Once Were Synagogues
The Brooklyn Historical Society has an exhibit that looks at “the curious juxtaposition of religious symbols” in some Brooklyn houses of worship that were once synagogues but are now churches. At left, for example, is the Northeastern Conference Mt. Zion Church of God, formerly the Congregation Achavat Achim of Flatbush; at right is the Calvary…
The Brooklyn Historical Society has an exhibit that looks at “the curious juxtaposition of religious symbols” in some Brooklyn houses of worship that were once synagogues but are now churches. At left, for example, is the Northeastern Conference Mt. Zion Church of God, formerly the Congregation Achavat Achim of Flatbush; at right is the Calvary Pentecostal Church, formerly the Woodruff Avenue Temple. The show was researched by Ellen Levitt and Howard Dankowitz and runs through February 11th. Has anyone checked it out? Any examples that come to mind in your own neighborhood?
From Synagogue to Church [BHS]
When I first came to Pratt, there were two rival art supply stores, one on Hall by Dekalb and one on DeKalb by Hall. (One is now the Pratt Luncheonette, the other one is still an art supply store). The owners of both stores were Jewish and very competitive. The owners of one store lived here, the other one lived in Boro Park. Their dislike thru the year was obvious, except for during the High Holy Days. There weren’t enough observant Jews left in the neighborhood to worship, so without the guy from Boro Park, they didn’t have a minyan. So the rivals declared an annual truce to walk together to the temple on the corner of Clermont and Willoughby. The following week they’d be at war again, but for a few days they were allies.
Finally one of the stores closed, more of the old people died and the temple was sold to the French Speaking Baptist Church.
In Fort Greene/ Clinton Hill the French Speaking Baptist Church on the corner of Vanderbilt/Clermont and Willoughby I believe was once a synagogue. I don’t know much about the congregation except that it was a Conservative Temple and the members were obviously prosperous as they came from mostly the homes in Clinton Hill.
Temple Issac/Faith Baptist Church is a magnificent building. God is God, only the words and the music change. Sounds like a very interesting exhibit, will try to check it out.
And Bob Marvin, thanks for the info about the Moravian Church on Ocean. It’s always seemed an odd one to me, but I had no idea it was formerly the site of a synagogue. The Moravians are celebrating 30 years in that spot this year, I think.
Matt Melnick,
There’s a former synagogue at the corner of East 21st Street and Albemarle Road, just 3 blocks south from the Old Dutch Reformed Cemetery, that’s kind of interesting. It’s quite modern in style, probably ’50s or maybe even ’60’s, built just before most Jews left the neighborhood (in a piece of quite bad timing). Has wrought iron sculpture of a burning bush (I think) that does not fit in badly with its current function as a Baptist church.
The only example I know of in PLG is the present John Hus Moravian Church on Ocean Avenue between Lincoln Road and Parkside Avenue. It was a conservative synagogue when I moved here in 1974. IIRC one of my neighbors, who was more observant than me, tried to get them to reach out to new Jewish residents. They had no interest in doing so and closed a few years later.
I live near, in Crown Heights, the former Temple Issac now Faith Baptist Church… the exhibit is about 25 photos with a blurb of the researched history, it’s interesting – I would say worth checking out.