For example, it helped form the Association for the Free Distribution of Matsot for the Poor after the Panic of 1857, delivering matzot to thousands of Jews, and it was a founding member of Board of Delegates of American Israelites in 1859.

[32] Eighteen of these men decided to form a more structured gathering,[29][31] and they began meeting at a hotel at 69 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

[9][10][30] Ahawath Chesed rented space at 88 Ridge Street in August 1849,[28] paying $100[II] annually for the upper stories of two structures.

[III][29][36] Initially, Ahawath Chesed was an Orthodox congregation with German-language services,[29] and it had a Jewish cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn.

[38] In 1864, Ahawath Chesed moved to the Eleventh Presbyterian Church,[32] located at the intersection of Avenue C and Fourth Street in the East Village.

[53] The trustees did identify several sites in Midtown Manhattan, including one near 45th Street and Madison Avenue, just before real-estate prices in the area decreased greatly.

[VII][50][57][c] Ahawath Chesed's trustees and its allied organizations also loaned some money,[58] and the congregation earned $40,000 or $55,000 by selling its Avenue C property.

[59][64] A Jewish Times article, describing the consecration, characterized it as evidence of a growing acceptance of Jews in the U.S.[64] The building had cost $250,000,[63] $264,000,[65] or $272,575 to construct.

[66][67] After moving to the new synagogue building, Ahawath Chesed began using a two-volume prayer book adapted to reflect more modern views.

[71] Nonetheless, the congregation was involved with charitable initiatives such as the Hebrew Charity Fair and Mount Sinai Hospital,[72] and Huebsch continued to expand Ahawath Chesed's school during his tenure.

[97][98] Davidson began holding English-only, Friday-night Shabbat services, but these were suspended in April 1896 after board members complained about reduced Saturday attendance.

A merger was again proposed in 1894, after Shaar Hashomayim's leaders at the time expressed interest in Kohut's translated prayer book, which they later adopted.

[125] Ahawath Chesed Shaar Hashomayim also contemplated merging with the West End Synagogue or Temple Beth-El in 1915, but ultimately it decided to remain separate.

[74] The bylaws allowed congregants to send their children to Central's religious school for free, as well as special privileges regarding marriages and burial plots.

[160] For example, Wise chaired the National Joint Distribution Committee (later United Jewish Appeal), which aimed to help Jews in Nazi Germany,[161][162] and the congregation became involved with the Homesteads Project, a housing program financed by the federal government.

[196][197] Amid a declining local economy, the trustees allowed external organizations to rent space in the community house so the mortgage could be paid off.

[200] In advance of the Lexington Avenue synagogue's centennial, Central hired a company to find its cornerstone, which was discovered underneath the main steps.

[211] According to the historian Jeffrey Gurock, Zimmerman encouraged the congregation to become more involved with Israeli causes, including through celebrations, tours of the nation, and fundraisers.

[207] The staff began devising plans to make the synagogue accessible to disabled people in the early 1970s, but progress was delayed for over a decade because preservation laws made it difficult to modify the building.

[226][227] Rubinstein was initially reluctant to join the congregation, as he wanted to wear a kippah (skullcap) and tallit (prayer shawl) during services, even though Central's previous clergy had not worn these things.

[231] At the time, Central Synagogue had an endowment fund of $10 million; the congregation hired a full-time development director in 1996 to raise money.

[232] The congregation temporarily relocated to its community house so the main building's roof, interior, and air conditioning systems could be renovated.

[253] The renovation included restoring the original architectural detail, upgrading mechanical systems, deepening the basement, and rebuilding the roof.

[259] That October, the synagogue settled a lawsuit against Turner Construction, the original renovation contractor whose worker had accidentally started the fire.

[267] After the September 11 attacks in Lower Manhattan (two days after the synagogue's reopening), the congregation hired additional security guards[260] and added concrete bollards outside the building.

[281] In the early 2010s, the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed the Midtown East rezoning, which would allow St. Bartholomew's Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Central Synagogue to sell the air rights above their buildings;[282] the three houses of worship were previously only allowed to sell their air rights to adjacent buildings, but there had been no potential buyers.

[259] The AIA Guide to New York City described the interior as being "stenciled with rich blues, earthy reds, ocher, and gilt – Moorish, but distinctly 19th century American.

"[86] The New York Community Trust and Municipal Art Society installed a plaque outside Central Synagogue in 1958, commemorating the building's history.

[340] When the community house opened, it was used by the Boy and Girl Scouts, blind and deaf persons' organizations, and the American Red Cross.

[365] The synagogue has also hosted weddings, such as those of the businessman Jonathan Tisch,[360] the TV anchor Maria Bartiromo,[366] and Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman.