Let them Make a Sanctuary: A contemporary american Synagogue inspired by the art of ancient Israel

Beth El Synagogue in New Rochelle, New York, is both a house of worship and the realization of an artistic ideal. Archaeological finds, biblical quotations, and many other sources were incorporated into the objects installed in the synagogue. Stanley I. Batkin, the author of Let Them Make Me a Sanctuary, recounts in this book the two decades of study, preparation and work which culminated in the construction of Beth El. He details the preliminary studies, the commissioning of artists, and the follow-up through completion and installation of a major collection of works of religious art; all of which immersed the author, more and more deeply, in the conjoint fields of art, bible and the Land of Israel.