Shalom!
90 years ago, a group of committed Brooklyn Jews came together to articulate a vision. They wanted to build a Jewish Center – a collective home to live their Jewish lives. It would be a uniquely American edifice; a place not only to pray, celebrate holidays, raise Jewish families, and explore the endless richness of Jewish text, history, and culture, but also a place to engage in social events and athletic activities, a place that reflected American values and culture and reached out to the greater community. In May of 1924, five families each pledged five dollars to the cause, and they began the work of building the East Midwood Jewish Center.
Today, 90 years later, we are saluting their work and the work of all who followed them, marking our current moment, and toasting our future. In the presence of our esteemed Rabbi Emeritus Dr. Alvin Kass, we review our history, laud the builders and maintainers, and remember the rabbis and cantors who came before. As we install our new Rabbi, Matt Carl, we take stock of where we are now and look optimistically to the future. It is our privilege and responsibility to continue the work of the visionary founders, to adapt to the changes that history has handed us while preserving the integrity of their dream.
Get a pdf of East Midwood Jewish Center’s History with the Celebration’s Program