New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, halted the planned demolition of the historic Kingsbrook Shul, formerly Congregation Chaim Albert, in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Built in 1950 on the grounds of the former Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, the synagogue was to be razed as part of a redevelopment of the larger site into affordable housing. The project, which is partly financed via the state’s housing and community renewal program, would include hundreds of residential units.
The governor’s decision came amid a lawsuit in the state’s supreme court in Kings County, in which Congregation Chaim Albert sued One Brooklyn Health System, the entity that owns the property.
In the June 13 complaint posted by VIN News, the congregation alleged that the synagogue was always intended to remain a permanent house of worship and should not be treated as a disposable real estate asset.
According to the complaint, synagogue services were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but were never allowed to resume, even after public-health restrictions ended. The congregation alleged that the prolonged closure was used to justify removing the Kingsbrook Shul as part of the redevelopment.
Hochul said she “led the effort to save the historic Kingsbrook Shul from its demolition” in a statement to CoLlive, in which she encouraged “leadership from the hospital and synagogue to find a path forward where both sites can prosper and serve the community.”
Aron Wieder, a state assemblyman, said that “protecting institutions with deep community and cultural significance is important.”
Letitia James, the state attorney general, also said that “this synagogue has been meaningful to the community for decades, and I am grateful a treasured piece of Jewish history in New York will be preserved.”
