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Inside, the sanctuary of the Eldridge Street Synagogue was awash in streaks of light filtered through ancient stained-glass windows, illuminating walls of peeled paint, buckled floor boards and the rows of faded hardwood pews that have gone unoccupied for decades.
Outside, on the steps of the historic, 100-year-old landmark, state officials clustered around a lectern bearing a pre-Chanukah gift - a grant of $250,000 to assist in the restoration of the second-oldest synagogue still standing in New York.
The award, one of three matching grants announced Wednesday as part of a $5-million state program to preserve historic landmarks, inched the restoration fund past the $700,000 mark, still considerably shy of the $3 million required to fully repair the synagogue's distinctive sanctuary, but enough to press ahead with the project, officials said.
"This is a truly great day," said Roberta Brandes Gratz, director of the Eldridge Street Project, which is sponsoring the work. "The restoration of this historic synagogue will begin in the spring."
Built in 1887 following a wave of Jewish emigration from Eastern Europe to...