Syracuse, NY – Central New York’s oldest synagogue is being redeveloped as student housing for Syracuse University.
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Temple Concord, also known as the Temple Society of Concord, lays claim to being the ninth-oldest congregation in the United States. It sold its building for $9 million to Landmark Properties, a developer of luxury student apartments, according to Syracuse.com.
The synagogue’s board approved the sale on Sunday. The Reform congregation, which was founded in 1839, will move into a temporary space. It has 350 member families, a decline from 800 in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Syracuse.com. The congregation moved to its current site in 1911, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
The board decided to accept the developer’s offers in the face of shrinking financial reserves.
“People feel a real attachment to that building and its history, and it’s never an easy decision,” Rabbi Daniel Fellman told Syracuse.com. “I don’t think it’s an easy decision for anybody.”
Before any oiber-chachomim run out to bring in a bunch of friendly new members to stack the Board of Trustees of a dying shul, sell the underlying real estate and split the profits, the sale of property owned by a not-for-profit in NY State must be approved by the NY Attorney General – to protect against these kinds of abuses. It is a long, arduous process – with any profits generated required to be donated to other charitable causes approved by the AG.
The headline should read temple not synagogue which it isn’t.
It is good that this old building is being saved.
they tried it in bnei yehuda shul in BP but the old members smelled the rat and threw out the new members (they wanted to sell the lot on 53 cor 16 ave)
what a SHAME. a real CHILUL HASHEM… it’s all about $$$$$$$ the עגל הזהב