JCKGH -- Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills - PS 164 Alumni

Hi Andrea. Nothing like repl…

2013-09-20T16:56:59.009Z

Hi Andrea. Nothing like replying to this chain 5 years later. So, as a member of Merrick JC do you see Charlie Skop from JCKGH but not PS164? I went to a service at Merrick JC a couple of years ago (I was visiting next town over, Belmore) and saw him. I hear that bnei mitzvot are off 50% over the last 2 years. Fortunately, I belong to a growing, vibrant Conservative shul - solely because of demographics. Many younger Jews are moving from the NE to Dallas, where I live (more jobs, lower costs, higher quality of life) - and our community, particularly the group 1/2 to 1 generation younger is bringing life and activity to the shul. We also have numerous Mexican and South African Jews who, though Orthodox by birth, are active participants. There are 3-4 Chabads that do cut into our membership (and that of other shuls), but we manage (although it's always difficult to make ends meet). But I am worried about the next generation. The shul Hebrew School is not what ours was - children have other things to do (and parents don't establish Jewish studies as a priority), and it's difficult to get kids to come 3 times a week (let alone the 4 times a week we went to JCKGH). Unfortunately, they emerge barely reading Hebrew, not speaking any of it (frankly, we didn't learn to speak Hebrew at JCKGH at more than a first grade level; we learned to speed read the Siddur - which has actually been an invaluable skill for me), and not knowing enough about our history, culture or ritual practice.

I was bar-mitzvah by Rabbi Ki…

2013-09-20T16:11:13.454Z

I was bar-mitzvah by Rabbi Kirshblum in 1959, but I have to say I never enjoyed the years of Hebrew School there. Thanks for the memories..

Jeff Bricker

When my parents passed away,…

2009-06-04T16:08:18.561Z

When my parents passed away, the house I grew up in, located at 141-39 73rd Avenue, was torn down and a synagogue was built in its place. This is just around the corner from the Main St. movie theater.

Estelle Ansorge

I read the update on the Jewi…

2009-06-04T00:51:02.704Z

I read the update on the Jewish Center of KGH with a mixture of nostalgia and sadness. I attended Hebrew School for 6 years and my parents coerced me into finishing the Hebrew school year after my February, 1958 Bar Mitzvah. Once I left home I fled from Conservative Judaism, nor did a find a "home" in the Reform movement. Long after moving to San Francisco I "returned" to Judaism. I never found a spiritual dimension in Conservative Judaism. IMHO this is why Conservative Judaism is fading. Religious was more about technique instead of intention. We sat in the pews and watched the Rabbi and Cantor. The richness of the concept of Tikkun Olam was not discussed. I don't think I am alone, read Michael Lerner's book "Jewish Renewal," specifically the research he cites. All this said JCKGH was a great asset to the community.

LOL! A Senior Moment? :-)

2009-06-03T18:27:42.926Z

LOL! A Senior Moment? :-)

White Castle is a chain and c…

2009-06-03T17:53:37.126Z

White Castle is a chain and can be found here and there. You can even purchase frozen WC hamburgers. BUT!!! -- there is only one Angelo's. I live in Syracuse and come down for Mets games and almost always go to Angelos. Of course there is nothing like it in Syracuse but it has to be among the best in NYC as well. I think Angelo's son maintains the tradition. The receipe for cheese pizza is the same as when I first had it (for a quarter a slice) in the 1960s and it's spectacular!. They have great pizza with lots of stuff on it, but as a friend of mine said when I broght her to Andgelo's, "You can cover up any pizza with loads of extras but excellent cheese pizza is hard to find, and this is wonderful."

It would be weird to walk into JCKGH after almost 40 years. The neighborhood has changed so much, I imagine Conservative Jews are hard to come by. I've even gone Reform.

Wow - I am getting old. I just realized I replied to this 7 months ago. Oh well this is a bit more detailed.

My parents are still members…

2008-10-22T04:24:02.127Z

My parents are still members of KGH. It's sad to see how its membership has shrunk. Luckily, the torah scrolls were recovered. Apparently, it was the janitor. The state of conservative Judaism is not good on the south shore of LI where I live. I am a member of Merrick J.C. where Rabbi Charles Klein has been our Rabbi for over 25 years. (He used to work at KGH.) Our temple has been able to hold its own so far, but many other conservative temples have merged or are contemplating merger. Apparently, many conservative Jews do not feel that it is important to affiliate with synagagues and drop their memberships after the kids are bar mitzvahed. In addition, Chabad has moved into the area whose offer of free membership tends to undermine an established Jewish community with seven synagogues. Demographics on the south shore has also been changing.

Many years later, I can really appreciate all that KGH taught us. Mr. Agranovich, Dr. Kutner and others really provided us with an excellent Hebrew education. Remember the plays we used to put on? That room with the stage and basketball hoops was huge. My synagogue would love to have a space like that for its youth programs.

I come down to KGH numerous t…

2008-10-09T04:13:26.627Z

I come down to KGH numerous times a year from Syracuse to see the Mets and NEVER miss going to Angelo's. Angelo is gone but his son is there and it's the exact same cheese oizza. Nothing like it!

I went with my family to visi…

2008-09-26T20:32:25.501Z

I went with my family to visit the old neighborhood about a year and a half ago. We took photos on the front steps of the building. But the front doors were locked. So we went to the rear entrance, which was open. The old gym now housed a Russian dance academy. I then led the way down the center aisle , walked through the double doors, and went up the center stairway to the main floor. Peeked in the sanctuary. Then I took my kids to Mr. Agronovich's old classroom. Apparently now it's used for nursery school kids. We then went downstairs to the ballroom area. Those doors were locked, but it was kind of cool to tell my kids that I had my Bar Mitzvah reception behind those closed doors in 1970.

Outstanding!

2008-09-05T18:02:49.091Z

Outstanding!