Reviving Jewish Life in Western Queens

by Randi Sherman

Rabbi Jonathan Pearl had always been intrigued by Astoria and Long Island City, two adjacent Queens neighborhoods. He knew many young people were flocking there, for the lower rents and laid-back feel, and he wanted to see a Jewish community blossom there.

“I kept saying to my wife, [there needs to be a] synagogue there,” but he didn’t realize there was one, until that synagogue, Astoria Center for Israel, needed a rabbi. It turned out to be a good match.

In a career that’s taken him steadily west since he began as a student rabbi for a congregation in Mount Sinai in Suffolk County, Rabbi Pearl, 52, took over at the Astoria Center for Israel last fall 2008 with a vision to bring

about a resurgence in the area.

“This is a place with a long, distinguished history, yet the [longtime members] want it to grow and become something again,” Rabbi Pearl said of the egalitarian Conservative synagogue, noting that Astoria was once home to seven synagogues and a kosher butcher. “I really admire the older generation that wants future generations to have this place, to bring it to its glory again.”

When Rabbi Pearl tells people about the functioning synagogue in the area for nearly 90 years, their first reaction, he says, is an inquisitive, could-he-be-serious look; after all, Astoria is known for being an overwhelmingly Greek neighborhood.

But the rabbi has plans for a resurgence of Jewish life in the aging synagogue. It started simply, as soon as he unpacked his keyboard, a favorite instrument that he plays at most services, adding new melodies to the prayers.

“I make whatever we do at services be meaningful and relevant,” Rabbi Pearl said. “I can’t just be a page turner announcer.”

He’s started a singles program, a monthly lunch and learn, and is even bringing children back into the synagogue, starting a Shabbat children’s program a few months ago. “It’s so nice to hear the sound of children in the halls again, to bring them up on the bima,” the rabbi says. He talks about reviving the Hebrew school and the possibility of leading a congregational trip to Israel.

“I really believe that synagogues have a function to inspire Jews, not just to be there when Jews want to come in,” Rabbi Pearl says. “That proactive nature is something synagogues need to embrace. ...This is my passion.”

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Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization