Temple of Israel

The building at 188 Beach 84th St. in Rockaway Beach was Temple of Israel, a synagogue built in 1921 to replace a wood frame temple that burned down. Temple of Israel is linked to a Jewish congregation that dates back to the 1890s. The building last housed a synagogue in 2001 due to declining numbers of local members and was sold to Haven Ministries. The Temple of Israel building was listed in the New York and National Registers of Historic Places in 2013 - 2014. The structure still houses Haven International Ministries. a nondenominational Pentecostal church.

In the late 1890s, the Society Temple of Israel held religious services in private residences or rented space for high holy day services. In the summer of 1899, the trustees of the temple took out a mortgage from Ernest F. and Anna Bliss for $1,000 on a lot of 50 by 118 feet on the east side of Fairview Avenue in the Oakley Park area of Rockaway Beach. By January 1900, construction on the temple on Fairview Avenue was ready to begin. The architect was Joseph P. Powers and the contract for building the synagogue was awarded to Charles Crabbe. The building was touted as a beautiful design; the Moorish style structure featured towers with an onion-shaped dome flanking the entrance (see the postcard image below). The members of the Temple donated funds for the building, including $100 from T. Kohn; $50 each from S. Weiskopf, B. Edelstein, M. Lewy; and many more, collected by treasurer Max Lewy. The Ladies' Benevolent Society, under President Mrs. S. Rosenthal, were busy raising funds, too. Over $900 was collected in the first two months.

The distinctive wooden temple building was destroyed by fire on December 18th, 1920, along with the Empire Theater and another wood frame buildings. Damages were estimated at $100,000. Within weeks, plans were being made to build a new, larger temple; within eight months, $18,000 had been collected. The two-story brick synagogue on a raised basement was built on the same site; by that time, Fairview Ave. had been renamed Beach 84th St. The iron framework was being built by September 1921 by the Manhattan firm G. & H. Brikel for August Bellon, Inc. of Rockaway Beach. Services were able to be held in the building in September 1922 before it was finished later that year.

The large structure is three bays wide across the front and six bays deep. The buff brick is accented with stone details and the roof is front gable style; the lack of exposed wood was added protection from fire. The building has Classical Revival elements, including the Ionic stone columns at the central entrance with a large arched window above; a stone cornice with a Greek key motif separates the basement and first levels. The raised basement is clad in limestone and has been painted. The double entrance doors are not original, but the Star of David motif is still present in a wood panel above the doors and in the decorative ironwork in the windows on either side of the entrance.

There were only a few dozen members of the synagogue left by the 1990s, as people moved from Rockaway Beach and older members passed away. The synagogue closed in 2001. The former synagogue is now a Pentecostal church, Haven International Ministries, under Pastor Dr. Richard Hartley. Haven Ministries was founded in 1997 and formerly operated fro a private home. They are a "fellowship of believers" who learn, listen, work, and pray together actively to reach out to their communities. The new owners have made very few modifications to the building since purchasing it from the Jewish congregation.

Anonymous. "Real Estate Transfers." Wave of Long Island (Oceanus) July 1st 1899. 5-5.

Anonymous. "The Work Begun." Wave of Long Island (Oceanus) January 20th 1900, 5-5.

Anonymous. "Congregation Temple of Israel." Wave of Long Island (Oceanus) February 17th 1900, 5-5.

Anonymous. What is Burning: Big Fires. The Insurance Press. January 12th 1921. 14 - 14.

Crowley, Jason. Mackey, Linda. NRHP Nomination of Temple of Israel, Queens County, NY. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 2013.

Israelowitz, Oscar. Synagogues of New York City: History of a Jewish Community. New York, NY. Israelowitz Pub., 2000.

Join My Church. Haven International Ministries, New York NY, 11693, Join My Church. Accessed July 5th 2022. https://www.joinmychurch.com/churches/Haven-International-Ministries-New-York-New-York-United-States/350953.

NYS Supreme Court. Queens County Appellate Division. Gertrude Engelhardt v. August Bellon, Inc. and George and Henry Brikel. Edition June. Albany, NY. New York State, 1922.