By COLlive reporter
When real estate agents Judy Friedman and Chaya Zarchi of B.H. Tal Real Estate in Crown Heights were recently hired to sell a property at 209 Rochester Avenue in Northern Crown Heights, they made a surprising discovery.
Visiting the 3-storey property, they discovered that within the building of the New Gethsemane Baptist Church there exists a shul that was left intact and preserved by its members.
The shul, which was called Congregation Ahavath Reyim, was operational from 1920 until 1968, when the property was purchased by the church, research showed.
Bishop McCants of the New Gethsemane Baptist Church says that they maintained all the original details to the best of their ability, including a fully operational mikvah, “as a show of respect to the Jewish heritage,” Chaya Zarchi told COLlive.
The building still contains the original Mikvah, a full women’s section on the third floor balcony, and a large marble memorial/ donor plaque engraved in gold.
The Jewish Star of David is prominently displayed on the façade of the handsome brick building, as well as on all the stained glass windows and on the ceiling of the entrance foyer.
Mass Jewish migration in the 1960s and 1970s from Crown Heights and East New York to Borough Park, Midwood and Williamsburg, caused many shuls to shut down due to lack of members.
“To find a Shul, perfectly preserved, half a century later, with this amount of history in it, is nothing short of miraculous,” Zarchi says.
The property is currently for sale through BH Tal Real Estate, for more information call 917-755-8432 or 347-432-3830.
very beautiful and touching. Wish someone could buy it with the intentions of using it as a shul again soon. Though I understand this is one of many unfortunately. משיח כאו!
I attended cheder in this building in 1956. It was rented by satmar whose principal was R Chaim Berkowits a”h. who was also shamas in the shul. By 1957 the cheder moved to a different location & twice more until it ended up on Kinston & park pl. The pics evoked many memories of a struggling orthodox jewish community(satmar) among others. these were the survivors of the nazi germany. They didn’t know much about america. The only thing they were driven by was to raise families in the original mesorah they inherited. G-d blessed their endeavers. No one dreamt or… Read more »
Amazing!!!
It would be nice of them and great for their ruchniusdikeh standing if they could forfeit any profit connected to this sale, thus making the building more affordable for the families who live close by and would love to have a built shul of their own. Is that asking too much? They might even consult with a rav and find out if such a “donation” could be considered maaser!
We readers might have the funds to buy this building, but we CAN put our efforts into improving Crown Heights (or wherever we live) through our Torah and mitzvos, and our mentchlichkeit…by raising our children the best we can, by using our G-d-given talents to the maximum…by being our very best selves. Won’t it be thrilling when Moshiach comes and all the abandoned shuls worldwide will return to their former, true splendor!
Many Shuls were sold to churches when Criwn Heights changed into a predominately black neighborhood in the late 60’s. People fled to Boro Park and Williamsburg by the thousands.
under the flooring is the mikvah! such a smart way to save space!
Lubavitch would never abandon property in Crown Heights.
The south Bronx has many of these as well, leftover from a byegone era when it was a vibrant frum community. So sad.
In past centuries in Europe and the Middle East Jews didn’t abandon their Shuls because the neighborhood was changing and property values were going down. They were forced to leave their homes and synagogues! They had no choices. But here in the US its been more a matter of comfort. In Europe and elsewhere synagogues were destroyed, here they’ve been sold! I know there’s more to it than this, but it’s still not the same. Amazing that goyim have preserved the Shuls here so well.
They are asking 975k. Is that really so bad for the size of property sane location.
If what youre saying is accurate, perhaps the realtors can use their incredible savviness to keep the price DOWN if its indeed bought as a shul.
I documented this building briefly in my book The Lost Synagogues of Brooklyn (2009, Avotaynu). It is a few blocks away from another, larger former synagogue.
I have news for some of you: there are a few hundred former shuls in NYC alone, and probably 2/3 of them became churches. Like it or not, this is widely known. At this point I am the foremost historian of them. My Facebook page “The Lost Synagogues of New York City & NJ” features these.
