$400 Million State-Funded Redevelopment Threatens to Displace Century-Old Congregation

Congregation Chaim Albert, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue with nearly 100 years of continuous service in East Flatbush, has filed a lawsuit against One Brooklyn Health System, Inc., seeking to protect its historic Shul Building. The synagogue, located on the grounds of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, is at risk of demolition as part of a $400 million state-funded redevelopment. The congregation is asking the court to impose a constructive and charitable trust to preserve the building for religious use and to establish the congregation’s ownership of the building..

Kingsbrook was founded in the 1920s by New York’s Jewish community to combat widespread antisemitism in healthcare. From its inception, the hospital incorporated Jewish values—including a kosher kitchen and regular prayer services. In 1950, the standalone synagogue was built to serve hospital staff, patients, and the local Jewish community.

Despite decades of assurances—including a 2019 state-issued RFP and continuing through the pandemic—that the Shul would remain untouched amid broader redevelopment, the hospital now plans to sell the synagogue, for residential development, with no provision for its preservation. The congregation, locked out during COVID-19 and repeatedly promised a return, was informed in 2024 that the building would instead be included in the development and sold.

“This Shul has been a pillar of the community for decades,” said longtime member Rabbi Zalman Goldstein. “I raised my family here, celebrated the bris ceremonies of two of my sons, a bar mitzvah, Torah dedications—this is not just a building; it’s a sacred trust. What’s happening is both shocking and wrong.”

Another community member recalled dedicating a Torah in memory of his brother, a beloved cantor at the Shul. “To see that legacy—and the Shul’s enduring presence—abruptly cut off is not only shocking, it is deeply painful.” said Tzvi Shuchat,

Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, founder of the Jewish Future Alliance, a local advocacy organization, and not involved with the lawsuit, called on Governor Hochul to intervene.

“I urge Governor Hochul to step in and ensure that this sacred space—an irreplaceable part of New York’s Jewish heritage—is preserved, not erased.”

The lawsuit claims Kingsbrook deliberately kept the building closed LONG AFTER THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY CAUSED BY COVID HAD PASSED IN ORDER to avoid public backlash over removing an active house of worship. Congregation Chaim Albert is now turning to the courts to prevent the erasure of nearly a century of religious and communal tradition.

Attached: (COMPLAINT, 2019 RFP, Brooklyn Daily Eagle• Mon, Mar 20, 1950)