Our Historic Mazalot

The pictorial display of Mazalot, Jewish East European folk art renderings of signs of the zodiac, on the walls and ceilings of synagogues, were once prevalent throughout Lower East Side Shuls. At the Stanton Street Shul, Bnai Jacob Anschei Brzezan, a congregation with roots in Brzezan, Galicia, the Mazalot paintings have deteriorated over the years and are in need of urgent conservation. 

The Stanton Street Shul, established in 1913, is an active Shul that has undergone a major renovation in the past two years.  Several of the twelve Mazalot have been restored by our resident artists and dedicated in the name of their sponsors.   These rare and precious zodiac paintings represent an almost two thousand year old synagogue tradition that has endured since the Roman era. 

The deterioration and possible disappearance of the Stanton Street Mazalot would be like having a page torn out of a history book of the immigrant story. It’s one thing to hear about our families who emigrated from Eastern Europe; it’s quite another to see how they surrounded their shul walls with religious art.

The Shul is blessed with resident artists who have been carefully restoring each of the Mazalot murals. Evidence of their professional restorations is on view. Please visit to see the Stanton Mazalot in person.  

Several Mazalot remain to be sponsored and restored.  If you have roots on the Lower East or wish to commemorate a relative or friend, the sponsorship of a Mazal would be a fitting gesture. Please contact Jeff Katz at the Shul by emailing info@stantonstshul.com.