The Aron Kodesh (Torah ark) of the new Lincoln Square Synagogue (2013), designed and executed by the American artist and designer David Ascalon of Ascalon Studios. The Torah ark, the aesthetic and spiritual focal-point of the synagogue's sanctuary, is composed of cedar of lebanon wood, Jerusalem stone, and welded bronze (in the form on an olive tree). Lincoln Square synagogue's new facility, completed in 2013, is the first Jewish temple built in New York City's Manhattan Island in 50 years. The building's architect is the firm of Cetra Ruddy of New York.