NEW YORK — New York State Governor Kathy Hochul intervened this week to prevent the demolition of a historical synagogue in Brooklyn.

Congregation Chaim Albert has been battling for its survival in a legal case after the medical center that owns its property, One Brooklyn Health, released development plans that included the demolition of the synagogue.

The development project, at the former Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center Campus, was a state initiative launched by Hochul’s predecessor Andrew Cuomo. New York’s Homes and Community Renewal, a state housing agency, oversaw the project, giving the state leverage over the plans.

The project design that included the demolition of the synagogue sparked an outcry from the Jewish community and local elected leaders before Hochul intervened.

“Kingsbrook Synagogue has been around since the early 1900s and is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Jewish community,” Hochul said in a Friday statement to The Times of Israel. The congregation’s official name is Chaim Albert, but it is generally referred to as the Kingsbrook Synagogue.

“I’m proud to have led the effort to save the historic Kingsbrook shul from its demolition and encourage leadership from the hospital and synagogue to find a path forward where both sites can prosper and serve the community,” Hochul said.

Hochul’s office did not respond to a question about how specifically she had intervened.

A spokesperson for One Brooklyn Health declined to comment.

The congregation filed a lawsuit against One Brooklyn Health in June, saying the demolition plan threatened to “wash away almost a century of Jewish religious life” at the site, and that the plan violated previous assurances to the synagogue that it would be allowed to continue operating at the site.

The........

© The Times of Israel