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°WCoordinates: 40°35′58″N 73°57′58″W / 40.599351°N 73.966197°W |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Sephardi |
| Country | United States of America |
| Status | Active |
| Leadership | Rabbi Saul J. Kassin |
| Website | www.shaarezionny.com |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Morris Lapidus |
| Architectural type | Synagogue |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Groundbreaking | 1957 |
| Completed | 1960 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Capacity | Over 1,000 |
| Materials | Concrete, Steel, Marble, Glass |
Congregation Shaare Zion (Hebrew: שערי ציון) is an Orthodox Sephardic synagogue located at 2030 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. Shaare Zion typically has an estimated 1,000 worshipers who attend its services Fridays and Saturdays for Shabbat making it one of the largest Sephardic synagogues in North America. In its over fifty years of existence, the synagogue has hosted over ten thousand occasions including Brit milahs, Bar mitzvas, engagements and weddings. The synagogue generally serves the Aleppo or (Halabi) descendants of the Syrian Jewish community.
The original congregation was started in 1941 as a local minyan, led by several prominent Syrian Jewish families in a residential home located at 1756 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. Early in its development, the synagogue generally maintained around 75 worshippers. However, during the High Holidays, attendance swelled to 750 congregants at a nearby hall called Aperion Manor, a few blocks away at 815 Kings Highway due to space constraints at the home. The high attendance indicated to community leaders that a large central structure was needed for the growing crowds. On March 24, 1951, six leaders from the Shaare Zion committee met to discuss the acquisition of land for such a synagogue. They decided on a plot of land on Ocean Parkway and between Avenues T and U – the current site of the building. The same year, they purchased the land and later in 1953, architectural plans were drawn up for the present structure.
To finance the cost of construction, the community had, since 1941, already amassed a fund of $250,000. But soon after construction got underway, the building fund was entirely depleted and the whole project was nearly aborted due to lawsuits regarding a shortage of capital for the project. In 1957, several financial pledge drives were orchestrated to raise necessary funds to begin work on the building. The house quickly sold for $90,000 to a commercial realtor (eventually becoming part of an apartment complex) and the committee members were able to draw on the funds to continue construction for the central dome and the rest of the synagogue. In September 1958, Congregation Shaare Zion moved into the unfinished social hall for holiday prayers, while construction continued through 1960. Designed by renowned architect Morris Lapidus and completed in 1960, the structure includes a main sanctuary that can seat over 400 worshipers.
...
Wikipedia