Franklin Ave Shul Searching For New Rabbi

by CrownHeights.info

Congregation Kol Israel, located on St Johns Pl and Franklin Ave in Crown Heights has sent out a survey to its members looking for input on the search for a new Rabbi.

“CKI is a dynamic and diverse shul,” the shul wrote in the survey. “This means we all need to join together to make sure that CKI’s next Rabbi meets our entire community’s needs for a spiritual home.”

The present rabbi of the Modern Orthodox Shul moved away, a source told CrownHeights.info.

Founded in 1924, Congregation Kol Israel is a historic Modern Orthodox synagogue located at 603 St. John’s Place in the Crown Heights. The building, built in 1928, has an old feel and boasts stain glass windows and two floors.

On its website, the shul writes that it is “Guided by Torah and Halakha”, and is “committed to building a community that allows its members to build strong relationships with each other and with God.”

Like many Modern Orthodox Shuls across the country, the Shul faces the polorization of the young Jewish world, either towards more stringent orthodoxy or unreligious.

In its survey, the Shul asks its members if they “Would you consider a woman for the role of spiritual leader of our community (within the parameters of Orthodox Judaism)?”

With the Crown Heights Jewish community having shrunk considerably since the shuls inception, the Shul now claims to have 65 member units and growing.

With the available option of taking on a frum Rabbi, the future of this historic Shul may remain closely connected with the Lubavitch community.