Congregation Shaare Zion
Encyclopedia
Congregation Shaare Zion, is an Orthodox
Sephardic
synagogue
located at 2030 Ocean Parkway
in Brooklyn, New York. One of the largest Orthodox Jewish congregations in New York, it has an estimated 1,500 worshipers who attend its services Fridays and Saturdays for Shabbat
. The synagogue generally serves the Aleppo or (Halabi) Syrian community.
, led by several prominent Syrian Jewish
families in a residential home located on Ocean Parkway. Between the 1940s and the 1950s, the rabbi of the congregation was the late Rabbi Kurt Klappholz; an Ashkenazi
rabbi born in Berlin
to Polish parents, who was also principal of the Magen David Yeshivah, the congregation's day school.
In 1957, the residence was sold and construction commenced on a new large edifice that would eventually encompass a growing community. Designed by architect Morris Lapidus
and completed in 1960, the structure includes a main sanctuary that can seat over 400 worshipers. Throughout the years, the decorative ornate chairs in the main sanctuary - colloquially known as "The Dome" for its distinctive roof - have been reupholstered and their wood trims renewed numerous times. Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, the members purchased and renovated a neighboring home, now known as the Annex Building, on the north side of the main structure, to facilitate more daily prayer and Torah study.
Erected in the rear section of the property was a banquet hall used for weddings
, Bar Mitzvahs and other social functions. Popularly known as the Social Hall, this facility was also used on Shabbat as an additional space for prayers. In 1996, extensive renovations were done to this 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 Bnei 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.
Jacob Kassin's son, Rabbi Saul J. Kassin originally served as a consulting rabbi along with Rabbi Abraham Hecht
, who took over when Rabbi Klappholz left for another position. Hecht had served the Sephardic community for over fifty years: directing the large minyan of the main sanctuary, offering classes in Jewish Law, as well as scheduling and attending social receptions such as Bar Mitzvahs and Brit Milahs
, along with officiating countless wedding ceremonies. However, due to controversial views regarding the Arab–Israeli conflict
, Hecht was forced to exit his position under political pressure.
Another notable rabbinic figure to serve the congregation, was Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari. Harari directed the Bnei Shaare Zion minyan in the former banquet hall for a period of 18 years; from 1980 to 1998. Harari subsequently resigned his position for a different opportunity to lead the smaller Kol Israel congregation in Midwood, Brooklyn
. Harari is also currently the Rosh Yeshivah of the Yeshiva of Flatbush. Rabbi Yaakov Ben Haim and Rabbi David Maslaton both jointly lead the new Bnei Shaare Zion synagogue in his place. Currently Rabbi Saul J. Kassin, a graduate of the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy
, leads the overall congregation along with the Syrian Jewish community in general, as its new Chief Rabbi.
and Torah
. Morning and evening study classes are given by influential rabbis on a daily basis.
as part of a major corruption
and international money laundering
conspiracy
probe called Operation Bid Rig
. Acting U.S. attorney Ralph J. Marra Jr. described the arrest during a news conference saying, clergy members "cloaked their extensive criminal activity behind a facade of rectitude."
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Sephardic
Sephardic Judaism
Sephardic law and customs means the practice of Judaism as observed by the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, so far as it is peculiar to themselves and not shared with other Jewish groups such as the Ashkenazim...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
located at 2030 Ocean Parkway
Ocean Parkway (Brooklyn)
Ocean Parkway is a broad boulevard in the west central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.-Route description:Ocean Parkway extends over a distance of about five miles , running almost north to south from the vicinity of Prospect Park to Brighton Beach...
in Brooklyn, New York. One of the largest Orthodox Jewish congregations in New York, it has an estimated 1,500 worshipers who attend its services Fridays and Saturdays for Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
. The synagogue generally serves the Aleppo or (Halabi) Syrian community.
History
The original congregation was started in the 1940s as a local minyanMinyan
A minyan in Judaism refers to the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. According to many non-Orthodox streams of Judaism adult females count in the minyan....
, led by several prominent Syrian Jewish
Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: from the Jews who inhabited the region of today's Syria from ancient times Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern...
families in a residential home located on Ocean Parkway. Between the 1940s and the 1950s, the rabbi of the congregation was the late Rabbi Kurt Klappholz; an Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
rabbi born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to Polish parents, who was also principal of the Magen David Yeshivah, the congregation's day school.
