[19] Kahal Adath Jeshurun was established in 1852 as Beth Hamedrash (whose name means "House of Study" in Hebrew),[20][21] and consisted of Jews from various parts of Eastern Europe.

[36] At the time, thousands of Jewish emigrants from Eastern Europe came to the city annually, and the congregation had concerns that they would be lured away by Reform synagogues or secular organizations.

[37] The Jewish-history scholar Jeffrey S. Gurock wrote that Kahal Adath Jeshurun was the best example of "the proto-Americanized synagogue", establishing standards for Orthodox congregations in the city.

[72][73] The congregation's leadership first considered constructing a second branch uptown in 1903 and 1907 to accommodate members who could not travel downtown on Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest).

[94][95] The first four presidents were Sender Jarmulowsky, kosher-food merchant Isaac Gellis, real-estate developer David Cohen, and glass magnate Nathan Hutkoff.

[108] Cantorial performances commonly drew visitors, particularly during the High Holidays—the period between Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur[68]—when infrequent worshippers came to the synagogue.

[113] In conformance with Orthodox tradition, the congregational leaders agreed to not play the organ during services, and men and women sat on different levels and did not sing together.

[86] According to Gurock, Kahal Adath Jeshurun's leaders wanted to "Americanize" the congregation and privately feared that non-Jewish passersby would see the worshippers engaging in uncouth behavior.

[83] Several worshippers established a group in 1922 to study the Mishnah (a compendium of Oral Torah traditions) and the Ein Yaakov (a collection of Aggadah folklore).

[132] With membership quickly declining, the congregation sought to raise money to pay off the synagogue's mortgage before former members stopped coming even for occasional visits.

[149] In a later book, Wolfe recalled that he and several other people had established the Synagogue Rescue Project in the 1970s to stabilize the building and turn the lights and heat back on.

[154] The group applied for the building to be designated a New York City landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places, and they began raising money to stabilize the main sanctuary.

[138] Wolfe formed a partnership with several other men associated with Kahal Adath Jeshurun, including the judge Paul P. E. Bookson (who was the congregation's president[155]) and the lawyer Steven L. Schwarcz.

[101][145] Even when raising money, the Eldridge Street Project sponsored tours of the partially restored sanctuary, hosted presentations and exhibits, and launched programs for local students.

[149] The New York Landmarks Conservancy gave the synagogue a $10,000 grant for restoration in 1994,[177] which the Eldridge Street Project's director, Amy Waterman, said would be used to replace the decorations on the roof.

[193] The Eldridge Street Project also asked the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to fund the restoration of the rooftop finials, which included stars of David.

[134][211] Members of the Museum at Eldridge Street initially disagreed over whether the window should be retained, restored to approximate its original appearance, or replaced with a completely new design.

[216][217] The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation wrote at the time that dozens of volunteers conducted weekly tours, maintained the exhibits, and organized over 50 annual events.

[47] Elements, such as windows and doors, are grouped in quantities that correspond to significant numbers in Judaism, such as 3 (representing the three patriarchs), 4 (the four matriarchs), 5 (the five books of Moses), and 12 (the Twelve Tribes of Israel).

[234] In keeping with Orthodox Jewish custom, the rear of the synagogue faces east (in the direction of Jerusalem), and women and men had different seating areas and doorways.

[148][234][246] It originally provided seating for Kahal Adath Jeshurun's women,[114][148] but it was converted into an exhibition space called the Use and Jeffrey Wilks Gallery in 2007.

[249][205] Notable such events have included theatrical performances by the Folksbiene in 2011,[137] concerts and lectures in 2012 (for the 125th anniversary of the opening),[202] and an opera about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 2018.

[206] Notable worshippers over the years have included the entertainers Eddie Cantor, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni,[28][281] Sam Jaffe (who also had his bar mitzvah at the synagogue),[138] and Al Jolson.

[28] When the synagogue was completed, Mi Yodea of The American Israelite described the building as standing out within its neighborhood, and he wrote that the interior was well-lit, spacious, and simple in design.

[163] After the restoration had started, Goldberger cited the project as evidence of a belief that "a religious building is an anchor in time, a symbol of continuity as well as a vessel of meaning in the city".

[289] The Forward writer Jonathan Rosen stated in 1998 that the synagogue's "opulent interior has taken a terrible beating, but if anything the power of the place has only been enhanced by the passage of time".

[293] Justin Davidson of New York wrote in 2008 that the high ceiling, stained glass, and false-marble columns signified "unimaginable splendor" and that the restoration had removed all traces of the former neglect.

[19] Similarly, the historian Jonathan Sarna wrote that the synagogue building signified how the Orthodox worshippers had "established a place for themselves within the American religious landscape".

[299] The Eldridge Street Synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 1980 and designated as an official New York City landmark that July.

[150] In their application for NHL status, preservationists called the building "the only surviving religious artifact to illuminate the spiritual and cultural lives of Eastern European immigrants" within the historically Jewish portions of the Lower East Side.