Synagogues of Long Island

Download or read book Synagogues of Long Island written by Ira Poliakoff and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017-12-04 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Long Island has one of the most vibrant and largest Jewish communities in the nation. After World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jewish soldiers returned from war looking for a life in the suburbs and synagogues to join, but the demand exceeded the supply. In 1946, Rabbi Elias Solomon called a meeting of Conservative rabbis from Manhattan to map out a plan to build a synagogue at ever South Shore Long Island Railroad stop, from Valley Stream to Patchogue. Central Synagogue of Nassau County and Beth El in Great Neck both grew to more than 1000 families as Reform Judaism took hold, and the growth of the Chabad movement in recent decades as spurred an increase of Orthodox Judaism. Author Ira Poliakoff catalogues the history of synagogues and congregations that have shaped Long Island's past and present.