http://www.jewishchronicle.org/article.php?article_id=10640 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716215427/http://www.jewishchronicle.org/article.php?article_id=10640 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead}} then to the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1890, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1898, and then the English Lutheran Church in 1908.{{sfn|Historic Madison|2002|p=324}} The Jewish congregation sold the synagogue in 1916, providing $1,500 {{USDCY|1500|1916}} to the city for the perpetual care of the Jewish graves in Forest Hill Cemetery.{{sfn|Swarsensky|1955|p=95}} The remaining money from the synagogue's sale was distributed to various charitable causes, including the Madison General Hospital, relief for Jews in Europe, the Chinese Famine Fund, and the Palestine Foundation Fund. The congregation's Torah scroll was donated to the Orthodox synagogue in Madison, Agudas Achim. The congregation held its last meeting in 1922, after meeting in members' homes for decades.{{sfn|Swarsensky|1955|p=40}} Throughout its existence from 1856 to 1922, the Gates of Heaven congregation kept detailed records of its meetings, which are now held by the American Jewish Historical Society in New York City.{{sfn|Swarsensky|1955|p=37}}{{Cite web |title=Collection: Gates of Heaven Synagogue (Madison, Wis.) |url=https://archives.cjh.org/repositories/3/resources/5652 |access-date=January 22, 2024 |website=American Jewish Historical Society |archive-date=September 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926232125/https://archives.cjh.org/repositories/3/resources/5652 |url-status=live}}

The synagogue was purchased in 1916 by Arthur and George Gil, who used the building for their funeral home until they sold the building in 1930. Subsequently it was a hotel, a warehouse for government documents during World War II, a church, a dentist's office, a veterinary clinic,{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=6}} and finally the office of United States House of Representatives member Robert Kastenmeier.{{Cite web |last=Stoler |first=Lois |title=Gates of Heaven Synagogue |url=https://www.historicmadison.org/gatesofheavensynagogue |access-date=January 19, 2024 |publisher=Historic Madison, Inc}}

By 1970, the Gates of Heaven synagogue—by then known as the Old Synagogue—was owned by the Fiore Coal and Oil Company. On July 20, 1970, a permit for the synagogue's demolition was obtained to make way for development. Manfred Swarsensky, rabbi of the nearby Temple Beth El and historian of the Jews in Madison, despaired of the possibility of preserving the synagogue.{{Cite news |last=Mitchell |first=George |title=Old Synagogue Waits Wrecking Crew |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139224139 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=July 21, 1970 |page=13 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |title=First Synagogue Here Soon To Be Wrecked |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53703587 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=July 21, 1970 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} Norton Stoler, a local who had unsuccessfully attempted to raise funds to move and preserve a historic farmhouse,{{sfn|Wisconsin Historical Society|1971|p=4}} approached Fiore the following day about the possibility of moving the synagogue.{{Cite news |title=Attempt is Made to Save Synagogue |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139226239 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=July 22, 1970 |page=29 |via=Newspapers.com}} On July 23, Fiore granted a six-month grace period for the possibility of fundraising and the moving of the synagogue to a new site,{{Cite news |title=Six-Month Respite Granted to Save Old Synagogue |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139227457 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=July 23, 1970 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Mitchell |first=George |title=Old Synagogue Is Spared, Possibly for Six Months |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139228099 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=July 23, 1970 |page=37 |via=Newspapers.com}} which was estimated to cost between $20,000 {{USDCY|30000|1970}} and $100,000 {{USDCY|100000|1970}}.

File:Gates of Heaven Synagogue LA Stager.png

To raise money for the synagogue's preservation, Norton and Lois Stoler established the Gates of Heaven Synagogue Preservation Fund in September and led its fundraising efforts. Supported by Fiore via the donation of Kastenmeier's rent and the Taychopera Foundation, a local historical preservationist organization, and the city government,{{Sfn|Wisconsin Historical Society|1971|pp=4–5}} the Fund raised $15,715 {{USDCY|15715|1971}} in cash donations and at least $13,500 {{USDCY|13500|1971}} in services and materials,{{Cite news |last=Krumme |first=Mackenzie |date=June 28, 2018 |title=Madison's First Synagogue: The History of Gates of Heaven |url=https://madison365.com/madisons-first-synagogue-the-history-of-gates-of-heaven/ |work=Madison365 |access-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113003817/https://madison365.com/madisons-first-synagogue-the-history-of-gates-of-heaven/ |url-status=live}} which was bolstered by a $29,500 {{USDCY|29500|1971}} matched grant from the Department of Housing And Urban Development in May 1971.{{Sfn|Wisconsin Historical Society|1971|p=5}} Other donors included the Madison Fire Department and Oscar Mayer.{{Cite news |last=Custer |first=Frank |title=Stolers' Longtime Interest Key to Saving Synagogue |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139228026 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=June 15, 1971 |page=39 |via=Newspapers.com}} On December 17, 1970, Donald N. Anderson of the Wisconsin Historical Society nominated the Gates of Heaven Synagague for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as the Old Synagogue. The nomination was received on December 22 and was approved, and thus the synagogue included on the Register, on December 29.{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=5}} At the time, the city's Department of Housing and Development was headed by Sol Levin, who took an interest in the project and was granted the opportunity to supervise the project from then on.{{Sfn|Bitner|2007|p=358}}

