Beside Mitscher Hall rises the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel, home to the Naval Academy's 410-seat synagogue. Named for Commodore Uriah P. Levy (1792–1862), the first Jewish commodore in the United States Navy who is noted here for refusing to flog his sailors, this building serves midshipmen of many faiths. The center, adjacent to Mitscher Hall, contains a 410-seat synagogue, a fellowship hall, a Character Learning Center, classrooms, and offices for the Brigade’s social director, the academic board, and the academy’s Honor Board.
Ground was broken on November 2, 2003, and the building was dedicated in September 2005. The Levy Center is a 35,000-square-foot facility and cost $8 million to design, build, and furnish; about $1.8 million came from military construction funds, and the remainder was raised by the Friends of the Jewish Chapel campaign, led by Jewish alumni of the academy and others. Before this chapel was completed in 2005, Jewish midshipmen either attended Congregation Knesset Israel downtown in Annapolis or held services in the interfaith chapel at Mitscher Hall.
Notice Mitscher Hall standing beside it, and the academy grounds that once sent midshipmen downtown to Congregation Knesset Israel.