Almost 75 years ago a group of twelve Jewish families living
within the Grant City, New Dorp and Richmond areas reached out to each other
and conducted "communal" Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Services. With a clear minded sense of determination,
they founded a synagogue which was to be established in Grant City. The synagogue was to be known from its
inception as the South Shore Hebrew Alliance. It was granted a state charter as a bona fide
religious organization on February 4, 1935. The official document was the fruition of the
tireless efforts and devotion of the following families, who were already a
real congregation in their hearts, minds and their spirits.
Mayer
Weiss
Herman
Mintz
Nathan
Eisenberg
Simon
Friedman
Jacob
Lilling
Harry
Richman
Simon
R. Miller
Herman
Frank
David
Schwartz
Abram
Gottlieb
Louis
Avins
Samuel
Shulman
Phillip Gottlieb
As the Jewish Community grew in number on the South Shore of
Staten Island, the founders recognized a need for a permanent and proper house
of worship to serve the needs of an expanding community. They bought land and erected a modest building
on Bancroft Avenue and South Railroad Avenue. In 1949 the congregation engaged its first
rabbi, Rabbi Sidney Grumet.
By 1959, the membership in the synagogue grew to the point
where a twenty-thousand dollar expansion program was initiated.The expansion program included plans for a
regular Hebrew and Sunday School program and curriculum. Rabbi Grumet was the Hebrew School teacher and
Tillie Fried taught the Sunday school.
In 1965, the property of the synagogue was condemned by the
state to make way for major modifications for the Staten Island Rapid Transit
System. Undaunted and united and with a
dedication to survive, the congregation spent three years wandering without a
permanent shul. High Holiday services
were conducted in an empty supermarket one year and within a tent on the
grounds of our current property the following year. Hebrew School classes were conducted at the
Masonic Hall in Great Kills and the Baptist Church in New Dorp, but all the
time the synagogue owned the present property. Construction of the present shul could not
commence due to continuous delays within the classical New York City
bureaucracy.
In 1968, construction proceeded on the current synagogue
structure.The new expanded facility
with a sanctuary, social hall, catering kitchen, classrooms and offices
prepared the congregation for the current influx of new Jewish families to the
South Shore of Staten Island. It is
indeed a tribute to the sixty-five families who stood together, worked together
and struggled together to bring the current shul to reality.
Now, with over one-hundred and twenty families in the
congregation with new needs, new aspirations for the future, the leadership is
once again dreaming and planning for new growth and new directions.
It is with deep affection, admiration and respect that the
congregation bestows a sincere congratulations to those leaders in the
community that have dedicated themselves to the well being of others and the
sanctity of preserving a Jewish way of life and Jewish traditions by fostering
the growth and development of Congregation B'nai Israel. Their names
shall be ever inscribed in our hearts for their wisdom, leadership and
accomplishments.
Though the name of the synagogue changed in 1954 from the
South Shore Hebrew Alliance to Congregation B'nai Israel, the great underlying
strength and determination to survive and grow still fuels the eternal flame
over our holy ark, as a light for the future, and a memorial to those who saw
the light and made a vision come true.