On January 6, 1971, the Madison City Park Commission approved a request to relocate the Gates of Heaven Synagogue to a site in James Madison Park.{{Cite news |title=Park Site Picked for Old Synagogue |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139374696 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=January 7, 1971 |page=33 |via=Newspapers.com}} Fiore set May 1 as the deadline for removing the Gates of Heaven synagogue,{{Cite news |title=HUD Support Is Needed to Save Old Synagogue |url=https://wwww.newspapers.com/clip/139377524 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=March 3, 1971 |page=33 |via=Newspapers.com}} and sold the plot under the synagogue to the David Murdock Development Company,{{Sfn|Wisconsin Historical Society|1971|p=5}} which was to construct a ten-story office building for the Madison Bank and Trust Company.{{Cite news |title=Building Plan Casts Doubt On Old Synagogue's Fate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378070 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2024-01-23 |archive-date=2024-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125063851/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-building-plan-casts-do/139378070/ |url-status=live}} In response to public pressure,{{sfn|Wisconsin Historical Society|1971|p=5}} Murdock extended the grace period to July 10.{{Cite news |last=Custer |first=Frank |title=Gates of Heaven Preservation Gets Construction Firm Boost |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378179 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=May 25, 1971 |page=19 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125064003/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-gates-of-heaven-preser/139378179/ |url-status=live}} Despite broad local support for the preservation efforts, the project faced some opposition. A city council meeting in June was adjourned early, preventing the alders from voting on a contract to move the synagogue.{{Cite news |title=Forster Obstructs City Move to Save Old Synagogue |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=June 23, 1971 |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378661 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378668 4] |via=Newspapers.com}} One alderman who voted for the adjournment and opposed the moving project described the synagogue as a "junk pile" and "a waste of taxpayers' money".{{Cite news |last=Kendrick |first=Rosemary |title=Old Synagogue Bound for Park; Council Nods, 18-1 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=June 25, 1971 |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378766 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378781 4] |via=Newspapers.com}} Ultimately, the City Council approved the move, overruling an objection by a landlord near James Madison Park who complained that the synagogue would be an "eyesore".{{Cite news |last=Custer |first=Frank |title=Lone Landowner Fails to Block Synagogue Project |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=July 3, 1971 |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378941 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139378947 2] |via=Newspapers.com}}

Although the synagogue was mounted on 96 wheels by July 13,{{Cite news |last=Custer |first=Frank |title=Parks Commission Calls Meeting on Synagogue |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139379419 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=July 13, 1971 |page=21 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125063851/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-parks-commission-calls/139379419/ |url-status=live}} the move was delayed by a member of the Park Commission on July 8,{{Cite news |title=Harman Moves to Snarl Gates of Heaven Move |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139379247 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |date=July 8, 1971 |page=25 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125063852/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-harman-moves-to-snarl/139379247/ |url-status=live}} and again on July 10 because of concerns about the synagogue's structural stability.{{Cite news |title=Frail Synagogue Must Wait a Bit Before Moving |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71738309 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=July 10, 1971 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125063855/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-the-moving-of-th/71738309/ |url-status=live}} On July 16, 1971, the synagogue was finally rolled through downtown Madison with the aid of two World War II tank retrievers, a hoist truck, the Belding Moving Company of Chicago, and city workers. The moving process lasted over 9 hours; it began at 10am and concluded at 7:20pm.{{Cite news |last=Custer |first=Frank |date=July 17, 1971 |title=Scores Gather to Watch Synagogue Roll Through City |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139379698 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139379757 2] |via=Newspapers.com}}

