Welcome to Congregation B’nai Avraham, the Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn Heights. As the only Orthodox synagogue in the neighborhood, we serve a unique role in accommodating people with divergent religious backgrounds and at varying levels of observance. We welcome all!
Our goal is to increase the level of Jewish awareness, knowledge and observance by providing a warm, welcoming community with activities to appeal to people at all levels and with varying interests. We provide a daily morning and evening minyan and many weekly classes for adult learning. Our Mei Menacham Mikvah is perhaps the most beautiful mikvah in the City.
Our membership includes both Ashkenazim and Sephardim. Our spiritual leader, Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin, is a member of the Chabad movement, and during services most people use the RCA ArtScroll Siddur and the Stone Chumash, although other Siddurim and Chumashim are readily available.
Come to Saturday services and enjoy a sociable kiddush afterwards, or stop by at one of our many classes, or come to a Friday night dinner at one of our shabbatons. with singing, joy and a guest speaker. Whether you are a yeshiva graduate, baal teshuvah, considering conversion or totally new to Judaism, we welcome you, and you will find a comfortable place in our vibrant community.
—Stephen and Penny Rosen, founders
Our Rabbi and Rebbitzen: Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin and Shternie
We love to brag about our spiritual leaders, Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin and Rebbitzin Shternie Raskin.
The Rabbi and Rebbetzin are Chabad shluchim with a big emphasis on outreach — like public menorah lightings — that add joy and spirituality to the community.
Shternie is director of Brooklyn Heights' popular preschool Gan Menachem Kiddie Korner.
Rabbi Raskin is a well-known author and teacher, with hundreds of his online classes on his YouTube channel. Topics include: Kabbalah, Hebrew letters, weekly Haftorah, Jewish holidays, “Thank You G-d For Making Me a Woman,” and more.
His books include Letters of Light, By Divine Design, Guardian of Israel, Thank you G-d For Making Me a Woman.
History of our Congregation, B'nai Avraham of Brooklyn Heights
Stephen and Penny Rosen, after deciding in 1988 to become more observant religiously, wanted to establish an Orthodox Shabbat minyan. Together, they contacted Rabbi Shimon Hecht of B’nai Jacob in Park Slope, who supplied them with a Torah scroll, books, and a very young man to lead services and read from the Torah. Space was rented from a local theater group, flyers posted, calls made, and the hope was that someone would show up for the scheduled Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.
Initially, there were the Rosens, Drs. Walter and Brenda Molofsky, a young man (Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin) and his brother Shua, who was recruited to walk from Crown Heights together with the Rabbi.
Amazingly, other people came and there was a minyan. The first and only Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn Heights began.
Yom Kippur, holiday and Saturday morning services were held at the Rosen’s residence for the next nine months. The Congregation was officially founded as a religious corporation in December 1988. It was named B’nai Avraham in honor of Stephen Rosen’s grandfathers, both of whom had the Hebrew name “Avraham.”
Rabbi Raskin noted that “B’nai Avraham”— literally, “children of Abraham” — is the name given to converts, and the Congregation has had many converts among its members. After nine months at the Rosens’, the Congregation rented a parlor floor apartment on Clinton Street. After that it moved to a commercial space at 100 Clinton Street.
In 1996, the synagogue moved to our current location at 117 Remsen Street, purchased from the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue (Reform), which acquired a larger building three doors away.
In 2000, the Mei Menachem Community Mikvah was built. It is one of the most beautiful and elegant mikvahs in the New York area.
Pictured: Penny and Stephen Rosen in front of the new fire station in the northern Israel town of Ma’alot, dedicated in loving memory of their son, Adam.
The B’nai Avraham team
OFFICERS
Brooke Bryant, PhD, President
Ellen Kamaras, CPA, Vice President
Ellen Phillips, Treasurer
Steven Inker, MD, Secretary
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Brooke Bryant, PhD
Steven D. Cohn, Esq.
Shmuel Elhadad, DDS
Steven Inker, MD
Ellen Kamaras, CPA
Philip Lerner, Esq.
Arnold Licht, MD
Ellen Phillips
Bruce Rubinstein, MD