Hope someone still has heart and maybe good donor to invest and open it as a new shul for all who loves around , to attract Jews to this side of CH
Don’t be foolish, my family left that neighborhood before people called those blocks “Crown Heights”, it was outside of CH on the way to Brownsville. My family was not a family of means, and we lived on the 4th floor of a tenement building. We moved to President Street & Rogers Avenue, to live in a safer neighborhood because my father feared my mother and our lives. The Rebbe was one of MANY very Choshuveh Rabbonim that led kehhilas in CH in the 50s & 60s. He was revered and respected as much as the Bobover Rebbe,z”l, the Bostoner Rebbe,z”l,… Read more »
I noticed that in the first 2 pictures the last name Rohr is in the center. Maybe it’s a relative of George Rohr & he’d be interested in buying it.
This pastor has been trying to sell this building for over 2 years now. He now found a new way to market it, bring the Jews and show them what you preserved and see how much mone you can get. He is a smart guy. I met him many times. This is all a play on the naive. Sadly some Jewish ‘real estate’agents are helping him promote his sale. There were 2 Jewish schools that wanted to buy it, but the appraisal fell short of what they were asking. Here he has a new audience with these ‘agents’ helping him… Read more »
Brilliant
It would be very nice if Sperlin, Malamud, Fischer etc joined forces to buy the building and perhaps turn it into a Kolel or something. There aren’t many people in Crown Heights with the money or the vision to buy and restore this makom kedusha. Of course, it wouldn’t make a profit, so I suspect #13 is right. Yet another CH tragedy.
Read the article
At 209…. In northern crown heights
I hope they update who purchases the property
True, I’m sure in their line of work, they got a heter
Regardless, it’s not my place to judge
Wow! Chills!
This is amazing! The discovery, the Hashgacha protis, the respect, the preservation, after all these years! This is an investment opportunity of a lifetime.
I wish I had the means!
Lucky you, whoever does!
Halacha says that a goy can nullify Avoda Zara I would assume that selling is considered nullifying.
We may not have shul’s turning into churches but similar trends are happening in c.h. every day. Nobody cares anymore.
Maybe it’s s sign not to sell to developers who will bring yuppies
It would be super nice if someone bought this and revive it back into a shul for us hidden who live here 😉 shabbos its not so easy to shelp kids to shul so far, this would change our lives. I live 3 minutes from this property!
some in stunning building all over CH and BedSty :(:(:(
including EP
Why did they walk into a church? Its avoda zara. Its against halacha to walk into a church.
I thank and praise the G_D OF ISRAEL for this step in the correct direction. May He decree abundant steps in the correct direction, and very soon.
incredible. someone will surely be reviving it, b’ezras HaShem
they will probably turn it into condos which in this case is against Halacha.
Wish I could buy it. I have a strong feeling there are others like this one around as well.
There is another shul with a mikvah intact located on Eastern parkway corner Schenectady across the library.
The black lady who lives there, understands the kedysha of the place & never wanted to destry it.
Where is it located
Read the article.
It was a Shul. Years ago the church bought the building. They left the Shul intact. The Shul has not been used since. The building is up for sale.
They are looking to score points. Freinds of Israel
1) IF IT IS STILL A SHUL NOW/TODAY, HOW DID THEY USE IT AS A CHURCH ?
2) WHAT HAPPENED NOW THAT THE BUILDING IS UP FOR SALE ?
3) IS IT A SHUL OR LEHAVDIL A CHURCH ?
I SAY: IT IS DEFIANTLY MOSHIACH’S TIMES!!!
There would have been many more like this one when other communities left to boro park on those years, abandoning many shuls. The Rebbe made asked people to keep attending those shuls so they close down. Once a place is a shul cannot just close down.
The same goes for the latest trend recently seen of all these pop-ups shuls opening all over. If you open a shul you assume a responsibility and it is a commitment long term to maintain it and to make sure it doesn’t close. It’s not a social club, kedusha lo zazah mim’koma.
so cool! where is it located?
Wow that’s amazing
I hope someone buys this property and revives it as a shul or yeshiva! May Moshiach come right away and restore all the old shuls that became houses of worship, etc. for others!
How amazing.