The East Nassau Hebrew Synagogue is located in Syosset, New York. It was founded by Rabbi Morris Appleman in 1956. It was the first Orthodox synagogue in the area when it was established.
The synagogue had a large congregation and did well until the 1970s as membership started to decline.
More recently, in 2003, a group signed a nearly 5-year lease to use the building as a school and were expected to buy the property after the lease but the school closed due to low enrollment.
Rabbi Solomon Appleman chose to sell the synagogue in 2006 in response to its decline in membership, but a group of local residents, who claimed to be members, sued to stop the sale. [1]
The group wanted the rabbi to pay a $1 million to force the sale to them so they could use the building and reorganize a congregation. However, Appleman was asking for $2.5 million[2]. The Rabbi insisted those who filed the suit were not members of the synagogue and so the building closed after the High Holy Days in 2006. [3] As of 2019, the former Synagogue sits unused and vacant.
- https://www.vosizneias.com/31228/2009/05/05/syosset-ny-sale-of-shul-goes-to-court/
- https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/syosset-shul-a-tough-sell/
- https://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2013/01/rabbi-allegedly-resigns-from-rca-over-chabad-shul-stealing-imbroglio-456.html
