A hospital group in Brooklyn is advocating for the demolition of a nearly century-old synagogue to pave the way for an affordable housing initiative. This push has rallied both locals and the Jewish community to fight for the preservation of this historical site.
Kingsbrook Shull, established in 1927 due to rising anti-Semitism, is particularly focused on preventing the loss of its chapel, which is targeted in a plan to build a substantial 266-unit housing project.
The land is located within the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, operated by the nonprofit One Brooklyn Health, which aims to transform the site into an affordable housing complex.
The synagogue’s attorney, Stuart Blader, expressed that the hospital’s stance implies a false dichotomy between affordable housing and preserving the synagogue.
“That’s just not true,” he asserted.
A $400 million transformation project, funded by the state, was set to begin in 2023. Although initial plans included demolishing the synagogue, subsequent designs and an agreement from the state aimed to protect the historic structure during construction.
Closed since 2020 due to the pandemic, the synagogue had a group of local Orthodox Jews who want to reclaim their space. They filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn Supreme Court last year to stop the demolition.
During a recent court hearing, lawyers for One Brooklyn Health argued that keeping the chapel, viewed as a “zombie structure,” wouldn’t be practical once the campus is turned into apartments.
This historic site has been part of the community since 1927, originally established for local Jewish residents. It underwent expansion in the 1950s to better serve the neighborhood and remained a gathering place until the pandemic disrupted its operations.
Zelman Goldstein, a supporter of the synagogue, expressed frustration with what she sees as greedy developers taking advantage of the situation to maximize their profits. Her son, Yossi, hopes to hold his bar mitzvah there this October.
Goldstein mentioned nearby families are eager for the center’s reopening, emphasizing that it’s an integral part of community life. “I’ve seen protests over small gardens being taken away. This is a community center that has been vital for us since 1927,” she noted.
Governor Kathy Hochul previously expressed her support for the synagogue, hoping for a solution that enables both the hospital and the synagogue to coexist and serve their communities effectively.
Rabbi Yaakov Behrman, who is not officially part of the synagogue but has strong ties to the area, criticized the hospital’s approach, suggesting it is using the synagogue as leverage for better funding from the state. He argued that using public funds to erase a century of Jewish history is deeply troubling.
There has been no comment from One Brooklyn Health regarding these allegations.
