Williamsburg – Brooklyn’s Oldest Orthodox Shul Celebrates 141st Birthday

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    Synagogue Congregation Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Williamsburg, NY – The oldest Orthodox Jewish synagogue in all of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island — one of the few remnants of the non-Hasidic Jewish community that thrived in Williamsburg until the 1960s — celebrated its 141st anniversary on Sunday with a dinner that attracted several well-known figures from the legal and political communities.

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    The synagogue is Congregation Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, led since 1971 by Rabbi Joshua Fishman, who until recently, headed an international Hebrew-school support organization, and 85-year-old president Morris Schulman.

    According to Marty Needelman, longtime director of Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A and a trustee of the synagogue, “In 1971, you had 700 people coming to services here. Now, on Saturdays, you get about 25 people; on other days you get 12.”

    Nevertheless, said Needelman, the congregation has attracted some younger members. Of the older people, some are Holocaust survivors.

    The synagogue was founded in 1869 by traditional Jews who were members of a local Reform synagogue and were angry that this synagogue installed an organ for Yom Kippur services, a violation of traditional Jewish law. The first Jews who lived in the area were German Jews, as Reform Judaism was strong in Germany.

    There are no longer any Reform or Conservative (actually, middle of the road) congregations in the area, said Needelman.

    The German Jewish community aside, large numbers of Eastern European Jewish immigrants flocked to Williamsburg from the Lower East Side in the early years of the 20th century, after the Williamsburg Bridge provided a direct link with Manhattan. Williamsburg was always a community for working class Jews, as opposed to more middle-class Jewish neighborhoods like Crown Heights and Flatbush.

    Many prominent Jewish Americans grew up in Williamsburg, such as comedian-director Mel Brooks and singer-songwriter Barry Manilow. The old-time immigrant life in the community is described in Daniel Fuchs’ 1934 novel, Summer in Williamsburg.

    After World War II, Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jewish refugees from Europe began to make Williamsburg their home. The tension between these refugees and non-Hasidic Jews, even the Orthodox, is detailed in Chaim Potok’s 1960s novel, The Chosen. Today, says Needelman, Congregation Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom is on good terms with “part of” the Hasidic community.

    Other prominent Brooklynites who attended the anniversary dinner included prominent attorney and Democratic District Leader Steve Cohn and Assemblyman Joe Lentol. Lentol told the Eagle that although he himself is not Jewish, his, father, mother and aunt all spoke Yiddish because the neighborhood was so heavily Jewish.

    “We had a store, and we had to be able to talk to the Yiddish customers,” said the assemblyman, who added that it was “an honor” to make a presentation at the dinner.

    Cohn told the Eagle that “the synagogue is where I had my bar mitzvah. I go back there all the time — it reminds me of my dad, who was an assemblyman and was involved in the synagogue. The dinner is a wonderful annual event.”

    The guest speaker at the dinner was Rabbi Oscar Ehrenreich, longtime principal of the Beth Jacob girls’ school in Borough Park, which has 2,000 students. A writer for the Best in Jewish Williamsburg blog was impressed that in addition to the scriptures, the rabbi quoted Tom Wolfe’s You Can’t Go Home Again.

    The synagogue’s current building, at 284 Rodney St., near Broadway, was built in 1957 – the original building was demolished as a result of the building of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.


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    24 Comments
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    Milhouse
    Milhouse
    13 years ago

    “although one Orthodox synagogue in Greenpoint has adopted mixed male-female seating.”

    That makes it, by definition, non-Orthodox!

    american history
    american history
    13 years ago

    Mel Brooks and singer-songwriter Barry Manilow are the foundations of american entertainment…we should show thems the respect they deserve.

    Martin Hochbaum
    Martin Hochbaum
    13 years ago

    Beginning in the 1930s, my family attended this Shul, or one of its predecessors, for about thirty years. If my memory is correct, this Shul was actually the result of 2 Shuls demolished by the construction of the BQE which ran through the heart of the community: one was on South 3rd St and the second was on South 5th St. Both had outstanding Rabbbinic and lay leadership. Until the Rodney St facility was built, for about 2 years they held services on Marcy Ave in a former laundry. What this working class Congregation lacked in economic resources, it more than made up in the spirit of the services and its integration of many Holocaust survivors into the community.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    congregation orach chaim on the UES is over 131 years old. i thought it was the oldest orthodox shul. guess not

    homer
    homer
    13 years ago

    when did this orthodox shul begin mixed-seating? recently or 80 years ago?what is the name of the shul? how far from willy is it? i didnt think greenpoint had enough jews for an orthodox shul? can someone please enlighten me?

    anonymous
    anonymous
    13 years ago

    With all due respect to Rabbi Fishman – the Greenpoint Shul still has a mechitza and does not have mixed seating.

    Rabbi Appelbaum
    Rabbi Appelbaum
    13 years ago

    I am the rabbi of the Orthodox Greenpoint shul. I can tell you with certainty that the statement made is categorically false. I am hoping this was an honest mistake on the part of Mr. Needelman and not motzi shem ra b’meizid, chas v’shalom. Our shul does not permit mixed seating during davening and we haven’t since our inception. Our shul is located at 108 Noble Street between Manhattan Ave and Franklin Ave. Our website is greenpointshul.org. The shul was built in 1904, though the congregation existed prior to that. We have forever been Orthodox is name as well as practice. The above comment is hurtful to us and I hope corrections and apologies are forthcoming.
    Respectfully yours,.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    the Greenpoint Shul does have a mechitza – I sit on one side of it every week. quotes should be checked out before they are put in an article.