Shaari Zedek Synagogue

Shaari Zedek Synagogue, also known as Congregation Achavat Achim and since 1944 as St. Leonard's Church, is a historic synagogue at 767 Putnam Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. It was built in 1909–1910 and is a two-story rectangular brick building with cast stone trim.[2]

For similarly named synagogues, see Shaare Zedek.
St. Leonard's Anglican Church
LocationBrooklyn, New York
CountryUnited States
DenominationAnglican Church in North America
Websitewww.stleonardsbrooklyn.org
History
Founded1936
Administration
DioceseLiving Word
Clergy
Priest(s)The Rev. Mark Kiesel
ArchdeaconThe Ven. Samuel Orimogunje
Shaari Zedek Synagogue
Shaari Zedek Synagogue is located in New York City
Shaari Zedek Synagogue
Shaari Zedek Synagogue is located in New York
Shaari Zedek Synagogue
Shaari Zedek Synagogue is located in the United States
Shaari Zedek Synagogue
Location767 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn, New York
Coordinates40°41′11.19″N 73°55′51.24″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1909
ArchitectEugene Schoen
Architectural styleNeoclassical
NRHP reference No.09000968 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 4, 2009

History

Use as a synagogue

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a substantial influx of Eastern European Jewish immigrants in Bedford-Stuyvesant.[3] In 1902, new residents of Stuyvesant Heights who were members of Congregation Shaare Zedek of New York organized a new English-speaking synagogue by the same name.[4] The synagogue was self-described as "conservative," blending Orthodoxy and Reform Judaism, with men and women sitting together and men wearing hats but prayer shawls being optional.[5] Its first building was located on Quincy Street, but in 1909, the congregation commissioned Eugene Schoen to design a building at 767 Putnam Avenue.[4]

The new building was dedicated on September 25, 1910. However, Shaari Zedek's growth continued, becoming New York City's largest Conservative synagogue.[6] In 1924, the synagogue left Putnam Avenue for a new and larger building at Kingston Avenue and Park Place in Brooklyn. The new facility—which Shaari Zedek occupied until 1969 and is now a black church—included space for Shabbat services, Sunday school, a dance hall and a gymnasium.[6] President Calvin Coolidge participated in the dedication by pushing a button at the White House that caused the new building's electric lights to illuminate.[7]

In 1924, Shaari Zedek sold its building to an older Conservative Brooklyn synagogue named Achavat Achim, a branch of Brooklyn's first synagogue, Beth Elohim.[4] Achavat Achim owned the building until 1944, when—amid demographic changes in Bedford-Stuyvesant that saw it become heavily African-American—it sold the building to an Afro-Caribbean church in the Anglican tradition named St. Leonard's.[8]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[1]

References
  1. "National Register of Historic Places". WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 1/25/10 THROUGH 1/29/10. National Park Service. 2010-02-05.
  2. Kathy Howe (October 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration:Shaari Zedek Synagogue". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-02-20. See also: "Accompanying 13 photos".
  3. Charles, Mario A. (1995). "Bedford-Stuyvesant". In Jackson, Kenneth T. (ed.). Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. 94–95.
  4. Abelow, Samuel P. (1937). History of Brooklyn Jewry. Brooklyn, New York: Scheba Publishing Company. p. 38.
  5. Abelow, Samuel P. (1937). History of Brooklyn Jewry. Brooklyn, New York: Scheba Publishing Company. pp. 34–35.
  6. "FORMER SHAARI ZEDEK SYNAGOGUE". 6 to Celebrate. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  7. "Coolidge in Capital Lights Temple Here". New York Times. October 12, 1926. p. 16.
  8. "Registration Form: Shaari Zedek Synagogue". National Register of Historic Places. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 23 May 2023.


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