As part of his latest series on Great American Jewish Cities, noted historian Yehuda Geberer profiles the Crown Heights Jewish community beginning in the post-WWI era untill the ‘white-flight’ and its courageous hold-outs.
By Anash.org reporter
As part of his latest series on Great American Jewish Cities, noted historian Yehuda Geberer profiles the Crown Heights Jewish community beginning in the post-WWI era till the ‘white-flight’ and its courageous hold-outs.
“One of the many Brooklyn neighborhoods that was a center of diverse Jewish life for decades, Crown Heights is also unique in many ways.” Geberer wrote.
“From its pre-war days and the first JCC in America to the influx of Chassidic Jews in the post-war, it boasted a variety of shuls, shtiebels, and schools.
“Bobov, Skulen, Novominsk, Radzin, Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway and Kollel Gur Aryeh were just some of the many groups and institutions that had a presence in the bustling neighborhood.
“With the arrival of the Frierdiker Rebbe to the United States in 1940, Chabad headquarters were eventually established at the legendary address of 770 Eastern Parkway.
“With the “white flight” of the 1960’s in full swing, and while many Jewish communities left the neighborhood, the Rebbe insisted that his Chassidim stay put. As the courageous holdouts, Chabad would come to dominate Jewish life in Crown Heights and eventually come to be synonymous with the neighborhood itself.”