File:Ark, Gates of Heaven, Madison.jpg

After the 1971 move to James Madison Park, local firm Historic Mineral Point Inc. took over responsibility for restoration of Gates of Heaven. The firm reconstructed the choir loft, which had been removed years earlier.{{Sfn|Bitner|2007|p=359}} B'nai Jeshurun Synagogue in Milwaukee donated a hand-carved Torah ark from 1858, which was then refinished and reconfigured to fit into Gates of Heaven.{{Cite news |date=July 25, 1972 |title=Old Ark Adds Beauty to Old Synagogue |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-old-ark-adds-bea/140008456/ |access-date=February 1, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=17 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201062054/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-old-ark-adds-bea/140008456/ |url-status=live }} Polychrome wall painting and floral designs on the ceiling were discovered, but the budget was not sufficient to restore them.{{Sfn|Bitner|2007|p=359}} The facade was weather-proofed and repaired, preserving the original sandstone.{{Sfn|Bitner|2007|p=360}} The restoration of the lower level was funded by the local American Bicentennial Committee, and the Gates of Heaven Preservation Committee worked on the upper level.{{sfn|Postal|Koppman|1986|p=266}} After the building was moved, its lower floor was named the Klauber Hall.{{sfn|Postal|Koppman|1986|p=267}}

The first wedding in the synagogue in over 100 years took place on August 5, 1972, while restoration work was still ongoing.{{Cite news |last=Custer |first=Frank |date=July 20, 1972 |title=Old Synagogue Open House to Show Restoration Work |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-old-synagogue-open-hou/140004719/ |access-date=February 1, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=8 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201062056/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-old-synagogue-open-hou/140004719/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=August 5, 1972 |title=Gates of Heaven Synagogue to be scene of wedding today |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-gates-of-heaven-synago/140009361/ |work=The Capital Times |pages=2 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201062055/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-gates-of-heaven-synago/140009361/ |url-status=live }} On August 11, 1996, locals held a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the synagogue's move and subsequent restoration work; over $150,000 had been spent on restoring the building at that point.{{Cite news |last=Aehl |first=John |date=August 12, 1996 |title=Madison landmark: Celebrating the salvation of Gates of Heaven |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-madison-landmark/139502048/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125063850/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-madison-landmark/139502048/ |url-status=live}} Another restoration project was undertaken in 2021, in which windows were replaced, the floor was refinished,{{Cite news |last=Hart |first=John |date=January 22, 2021 |title=Restoring the Gates of Heaven |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-restoring-the-ga/139504189/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125063850/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-restoring-the-ga/139504189/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Hart |first=John |date=April 16, 2021 |title=Gates of Heaven restoration |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-gates-of-heaven/139504074/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125064004/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-gates-of-heaven/139504074/ |url-status=live}} and the masonry was repaired and cleaned.{{Cite web |date=May 13, 2020 |title=Gates of Heaven Masonry Restoration |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/gates-of-heaven-masonry-restoration |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=City of Madison |archive-date=June 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608075847/https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/projects/gates-of-heaven-masonry-restoration |url-status=live}}

Gates of Heaven is owned and maintained by the Madison Parks Department, and has become a popular space for weddings and other events. It has also hosted High Holy Day celebrations and other Jewish ceremonies. Diplomat Hannah Rosenthal has led the High Holy Day services since the early 1980s, accompanied by musician Ben Sidran.{{Cite news |last=Perry |first=Gail |date=September 16, 1993 |title=New hope enriches Rosh Hashana celebration |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-new-hope-enriches-rosh/139511527/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Kalk |first=Samara |date=October 9, 2000 |title=Amid strife, Jews gather to repent |access-date= |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-amid-strife-jews-gath/139512368/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-jews/139512408/ 10] |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite web |last=Simmons |first=Daniel |date=November 27, 2017 |title=Meet Hannah Rosenthal, CEO of Milwaukee Jewish Federation and Local 'Mensch on a Mission' |url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/meet-hannah-rosenthal-ceo-milwaukee-jewish-federation-mesch-on-a-mission/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=Milwaukee Mag |archive-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128021729/https://www.milwaukeemag.com/meet-hannah-rosenthal-ceo-milwaukee-jewish-federation-mesch-on-a-mission/ |url-status=live}} The synagogue has been the site of neo-pagan winter solstice celebrations,{{Cite news |last=Conroy |first=Mary |date=December 25, 1992 |title=Celebrations touch variety of cultural roots |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-celebrations-touch-var/139502968/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |page=23 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Martell |first=Chris |date=February 20, 1994 |title=Historic sites available for weddings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-historic-sites-a/139503338/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=57 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125064456/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-historic-sites-a/139503338/ |url-status=live}} and serves as a polling location.{{Cite web |title=Where Do I Vote? |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/where-do-i-vote/polling-location.cfm?parcelN=070914401016 |access-date=January 22, 2024 |website=City of Madison |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104133545/https://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/where-do-i-vote/polling-location.cfm?parcelN=070914401016 |url-status=live}}

