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The Young Israel of Hollis Hills-Windsor Park serves the
Northeast Queens communities of Bayside, Hollis Hills, Fresh Meadows
and Oakland Gardens. We are a modern Orthodox shul with strong ties
to Israel. Our members enjoy city conveniences while living a
suburban lifestyle. We are located in a beautiful neighborhood with
parks bounding us on all sides and trees and grass all around us.
New York City is now officially the safest large city in the nation
and our community is amongst the safest in NYC; we are very
comfortable taking a Shabbat or Yom Tov night walk.
Our rabbi, Barry Kornblau, joined us in 2003 and has added energy,
new ideas, and programming to our repertoire. We have recently
started a Community Kollel; a number of young couples have
moved into the neighborhood to further enhance our learning, event
programming, and outreach. The shul currently has regularly
scheduled classes in Talmud, halacha, and the weekly parsha,
as well as a monthly class for women only. Also on our
calendar is Beginner's Hebrew as well as an explanatory service
on Shabbat. Of course, we have daily Shacharit and Mincha-Maariv
minyanim.
Our shul is a participatory one; no individual or small group
hordes power. We seek and encourage involvement in the shul's
operation from the entire membership. No one gets lost in the
shuffle here; everyone is valued and considered to be part of the
fabric of the shul.
Come and experience the beauty, convenience and warm intimacy
of our community and shul. Find out for yourself why we have been
called "the in-town shul with an out-of-town feel".
In 1951, members of a minyan at the Oakland Jewish Center,
then in a storefront on Springfield Boulevard and Horace Harding
Expressway, founded the Young Israel of Windsor Park, named for a
housing development in the area, and davened in a private house
they had purchased on 215th Street. Their first rabbi, Naftali
Langsam, served the congregation and taught its Talmud Torah from
1954 to 1955. This Talmud Torah continued to provide an after
school Jewish education for youngsters attending public schools,
until 1975.
In 1958, the building we presently occupy was dedicated in
the same location.
Beginning in 1955 and continuing for 40 years until his passing
in 1995, Rabbi Louis Bernstein (z'lb) served our congregation as
rav, mentor, and friend. During this time, Rabbi Bernstein also
served as head of the
Rabbinical Council of America (RCA)
and was well known nationally and internationally. He was
succeeded by Rabbi Yehoshua Weber, who led our congregation
between 1996 and 2002, and our present rabbi, Barry Kornblau.
In the 1960s, our shul was home to the Heller Hebrew Academy
of Queens, which eventually merged with
Yeshiva of Central Queens.
Our highly successful kollel began in 2003. Its first member
was Ellie Weissman, now Rabbi Ellie Weissman, recently chosen to
be the rabbi of the Young Israel of Plainview.
Our new name, Young Israel of Hollis Hills-Windsor Park, was
adopted in 2004 in recognition of the larger area in which our
members live today.
Presidium: William Davidson
First Vice President: Gad Malamed
Second Vice President: Mitch Marcus
Financial Secretary: Robert Greenberg
Corresponding Secretary: Jeff Bernstein
House Chairman: Dr. George Ciner
Gabbai: Arthur Roschwalb
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