Letters from Our Readers:

In a message dated June 30, 2010, Sid Leiman writes to Rockaway Memories

Dear Marty,

Attached is a photo of Rabbi Chavel during his tenure at Sha'rei Zedek that I found among my collection. Ben Budick mentions him in his email that you were kind enough to forward to me. Rabbi Chavel, was a respected member of the community of rabbis in the Rockaways. In this photo you can see my father, Rabbi Harold Leiman, in the background (partially cut off on the extreme left).

Rabbi Chavel, 1949

I may be able to clarify some of the issues that Ben raised about Sha'rei Zedek in his response to Stevie Stevens' excellent article Random Thoughts on Edgemere.

With regard to Ben's questioning as to when Sha'rei Zedek might have become an orthodox synagogue and why did the building have a balcony when it was first constructed if it was not orthodox, I offer the following explanation:

From the reference Who's Who in American Jewry we know that Hyman Solomon served as rabbi of Cong. Sha'arei Zedek from 1930-32. He was a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, member of the Rabbinic Assembly (the Conservative Rabbis organization) and a proud Mason! This is a clear indication that the crowd at (or perhaps: the Board of) Shaarei Zedek AT THAT TIME was more Conservative than Orthodox. This was true for many of the shuls in Far Rockaway and Arverne. They began as Reform or Conservative and became Orthodox. My records indicate that Sha'rei Zedek was founded in 1918. Regarding the balcony, Reform and Conservative shuls all had balconies in those days. Mixed seating is a modern invention.

Best wishes,

Sid Leiman