On September 20, 2017, the day before Rosh Hashanah, swastikas and the words "TRUMP RULES" and "Antifa sucks" were found spray painted on a stone memorializing the Abraham Lincoln brigade near the synagogue.{{Cite news |last=Brogan |first=Dylan |date=September 20, 2017 |title=Swastikas and "Trump Rules" found on plaque outside Madison synagogue building |url=https://isthmus.com/news/news/swastikas-trump-rules-plaque-madison-synagogue/ |access-date=January 18, 2024 |work=Isthmus |location=Madison, Wisconsin |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118040410/https://isthmus.com/news/news/swastikas-trump-rules-plaque-madison-synagogue/ |url-status=live}} On November 18, 2023, members of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe marched through the downtown, stopping at the State Capitol and Gates of Heaven. They shouted racial slurs and threats at bystanders.{{Cite news |last=Bahl |first=Allison Garfield and Andrew |date=November 20, 2023 |title=Neo-Nazi group marches in downtown Madison; leaders respond |url=https://captimes.com/news/government/neo-nazi-group-marches-in-downtown-madison-leaders-respond/article_57f71e44-8655-11ee-aa4b-df28daeebc0a.html |access-date=January 25, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |archive-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129025301/https://captimes.com/news/government/neo-nazi-group-marches-in-downtown-madison-leaders-respond/article_57f71e44-8655-11ee-aa4b-df28daeebc0a.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Katzenburger |first=Tyler |date=November 20, 2023 |title=Neo-Nazis marched in Madison on Saturday. Here's what happened — and what didn't. |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/20/neo-nazis-marched-in-madison-on-saturday-heres-what-happened/71649722007/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205063611/https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/20/neo-nazis-marched-in-madison-on-saturday-heres-what-happened/71649722007/ |url-status=live}}

The Gates of Heaven Synagogue is located in the James Madison Park in Madison, Wisconsin, at 302 E. Gorham St.{{cite web |title=Gates of Heaven - Reservable Shelters - Madison Parks |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/find-a-park/reservableShelter.cfm?id=35 |access-date=September 30, 2019 |publisher=City of Madison, Wisconsin |archive-date=April 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410073514/http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/find-a-park/reservableShelter.cfm?id=35 |url-status=live}} The Society of Architectural Historians describes the synagogue as belonging to the Romanesque Revival style of architecture.{{Cite web |last=Weisiger |first=Marsha |editor1-last=Esperdy |editor1-first=Gabrielle |editor2-last=Kingsley |editor2-first=Karen |title=Historic Shaare Shomaim Synagogue (Gates of Heaven Synagogue) |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-DA27 |work=SAH Archipedia |date=August 2018 |publisher=Society of Architectural Historians |access-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118080750/https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-DA27 |url-status=live}} In its nomination form for the NRHP, it was described as "reflecting a degree of Victorian eclecticism, with Gothic influences and facade ornamentation reminiscent of old Spanish mission architecture of the southwestern US."{{Sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=2}} Ada Louise Huxtable, an architecture critic writing in The New York Times, identified the synagogue with the Rundbogenstil style, a German variant of Romanesque Revival architecture.{{Cite news |last=Huxtable |first=Ada Louise |author-link=Ada Louise Huxtable |title=Architecture - A Funny Roll Of the Dice |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/27/archives/architecture-a-funny-roll-of-the-dice.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 27, 1970 |access-date=January 25, 2024 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026215711/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/27/archives/architecture-a-funny-roll-of-the-dice.html |url-status=live}} In a 1986 study of historic Jewish structures in the United States, historian Mark W. Gordon identified the Gates of Heaven Synagogue as being among the oldest surviving synagogues in the nation.{{sfn|Gordon|1986|p=298}}

The building measures {{convert|28|x|51|ft}} and is constructed from sandstone and brick. The primary facade and basement walls comprise the sandstone portions of the building while the other walls are made of brick. The primary facade is castellated and features an end gable raised above the roof and a circular window. A vestibule attached at its center forms the synagogue's entryway and repeats the general shape of the greater facade with the addition of a flat cap at the top of the gable and pilasters at the corners. Pilasters divide the sides of the synagogue into three bays, which each house a window. A frieze of Greek crosses runs along the top of the side walls, which are topped by a series of chimneys—four on the right side of the building and three on the left. It is not known for certain what the interior looked originally like,{{sfn|National Park Service|1970|p=2}} but investigation in January 1971 revealed that the ceiling was painted blue with silver stars.{{Cite news |title=Synagogue Examined Before Restoration |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/139375722 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=January 25, 1971 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125064411/https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-synagogue-examin/139375722/ |url-status=live}} The Torah ark, dating to 1858, is made of black walnut.

