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I see that Beth Isaac of Flatbush( R Yerucham Leshinskys shul) was sold to Yeshiva Beth Dovid & is now under construction. Did the shul close down? Or did they move elsewhere?
You mean “Reb Zaidel Leshinsky’s Shul”. Yes. It closed. Sold to the Yeshiva.
Reb Yeruchim should be gebentched for many years to come. Tzadik of a yid. Like Reb Zaidel ztzl was.
Dwindling membership along with increased costs in maintaining and running the shul. In addition the long walk was starting to get more difficult for them, may Hashem grant both Rabbi Lechinsky and his rebbetzin Arichas Yamin Vshanim mit gezunt. To my knowledge he did not move the minyan.
What are the funds received in the sale used for?
Joseph: It’s none of our business. It’s a private shul.
iac: What makes a shul “private”? It is owned by an individual rather than the kehila since the shul was originally bought with personal funds by an individual who retained ownership since?
I do not know how the original purchase was funded. The property was in the name of the shul and the deed reads that Bais Avrahom Cong. was the seller. I sugggest you find Rabbi Leshinky’s phone number and ask him for an accounting of the funds if you are so interested.
My question is generic, not specifically pertaining to any particular sale of a shul. Specifically my question is when a kehila shutters its doors and sells its shul, Torah’s etc., that were presumably funded by the public, who retains the funds received from the sale after closure.
Joseph: The surviving members
Joseph- to give one possible answer to your question by example, my childhood shul got a donation of sifrei Torah and money from another shul that closed and sold off its assets. In return, there was some sort of memorial commemorating the old shul and its members, so it did not just die off.
Since most shuls do not pay property taxes or ( in NYC other fees like water usage ) there are restrictions on how money can be distributed. For example, if a shul wantec to provide for a pension for its rav, in NY, permission would need to be obtained ( I think either from NY Sec of State or a judge )
I met R Yerucham Leshinsky in Lakewood. Maybe he’s moving here.
eli51: You are correct but the seller is still listed as Bais Avrahom Congregation.It looks to me that he signed as president.
if a rav opens a shul on his own even though he solicited funds for it ,its still his own private shul . yes hes providing a mokom torah and tefila for the public benefit (and perhaps raises money for the upkeep (utilities ,upkeep etc perhaps even a small income) but at the same time he enhances peoples ruchniyos by providing shiurim,sholosh seudos , perhaps a mikva etc
but the real estate is his and if the minyin is dwindling or dying out unless its a building owned by the shul which is made up of board members
its a private place belonging to an individual and his family hence they can sell it and keep the proceedsHealth: Might be a possibility. He also has children living in Lakewood.
There are many complicated halachos about closing down and selling a shul building. Particularly if it was built with funds solicited from the public. In the 1970s when many neighborhoods were deteriorating and many shuls were closing down it was a major contentious issue with many Diney Torah and L’havdil law suits.
There are too many factors involved to discuss it here.
I know of some shuls that made a deed restriction that if the shul ever closes down and the building is sold then some external organization like the Agudah or the OU will (1)decide where to distribute the money but (2)can not distribute the money to themselves in order to avoid a conflict of interest when the shuld gets sold
“if a rav opens a shul on his own even though he solicited funds for it ,its still his own private shul ”
This is not so simple in halacha. The donors to a shul sometimes do have a say about it’s being closed down or sold.
I’m not saying that is the situation here. I just talking in general.
Go through the sugyos of Beis Medrash shel Krachim/Kefarim
I used to teach a Bar Mitzvah student there.
The Wolf
There are numerous shuls (especially shteiblach) and yeshivas that are privately owned yet have a non-profit status. It is not a steera.
The building was partially demolished and re-made for Yeshivat Hechal Shemuel of Rabbi Haber. They moved in for the Elul 5782 zeman. It looks nice, but the work is not yet fully completed.
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