Ocean Parkway Jewish Center

The Ocean Parkway Jewish Center is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 550 Ocean Parkway, in Kensington, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States.

Ocean Parkway Jewish Center
Ocean Parkway synagogue
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Synagogue
Status	Active
Location
Location	550 Ocean Parkway, Kensington, Brooklyn, New York City, New York 11218
Country	United States
Location in New York City
Geographic coordinates	40°38′4″N 73°58′23″W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Samuel Malkind Martyn Weinstein
Type	Synagogue
Style	Neoclassical
Date established	1907 (as the First Congregation of Kensington) 1924 (merged congregation)
Completed	1926
Construction cost	$450,000
Website
opjc.net
Ocean Parkway Jewish Center
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	less than one acre
NRHP reference No.	09001082
Added to NRHP	December 11, 2009
[1]

The synagogue was built between 1924 and 1926 and is a three-story plus basement and attic, stone clad Neoclassical style building, with a two-story addition. The front façade features three round-arched entrances and the second and third stories are organized as a temple front.^[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.^[1] The building was designed by Samuel Malkind and Martyn Weinstein. Malkind had worked for Louis Abramson's firm before starting his own practice with Weinstein^[3][4] and the design followed a pattern set by Abramson, "combining neo-Classical ornament with Judaic symbols".^[3]

The Chairman and Director is Allen Michaels.^[5]

History

The synagogue was established following the 1924 merger of its predecessors, the First Congregation of Kensington, founded 1907, and the West Flatbush Jewish Center. The two synagogues, located about two blocks apart from each other (Ditmas and Dahill Roads, and East 2nd Street near Ditmas, respectively) had outgrown their spaces, and purchased seven lots on Ocean Parkway immediately within one month of joining forces. The building was completed in 1926, at a total cost of around $450,000. At the time, it was named, The Ocean Parkway Jewish Center of the First Congregation of Kensington Tiphereth Israel.^[6]

The Ocean Parkway Jewish Center was previously affiliated with Conservative Judaism under Rabbi Jacob Bosniak's leadership for nearly 30 years. His sermons during the 1940s informed congregants about the catastrophe of the Holocaust (ref: Interpreting Jewish Life: The Sermons and Addresses of Jacob Bosniak). The congregation is presently Orthodox.^[7]