"This dragged on and on 'til finally in June 2024, they admitted, which we had begun to suspect, that they don't want to open up the synagogue again. Once they saw that the synagogue was closed and we're not in there, they said, 'hey, wait a second, why don't we also take the synagogue?'"
"The congregation was founded 100 years ago, along with the hospital, when members of the Jewish community felt mistreated at other hospitals in the city and wanted a place where they felt welcome. Services were paused during the pandemic, but years after all restrictions were lifted, the congregation says hospital management refused to allow them back inside."
"In 2019, officials assured the congregation in writing that 'access to the synagogue will be preserved throughout and after development is complete.' The dispute stems from a plan to build affordable housing on part of the campus."
Kingsbrook Shul, a synagogue founded 100 years ago by Brooklyn's Jewish community alongside Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, now sits abandoned on a campus owned by One Brooklyn Health. Services halted during the pandemic, but hospital management refused to reopen the facility after restrictions lifted. The congregation filed a lawsuit in response, claiming the hospital violated a 2019 written agreement guaranteeing preserved synagogue access during campus redevelopment for affordable housing. Hospital officials allegedly decided to claim the synagogue after recognizing it remained closed. Rabbi Zalman Goldstein and congregants seek to restore worship at their historic institution.
#religious-property-rights #historic-preservation #healthcare-real-estate #community-dispute #legal-battle
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