Synagogues of Long Island

Long Island has one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the nation. After World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jewish soldiers returned from war looking for a life in the suburbs and synagogues to join. In 1946, Rabbi Elias Solomon called a meeting of Conservative rabbis from the area in Manhattan to map out a plan for a synagogue at every South Shore Long Island Railroad stop from Valley Stream to Patchogue. Central Synagogue of Nassau County and Beth El in Great Neck both grew to more than one thousand families as Reform Judaism took hold. The growth of the Chabad movement in recent decades has spurred an increase of Orthodox Judaism. Author Ira Poliakoff catalogues the history of synagogues and congregations that have shaped Long Island past and present.