Congregation Shaare Zion

Congregation Shaare Zion
Basic information
Location	2030 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, New York,  United States
Geographic coordinates	40°35′58″N 73°57′58″W / 40.599351°N 73.966197°W / 40.599351; -73.966197Coordinates: 40°35′58″N 73°57′58″W / 40.599351°N 73.966197°W / 40.599351; -73.966197
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Sephardi
Status	Active
Leadership	Rabbi Saul J. Kassin
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Morris Lapidus
Architectural type	Synagogue
Architectural style	Modern
Direction of façade	East
Groundbreaking	1957
Completed	1960
Specifications
Capacity	Over 1,000
Dome(s)	1
Materials	Concrete, Steel, Marble, Glass

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.

History

The original congregation was started in the 1940s as a local minyan, 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;^[1] 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.^[2] Designed by architect Morris Lapidus and completed in 1960, the structure includes a main sanctuary that can seat over 400 worshipers.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.

Internal Politics

Born in Jerusalem in 1900, the late Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin,^[5] 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".^[6] 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, 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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.

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 law and Torah.^[9] 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 Investigation as part of a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy probe called Operation Bid Rig.^[10][11] 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."^[12]

Leadership

• Saul J. Kassin, Chief Rabbi
• 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

See also

• Syrian Jewish communities of the United States

References

1. ^ (March 26, 1975). "Rabbi Klappholz". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
2. ^ "Congregation Shaare Zion origins". Image Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
3. ^ "Congregation Shaare Zion - Prints & Photographs Online Catalog". LOC Online Catalog. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
4. ^ "Sephardic Renaissance Concert to Honor 100 Years of Syrian Jews in America". Sephardic Renaissance. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
5. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (December 9, 1994). "Jacob Kassin, 94, Chief Rabbi Of Brooklyn's Syrian Sephardim". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
6. ^ "In memory of Chief Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin". Image Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
7. ^ Sexton, Joe (November 17, 1995). "Synagogue Debates Dismissing Rabbi Over View on Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
8. ^ Rabbis & Hazzanim. Kol Israel Congregation. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
9. ^ "The Community Mourns the Passing of Rabbi Baruch Ben Haim". Image Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
10. ^ Vitello, Paul (July 23, 2009). "Syrian Sephardic Communities Shaken by Charges Against a Leading Rabbi". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
11. ^ Shamir, Shlomo (July 26, 2009). Brooklyn Sephardic community rocked by detention of leading rabbi. Haaretz. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
12. ^ Lysiak, Matthew and Melago, Carrie (July 24, 2009). "Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, 5 rabbis among dozens arrested in sweeping money laundering probe". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 23, 2009.