In 1950 architect Percival Goodman asked the painter Robert Motherwell to create a mural for the entry hall of Congregation B'nai Israel in Millburn, NJ. This preparatory study shows abstracted Jewish symbols which Motherwell incorporated into his final design.
Congregation B'nai Israel is representative of the boom in synagogue building that followed the post-World War II exodus of American Jews from city to suburb. The building remains one of Percival Goodman's best known projects. A prolific synagogue architect, Goodman championed the modern aesthetic both through his own designs and his commissions from young avant-garde artists. In addition to Robert Motherwell, two other Abstract Expressionists contributed to the Millburn project: Herbert Ferber created a monumental relief for the exterior facade and Adolph Gottlieb designed the Torah ark curtain, now in the collection of The Jewish Museum. Goodman's architecture and the works he commissioned reflect the updated sensibilities of the newly-established suburban community.