{{stack|{{portal|Judaism|Wisconsin}}}}

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison, Wisconsin

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Donald N. |url={{NRHP url|70000030}} |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Old Synagogue |format=PDF |date=December 17, 1970 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 18, 2024 |ref={{sfnref|National Park Service|1970}}}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Bitner |first=David |date=2007 |title=Gates of Heaven, Share Shamayim, the Little Old Synagogue of Madison, Wisconsin |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=31h&AN=31317201&site=eds-live&scope=site |journal=Western States Jewish History |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=357–64 |issn=0043-4221 |via=EBSCOhost}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Chariton |first=Jesse D. |title='Some Ceremony Peculiar to Themselves': The Continuation of a European Masonic Ceremony in Nineteenth-Century Wisconsin |journal=Yearbook of German-American Studies |publisher=University of Kansas |date=April 19, 2021 |volume=56 |pages=21–40 |doi=10.17161/ygas.v56i |url=https://journals.ku.edu/ygas/article/view/20050|url-access=subscription }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Goldsmith |first=Leslie H. |date=1977 |title=German-Jewish and Russian-Jewish Immigration: Assimilation and a Ghetto in Madison |journal=The Journal of Historic Madison, Inc. Of Wisconsin |volume=3 |pages=28–44 |issn=0361-574X }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Gordon |first=Mark W. |title=Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: The Legacy of U.S. 19th Century Synagogues |journal=American Jewish History |volume=75 |number=3 |date=March 1986 |pages=296–306 |jstor=23883267}}
• {{Cite book |last=Levitan |first=Stuart D. |title=Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History |volume=1 |year=2006 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=0-299-21674-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/madisonillustrat0000levi/}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Postal |first1=Bernard |last2=Koppman |first2=Lionel |title=American Jewish Landmarks: A Travel Guide and History |year=1986 |volume=III |publisher=Fleet Press Corporation |isbn=0-8303-0165-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/americanjewishla0003bern}}
• {{Cite book |title=A Biographical Guide to Forest Hill Cemetery: the Ordinary and Famous Men and Women who Shaped Madison and the World |publisher=Historic Madison, Inc. |year=2002 |chapter=Jewish Immigrants and Their Descendants |isbn=0-9728665-0-7 |pages=323–343 |ref={{sfnref|Historic Madison|2002}}}}
• {{Cite periodical |date=November 1971 |title=Century-Old Synagogue Saved Through Teamwork of Madison and Private Company |magazine=Wisconsin Then and Now |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |pages=4–5 |volume=18 |issue=4 |ref={{sfnref|Wisconsin Historical Society|1971}} |oclc=6615856}}
• {{Cite book |last=Swarsensky |first=Manfred |title=From Generation to Generation: the Story of the Madison Jewish Community 1851-1955 |year=1955 |location=Madison, Wisconsin |author-link=Manfred Swarsensky}}

{{refend}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Gates of Heaven Synagogue (Madison, Wisconsin)}}
• [https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM13343 1944 photograph]
• [https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM36488 1939 photograph]
• {{NRHP url|id=70000030|title=Accompanying drawing and two photos|photos=y}}
• [https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM1821 1971 photo of the synagogue being moved] and [https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM36490 a photo of the crowd watching the move]

{{National Register of Historic Places}}

Category:1856 establishments in Wisconsin

Category:19th-century synagogues in the United States

Category:20th-century synagogues in the United States

Category:Former synagogues in Wisconsin

Category:German-Jewish culture in the United States

Category:German-American culture in Wisconsin

Category:Jewish organizations established in 1856

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Madison, Wisconsin

Category:Religious buildings and structures in Madison, Wisconsin

Category:Rundbogenstil synagogues

Category:Synagogues completed in 1863

Category:Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin

Category:Tourist attractions in Madison, Wisconsin

Category:Synagogues in Wisconsin