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A historic Brooklyn synagogue could be torn down to build new affordable housing
By
Samantha Max
Published Feb 12, 2026
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Courtesy of Congregation Chaim Albert.
By
Samantha Max
Published Feb 12, 2026
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A nearly century-old Jewish congregation in East Flatbush is in danger of losing its sanctuary to a wrecking ball as its landlords plan to tear it down and build affordable housing.
One Brooklyn Health, the nonprofit that owns the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, wants to demolish a synagogue on its campus and redevelop the site with affordable housing and outpatient services, according to court records. But since the late 1920s, a group of Orthodox Jews has been praying on the campus of the hospital, which was built in response to reports of antisemitism, according to a lawsuit the congregation filed last year in state court.
The case highlights New York City’s struggle to balance the preservation of cherished community spaces with the dire need for more affordable housing. It comes on the heels of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s election, which was largely centered on an affordable housing platform, and as rents in the city continue to spike.
At a court hearing Wednesday morning, One Brooklyn Health attorney Jason Hsi said it wouldn’t make sense to let the synagogue remain as a “zombie structure” in the midst of an affordable housing complex.
“The law, the facts, the public policy and, I would argue, the sympathy are on the hospital’s side,” he said.
Stuart Blander, a lawyer for the synagogue, said the congregation’s deep connection to the space should also be considered. He said congregants have repeatedly been assured that they could keep praying at the synagogue, including in writing by state officials. But now, executives at One Brooklyn Health are instead prioritizing a lucrative real estate deal that will “maximize the dollars by getting rid of my client,” he said.
“It was all a ruse,” he said.
Kings County Supreme Court Justice Richard Velasquez said he would decide soon whether to allow the synagogue’s legal challenge to continue.
‘You can’t stop us from going to our shul’
The Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center opened in 1928 to provide a safe place in Central Brooklyn for Jewish patients and physicians following allegations of antisemitism at nearby hospitals, according to court records and news reports from the time.
The hospital was established with financial support from the local Jewish community, and it incorporated Jewish practice into its operations from the beginning, including building a kosher kitchen and synagogue on its campus, the congregation said in its lawsuit. Workers rushed to complete construction of the temple in time for the Jewish high holidays that fall, the Brooklyn Daily Times reported in 1928.
A map of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center filed in the court docket.
Court exhibit
In 1950, the original synagogue was knocked down to make space for more X-ray rooms, according to the lawsuit. But a new structure, dubbed Congregation Chaim Albert, was constructed on the hospital campus to replace it.
For decades, members of the local Jewish community gathered in the synagogue for weekly Sabbath services, bar mitzvahs, Hanukkah parties and Purim megillah readings, said Rabbi Zalman Goldstein, a longtime member and synagogue trustee.
“The shul became the center of the community, because this is basically the only Jewish center here in this area,” he said.
The number of worshippers has fluctuated over the years, with more than 300 worshippers filling the pews at its height, according to the lawsuit. More recently, Goldstein said, a core group of about 50 to 60 congregants has gathered to pray.
The synagogue building has been closed off since 2020, Goldstein said. One Brooklyn Health official initially told congregants they would be allowed to return to the building once the public health crisis subsided, he said. But the doors have remained closed for nearly six years, causing the synagogue to fall into disrepair, according to the congregation’s lawsuit.
Instead of praying in a sanctuary adorned with stained glass windows, gleaming chandeliers and thousands of memorial plaques honoring past members, congregants have been crowding into Goldstein’s dining room or walking to farther synagogues.
“The community feels very displaced,” he said.
The congregation is arguing in court papers that One Brooklyn Health has broken a long-standing agreement between the hospital and the worshippers to allow them to use the synagogue space. They’re urging a Brooklyn judge to order the health care nonprofit to transfer ownership of the synagogue to the congregation and allow them back into the space.
“We’re not looking to get something new,” Goldstein said. “We just say, this is our shul. You can’t stop us from going into our own shul.”
In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she was leading an effort to save the historic synagogue from demolition and encouraged leaders of the congregation and the hospital to reach an agreement. Attorney General Letitia James also expressed her support for the preservation of the synagogue on social media.
Plans to redevelop the hospital campus
One Brooklyn Health is asking a judge to throw out the synagogue’s lawsuit, arguing in court papers that the congregation has “absolutely no legal or equitable rights” to dictate how the organization uses the space. The organization’s lawyers also said the building needs to be demolished as part of a broader redevelopment plan.
“It is physically impossible to demolish the surrounding buildings without altering the Shul Building’s structural integrity. Because it is not a standalone, detached structure with independent plumbing, heating, electricity, bathrooms or other utilities, the Shul cannot exist on its own, and it certainly cannot be found code-compliant by itself,” Hsi said in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center's campus is slated to be transformed into a community development with affordable housing and outpatient treatment, to address economic and health disparities in Central Brooklyn, according to Hsi’s motion.
The state has recruited Monadnock Construction Inc. to build the affordable housing and is offsetting the cost of the redevelopment with tax-exempt bonds and low-income housing tax credits, the motion states.
One Brooklyn Health was established in 2018 to operate Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center and two other hospitals in Central Brooklyn, with almost $700 million in state funding, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at the time.
But in spite of the government funds, the organization has faced financial headwinds.
In 2023, the government watchdog, the Empire Center, expressed concerns about declining patient revenue and a budget deficit of about $500 million. Last week, One Brooklyn Health confirmed it is slashing 50 executive and administrative roles amid financial pressure and efforts to make “responsible, data-informed changes” to its operations, Becker’s Hospital Review reported.
A spokesperson for the organization declined to comment on pending litigation or answer Gothamist’s questions about its finances. But in court on Wednesday, Hsi said the health system is facing financial difficulties and has the right to use its property to help settle debts. He said One Brooklyn Health isn’t bound by promises in the past to keep the synagogue intact.
“Plans can change,” he said.
Tagged
brooklyn
housing
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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