In 1957, the residence was sold and construction commenced on a new large edifice that would eventually encompass a growing community. Designed by architect Morris Lapidus
Morris Lapidus
Morris Lapidus was the architect of Neo-baroque Miami Modern hotels that has since come to define the 1950s resort-hotel style synonymous with Miami and Miami Beach....
and completed in 1960, the structure includes a main sanctuary that can seat over 400 worshipers. Throughout the years, the decorative ornate chairs in the main sanctuary - colloquially known as "The Dome" for its distinctive roof - have been reupholstered and their wood trims renewed numerous times. Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, the members purchased and renovated a neighboring home, now known as the Annex Building, on the north side of the main structure, to facilitate more daily prayer and Torah study.
Erected in the rear section of the property was a banquet hall used for weddings
Jewish wedding
A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish law and traditions.While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ketuba signed by two witnesses, a wedding canopy , a ring owned by the groom that is given to the bride under the canopy, and the breaking of a...
, Bar Mitzvahs and other social functions. Popularly known as the Social Hall, this facility was also used on Shabbat as an additional space for prayers. In 1996, extensive renovations were done to this 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 Bnei Shaare Zion capable of seating upwards of 250 worshipers, a Beth midrash
Beth midrash
Beth Midrash refers to a study hall, whether in a synagogue, yeshiva, kollel, or other building. It is distinct from a synagogue, although many synagogues are also used as batei midrash and vice versa....
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.
Internal Politics
Born in Jerusalem in 1900, the late Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin, 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". His son-in-law, the late Rabbi Baruch Ben Haim, born in Jerusalem in 1921, 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.Jacob Kassin's son, Rabbi Saul J. Kassin originally served as a consulting rabbi along with Rabbi Abraham Hecht
Abraham Hecht
Abraham Hecht born on April 5, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York; is an American Orthodox rabbi affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, and is president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America - Igud HaRabanim....
, who took over when Rabbi Klappholz left for another position. Hecht had served the Sephardic community for over fifty years: directing the large minyan of the main sanctuary, offering classes in Jewish Law, as well as scheduling and attending social receptions such as Bar Mitzvahs and Brit Milahs
Brit milah
The brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:...
, along with officiating countless wedding ceremonies. However, due to controversial views regarding the Arab–Israeli conflict
Arab–Israeli conflict
The Arab–Israeli conflict refers to political tensions and open hostilities between the Arab peoples and the Jewish community of the Middle East. The modern Arab-Israeli conflict began with the rise of Zionism and Arab Nationalism towards the end of the nineteenth century, and intensified with the...
, Hecht was forced to exit his position under political pressure.
Another notable rabbinic figure to serve the congregation, was Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari. Harari directed the Bnei Shaare Zion minyan in the former banquet hall for a period of 18 years; from 1980 to 1998. Harari subsequently resigned his position for a different opportunity to lead the smaller Kol Israel congregation in Midwood, Brooklyn
Midwood, Brooklyn
Midwood is a neighborhood in the south central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA, roughly halfway between Prospect Park and Coney Island. The neighborhood is within Community District 14...
. Harari is also currently the Rosh Yeshivah of the Yeshiva of Flatbush. Rabbi Yaakov Ben Haim and Rabbi David Maslaton both jointly lead the new Bnei Shaare Zion synagogue in his place. Currently Rabbi Saul J. Kassin, a graduate of the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy
Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy
The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, also known as Yeshiva University High School for Boys , MTA or TMSTA , is an Orthodox Jewish day school , the boys' high school of Yeshiva University in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-History:The Talmudical...
, leads the overall congregation along with the Syrian Jewish community in general, as its new Chief Rabbi.
Community
Not only used as a house of worship, the congregation also functions as an educational center for the community. The Shaare Zion Torah Center was established to educate the community in subjects of Jewish lawHalakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
and Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. Morning and evening study classes are given by influential rabbis on a daily basis.
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 Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
as part of a major corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and international money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
conspiracy
Conspiracy (civil)
A civil conspiracy or collusion is an agreement between two or more parties to deprive a third party of legal rights or deceive a third party to obtain an illegal objective....
probe called Operation Bid Rig
Operation Bid Rig
Operation Bid Rig is an ongoing, long-term investigation into political corruption in New Jersey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since 2002...
. Acting U.S. attorney Ralph J. Marra Jr. described the arrest during a news conference saying, clergy members "cloaked their extensive criminal activity behind a facade of rectitude."
Leadership
- Saul J. Kassin, Chief RabbiChief RabbiChief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
- Yaakov Ben Haim, Rabbi
- David Maslaton, Rabbi
- Meyer Yedid, Rabbi
- Raymond Haber, Rabbi
- Moshe Lagnado, Rabbi
- Moshe Arking, Rabbi
- Raymond Beyda, Rabbi
- A. Bert Hidary, President
- Edward Farhi, Cantor
- David Shiro, Cantor
- Haim Eliyahu, Cantor
- Solomon Dayan, Cantor
- Youssef Saadeh, Cantor, Rabbi