Congregation Shaare Zion
Congregation Shaare Zion | |
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Brooklyn, New York City, New York | |
Country | United States |
Geographic coordinates | 40°35′58″N 73°57′58″W / 40.599351°N 73.966197°W |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Morris Lapidus |
Type | Synagogue |
Style | Modern |
Date established | 1941 (as a congregation) |
Groundbreaking | 1957 |
Completed | 1960 |
Specifications | |
Direction of façade | East |
Capacity | c. 1000 worshippers |
Materials | Concrete, steel, marble, glass |
Website | |
shaarezionny cszny |
Congregation Shaare Zion (
Shaare Zion typically has an estimated 1,500 worshipers who attend its services Fridays and Saturdays for
History
Origins
The congregation was started in 1941 as a local
Construction
Soon after construction began, the building fund of $250,000 was used up, and several lawsuits followed over this issue.[1] By 1957, additional funds had been raised or pledged, and the house sold for $90,000, allowing construction to resume.[1] In September 1958, High Holy Day prayers were held in the unfinished social hall; construction was not completed until 1960.[1] Designed by architect Morris Lapidus and completed in 1960, the structure includes a main sanctuary that can seat over 400 worshipers.[2]
Design
The main sanctuary included a curved balcony, and central dome made of concrete reinforced with steel rods. The
Since its construction the building has required very little exterior maintenance; the dome was repainted in 1993, and two glass panes have been replaced.[1]
Expansion
In January 1990, the congregation bought the house next door, on the north side of the building. Renovations were completed a year later, in 1991. Known as the Annex Building, it is used for daily prayers and Torah study. The building also contains office space.[1] In 1996, extensive renovations were done to Social Hall area of the building. The hall was demolished, and a new more modern banquet hall was built in its place. Additionally, a new synagogue building known as B'nei Shaare Zion capable of seating upwards of 250 worshipers, a Beth midrash with dual use as a prayer space on an upper level, and a secondary synagogue along with several meeting rooms on a lower level were built as well. During the 2000s, restoration work was carried out on the dome of the main sanctuary after forty years of continuous exposure to the elements.
Secondary proposed expansion
On December 20, 2011, a plan to expand the facilities of the synagogue was voted down by Brooklyn's Community Board 15, as congregants and nearby residents strongly opposed the development.[3] Representatives of the congregation's board came requesting approval for a bulk variance to allow the enlargement; which would have seen a new six-story, 62-foot (19 m)-tall tower in place of the Annex Building.[3] Within the tower were plans to include classrooms, study rooms, multi-purpose rooms and prayer rooms.[3] Opponents of the construction plan took turns voicing their opinions complaining about noise, garbage and parking, which they said would worsen with the enlargement. Immediate neighbors also feared that a taller structure would limit the amount of sunlight hitting their property.[3] The Board of Standards and Appeals will provide a final decision on the variance following an appeal by committee members.[3]
Internal politics
Born in Jerusalem in 1900, the late Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin,[4] was brought in to lead the congregation as the new Chief Rabbi of the community in 1932. Kassin was instrumental in establishing several binding edicts during his tenure, such as the 1935 "Conversion to Judaism proclamation".[5] His son-in-law, Baruch Ben Haim (1921–2005), also served a leadership role for the synagogue and the community. Ben Haim is credited with a number of contributions to the synagogue, including the founding of the Shaare Zion Torah Center, where many congregants spend their time learning Torah. The Torah Center was established to educate the community in subjects of Jewish law and Torah.[6] Morning and evening study classes are given by influential rabbis on a daily basis.
Between the 1940s and the 1950s, the rabbi of the congregation was the late Rabbi Kurt Klappholz;
Another notable rabbinic figure to serve the congregation, was Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari. Harari directed the B'nei Shaare Zion minyan in the former banquet hall for a period of 18 years; from 1980 to 1998.
Controversy
On July 23, 2009, Rabbi Kassin, 87, and Rabbi Eliahu Ben Haim, 58, brother of Rabbi Yaakov Ben Haim; along with 42 other officials and religious leaders were arrested by the
Leadership
- Yaakov Ben Haim, Rabbi[clarification needed]
- David Maslaton, Rabbi
- Meyer Yedid, Rabbi
- Raymond Haber, Rabbi
- Moshe Lagnado, Rabbi
- Moshe Arking, Rabbi
- Raymond, Beyda, Rabbi
- Dr. Victor H. Sasson, President
- Edward Farhi, Cantor
- David Shiro, Cantor
- Haim Eliyahu, Cantor
- Solomon Dayan, Cantor
- Youssef Saadeh, Cantor, Rabbi
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rushefsky, Carolyn (May 2012). "Shaare Zion: The Synagogue That Nearly Wasn't Built". Community Magazine. XI (8). Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Congregation Shaare Zion - Prints & Photographs Online Catalog". LOC Online Catalog. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Prominent Synagogue's Expansion Plan Brings Civil War On First Night Of Chanukah". Sheepshead Bites. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (December 9, 1994). "Jacob Kassin, 94, Chief Rabbi Of Brooklyn's Syrian Sephardim". The New York Times'. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
- ^ "In memory of Chief Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin" (PDF). Image Magazine. January 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "The Community Mourns the Passing of Rabbi Baruch Ben Haim". Image Magazine. 2005. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "Rabbi Klappholz". The New York Times. March 26, 1975. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ^ Sexton, Joe (November 17, 1995). "Synagogue Debates Dismissing Rabbi Over View on Violence". The New York Times'. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "Rabbis & Hazzanim". Kol Israel Congregation'. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Vitello, Paul (July 23, 2009). "Syrian Sephardic Communities Shaken by Charges Against a Leading Rabbi". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
- ^ Shamir, Shlomo (July 26, 2009). "Brooklyn Sephardic community rocked by detention of leading rabbi". Haaretz. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
- ^ Lysiak, Matthew; Melago, Carrie (July 24, 2009). "Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, 5 rabbis among dozens arrested in sweeping money laundering probe". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- ^ "Rabbi Gets Probation In New Jersey Corruption Case". CBS News. New York. June 1, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Proposed building extension at BuildingStudio.com