Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park

4802 15th Avenue | also 4810 15th Avenue | Borough Park | built 1931

Open on the map3 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1923

    Shampan & Shampan finish Temple Beth El's domed Moorish and Egyptian Revival synagogue

    Temple Beth El, a congregation of Eastern European immigrants, commissioned this building from the Brooklyn architects Shampan & Shampan, and construction ran from 1920 to 1923. The design blends Moorish Revival and Egyptian Revival elements with Jewish symbols such as the Star of David and the menorah. The large dome over the square sanctuary is the work of Rafael Guastavino and his son, who built it from thin terra-cotta tiles. The synagogue has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2010.

    “The building was ordered by the Temple Beth-El congregation, consisting of immigrants of Eastem-European origin. Construction started in 1920 and ended in 1923.”

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. 1952

    Cantor Moshe Koussevitzky begins 14 years at Beth El, nicknamed the Carnegie Hall of Brooklyn

    Moshe Koussevitzky, regarded as one of the most notable hazzans of the twentieth century, served at Temple Beth El from 1952 until 1966. The congregation's strong cantorial tradition earned it the nickname "the Carnegie Hall of Brooklyn." Other cantors there included Moshe Stern from 1968 to 1977 and Benzion Miller, who served from 1981 until his death in 2025.

    “Its best known cantor was Moshe Koussevitzky (1899-1966), counted among the most notable hazzans of the 20th century, who served at Beth El between 1952 and 1966.”

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 1980

    Beth El merges with Young Israel of Boro Park and worships on in the 15th Avenue building

    In the 1980s Young Israel of Boro Park, which had sold its 50th Street building years earlier for use as a Chasidic yeshiva, merged with Congregation Beth El. The combined Young Israel Beth El continues to worship in the 1920s building on 15th Avenue. Its membership is now smaller than it was in the 1980s.

    Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

Nearby

All 4 buildings with stories in Borough Park