New York has been home to a vibrant Jewish community since the mid-17th century, when the area was a Dutch colony. In 1654, a group of Jews from Brazil, fearing religious persecution at the hand of the Portuguese, looked to the tolerant Dutch for protection. While most of them came to the Netherlands, a group of them came to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (later to become New York). While some of the local Dutch settlers were hesitant to let these newcomers in, they were here to stay, and New York’s Jewish community is the oldest in the United States. However, Jews in the New York remained a negligible minority until the late 19th century, when immigrants from Europe, mostly the German and Russian Empires, came to America to start new lives. Upon arriving in the city, most of them settled in the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.
While the ethnic and socioeconomic makeup of all of New York’s five boroughs has changed dramatically over the past 100 years, Brooklyn’s Jewish community remains to this day a visible part of the region’s culture. The oldest congregation in the borough is Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, an Orthodox Jewish congregation first founded in 1869 by German Jews. According to the synagogue’s Vice President, Stephen Weidberg, it’s the last modern Orthodox synagogue in Williamsburg. Despite its humble beginnings (they first worshipped in a house, and its early years were characterized by financial hardship), Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom grew and eventually prospered. This past weekend, the synagogue celebrated its 145th anniversary. The celebration was also meant to honor the synagogue’s Rabbi, Joshua Fishman, who is retiring after 43 years. Fishman, who is a vital component of the synagogue, will be sorely missed, but according to synagogue officials, the congregation will still keep running, albeit without their old leader.
Maria Haymandou 