The Ocean Parkway Jewish Center is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

located at 550 Ocean Parkway, in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, Brooklyn, New York City,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The synagogue was built between 1924 and 1926 and is a three-story plus basement and attic, stone clad Neoclassical style building, with a two-story addition. The front façade features three round-arched entrances and the second and third stories are organized as a temple front. ''See also:'' It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The Chairman and Director is Allen Michaels.

History

The synagogue was established following the 1924 merger of its predecessors, the First Congregation of Kensington, founded 1907, and the West Flatbush Jewish Center. The two synagogues, located about two blocks apart from each other (Ditmas and Dahill Roads, and East 2nd Street near Ditmas, respectively) had outgrown their spaces, and purchased seven lots on Ocean Parkway immediately within one month of joining forces. The building was completed in 1926, at a total cost of around $450,000. At the time, it was named, ''The Ocean Parkway Jewish Center of the First Congregation of Kensington Tiphereth Israel.'' The Ocean Parkway Jewish Center was previously affiliated with

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

under Rabbi Jacob Bosniak's leadership for nearly 30 years. His sermons during the 1940s informed congregants about the catastrophe of the Holocaust (ref: Interpreting Jewish Life: The Sermons and Addresses of Jacob Bosniak). The congregation is presently Orthodox.

References

External links

* * 1924 establishments in New York City Jewish organizations established in 1924 Synagogues completed in 1926 Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Brooklyn Synagogues in Brooklyn Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City Neoclassical synagogues Orthodox synagogues in New York City 20th-century synagogues in the United States {{NYC-religious-struct-stub