Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes

Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes (Hebrew: בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת, lit.'House of Israel – People of Truth'), more commonly known as the Kane Street Synagogue, is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 236 Kane Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, in the United States. It is currently the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Brooklyn.

Baith Israel Anshei Emes
Hebrew: בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת
Synagogue sanctuary
Religion
AffiliationConservative Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Michelle Dardashti
StatusActive
Location
Location236 Kane Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
CountryUnited States
Location in Brooklyn, New York City
Geographic coordinates40°41′08″N 73°59′43″W
Architecture
TypeSynagogue
StyleRomanesque Revival
Date established1856 (as a congregation)
Completed1855 (1855)
Specifications
Direction of façadeNorth-east
Capacity864 worshippers
Website
kanestreet.org

Founded as Baith Israel in 1856, the congregation constructed the first synagogue on Long Island, and hired Aaron Wise for his first rabbinical position in the United States. Early tensions between traditionalists and reformers led to the latter forming Congregation Beth Elohim, a Reform synagogue, in 1861.

The synagogue nearly failed in the early 20th century, but the 1905 hiring of Israel Goldfarb as rabbi, the purchase of its current buildings, and the 1908 merger with Talmud Torah Anshei Emes re-invigorated the congregation. The famous composer Aaron Copland celebrated his Bar Mitzvah there in 1913, and long-time Goldman Sachs head Sidney Weinberg was married there in 1920.

Membership peaked in the 1920s, but with the onset of the Great Depression declined steadily, and by the 1970s the congregation could no longer afford to heat the sanctuary. Membership has recovered since that low point; the congregation renovated its school/community center in 2004, and in 2008 embarked on a million-dollar capital campaign to renovate the sanctuary.

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