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September 2000 Issue, Volume 2

A New Beginning For Harlem

By Deborah Biskin Levine

Cruising around Harlem in their Volvo, Dave and Malka Friedman of Lawrence, an affluent town in Long Island, pull up in front of the Old Broadway Synagogue. Dave is pleasantly surprised to see Rabbi Abe Weschler and his wife Tirtza walking out of the Moorish looking structure replete with protective grating on the front windows, onto 125th Street. The under thirty year-old rabbi approaches the car with a smile and a handshake.

"I didn't realize there was still an active synagogue in this neighborhood,", says Dave. "I'm thinking of buying a piece of property on 125th Street and I'm so happy to see that there is a synagogue here. I never imagined that there were still Jewish people in this neighborhood."

Dave asks Rabbi Weschler the question that this clergyman hears daily, "What do you predict the future is for Harlem?"

The Rabbi and his wife, Tirtza, are dreamers and optimists with a vision for Old Broadway. Many would say that their dreams are grounded in reality. Middle class folks are purchasing brownstones in Harlem like hotcakes, and Columbia, Barnard, and Jewish Theolgical Seminary Students are moving northward into Morningside Heights and Harlem in order to take advantage of cheaper rents.

Real estate agent Sandy Serebin of Simon and Russ on 55th and Madison explains, "When people meet me and ask me what area of the city is most likely to appreciate most in the least amount of time, I tell them--Harlem. It has the best housing stock in the city. Four years ago, a brownstone in that neighborhood would go for two hundred thousand dollars, and now they're a half a million. There is all sorts of money pouring into Harlem. Big business is investing, and opening up outlets there. There is a Disney Store, several gourmet food shops, and lots of new shopping. You know big business doesn't invest in something unless they know there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

Paul Radensky, a father of three young children who is finishing up his dissertation in Jewish history, and the Assistant Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the Ninety Second Street Y, has been a congregant for many years.

"At Old Broadway, everyone's contribution is necessary," enthuses Paul. "I wasn't too happy with the davening on Shabbat, so I started learning the melodies, and soon led the services myself. Every Shabbat, every one gets an honor, whether its getting an aliyah, opening the ark, or leading the services. I feel needed here. I could daven at any of the big synagogues on the Upper West Side, but I would never feel as much a part of things as I do here."

The cast of characters at Old Broadway is eclectic and colorful, and Rabbi Weschler welcomes them all.

"Since I've been here, several people in the neighborhood have approached me and said that they are Jewish, that they have a Jewish mother. I have invited these people to join us at services, and they actually have come. This shul is warm, it has an old world feel and people feel welcome here."

Steep stairs lead down to the synagogue's basement, which has the overwhelming odor of mildew. Dark wood paneling covers the walls and the ceiling tiles are bowed in the middle. The cracked porcelain bathroom fixtures are still the originals from the 1920s, and the doors are covered with peeling paint. The rabbi, with characteristic good cheer, explains, "we also have a little asbestos problemhere. But hopefully, we'll raise the money we need to make this place beautiful again."

Harlem was a vibrant Jewish community in the 1920s. Then like in so many other cities, the the Jewish population began moving to greener pastures, places like The Bronx , Brooklyn, and Queens. Rabbi Jacob Kret came to Old Broadway from 1950 and stayed until his retirement in November 1997--an amazing 48 years in Harlem. Rabbi Kret kept the shul alive by hard work and the sheer power of his personality.

"He was one of those charismatic personalities," recalls Paul Radensky. "After I finished my oral exams, Rabbi Kret saw that I was willing to attend services if asked, so he began inviting me to come every week. After that I just kept going back because he was the kind of person you couldn't say 'no' to. When Rabbi Kret left us, he was well into his eighties. He lives on the Lower East Side now. We had a few bad years, with temporary rabbis, but now that Rabbi Weschler is here, I'm confident that the Old Broadway Synagogue will just keep growing."

Walking through the neighborhood with Rabbi Weschler is an experience. People stop him to say 'hello' or 'shalom'. He has a smile and a kind word for all. When a panhandler asked him for some spare change to put in his coffee cup, the Rabbi opened his wallet. He dropped the coins in the cup and then looked into the man's eyes, and asked him how he was doing, if there was anything he could do for him and invited him to drop by at the shul.

"People ask me all the time if I'm scared here. I'm not. I think the same misconceptions people have about living in Israel they have about Harlem. People think that in Israel there are bombs dropping all over the place," explains the Rabbi. "Of course that isn't true. When you're there, you don't feel a sense of danger. Well, the same is true here. I feel safe and comfortable in this neighborhood. People are friendly and respectful. A few non-Jews have been intersted in seeing what Judaism is all about. I've invited them to join us at services, and they've come. Everyone is welcome here. There are a couple of people who are in the process of converting, and we welcome them too. We are tolerant of everyone here no matter where they are Jewishly."