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Jewish caretaker tends to historic church pipe organ

Catholic parish has Jewish neighbor to thank for 4 decades of care for 121-year-old instrument

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  • St. Mary’s Church in Charlestown has had the same organ for 121 years thanks, in part, to Lee Eiseman.
    Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
    St. Mary’s Church in Charlestown has had the same organ for 121 years thanks, in part, to Lee Eiseman.
  • The stops on the 3,000-pipe organ.
    Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
    The stops on the 3,000-pipe organ.
  • Eiseman is not Catholic — he’s a secular Jew. Still, he has spent thousands of hours volunteering to restore and keep up the organ.
    Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
    Eiseman is not Catholic — he’s a secular Jew. Still, he has spent thousands of hours volunteering to restore and keep up the organ.
  • He came to care for the 1892 instrument because of a promise he made to the 20th century’s foremost classic organ builder and restorer, Charles B. Fisk, in 1974.
    Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
    He came to care for the 1892 instrument because of a promise he made to the 20th century’s foremost classic organ builder and restorer, Charles B. Fisk, in 1974.
  • Eiseman has kept it operating through thousands of weddings, funerals, and morning Masses. Now, the church is embarking on a large-scale restoration project.
    Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
    Eiseman has kept it operating through thousands of weddings, funerals, and morning Masses. Now, the church is embarking on a large-scale restoration project.
  • The six-month, $250,000 project involves disassembling, repairing, or replacing, thousands of fragile wood, metal, leather, and fabric components.
    Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
    The six-month, $250,000 project involves disassembling, repairing, or replacing, thousands of fragile wood, metal, leather, and fabric components.
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